Term 2 Week 4
Dear Parents and Carers,
You will be pleased to know that school is returning to normal with full-time face to face lessons taking place every day. The number of students returning to school daily is increasing and almost every student has returned! We can see that the children are happy to be back at school, and we are proud of them for dealing so well with recent changes to their learning.
We are ensuring that safety is a priority here. Scrupulous cleaning and vigilant attention to personal hygiene are a prominent part of practice for students and staff. Following CSO directions is vital in ensuring the safety of our school community. We would like to extend our appreciation for understanding the need to limit visitors within our school grounds. We know that it has been hard for the families of our younger students to 'drop' at the gate and leave, but the children have shown resilience in saying goodbye to mum and dad and then making their way to their classrooms to greet teachers and friends. It’s great to see that they feel a part of their school community. Thank you to the staff for assisting at the gates and students of Year 6 who have generously given up their playtime to welcome the children and to walk the Kinder students to their classrooms. We are all in this together and we are doing all that we can to keep everyone safe.
It is pleasing to see the progress of the storm damage repairs. It has been a hive of activity this week around the school as workmen are repairing the damage. The Art Room is being repaired and the carpet replaced. Drainage has been added to the front of the Art Room to prevent further flooding. The damaged Mega Toy structure has been removed and the climbing wall removed and stored until it can be relocated to a new position in the future. Some trees had to be removed from the playground due to their root systems blocking drains. These drains have been cleared. The wind damaged roof panels have also been replaced in the Hall walkway. We still have some work to do but we are well on the way to completion after all this time.
The kiss and drop zone has been a huge success since we re-introduced the use of the area for afternoon pickups. Staff are so generous with their time supervising children and helping them to get into their family cars quickly. We have noticed that pickup times seem to be getting later and later. We ask that you collect your child from the kiss and drop area in Turf St between 2.55 pm and 3:20 pm each afternoon. The gate at the kiss and drop zone will be closed at 3.20 pm and children will be taken to the bus bay to wait for parents or carers. Parents will need to park and walk around to the bus bay gate as parking is not available in the bus zone.
Sincerely
Jacki Moore
Principal
Kindergarten News
What an interesting end to term 1 and start to term 2! We have experienced so many changes to learning and had the opportunity for some valuable family time.
While learning at home, Kindergarten has still been working hard to build their understanding of letter names and the sounds they make and creating and performing stories. They are exploring God’s creation and finding different ways to bust apart and represent numbers.
We asked our students what it was like learning from home:
“When I was at home I learnt to read all my letters.” Ethan
“When I was at home learning I got a gold star for doing great work.” Finlay
“Blended learning was fun because we got to cut out Easter craft.” Maeve
“I enjoyed cutting out the words and putting them into a sentence.” Josh
“I loved counting at home. I can count to 20.” Aria.
Some positives to come from this:
- Extra time to spend with family - bike rides, walks, exploring, planting gardens, creating art
- A reprieve for the environment and lower carbon emissions
- The opportunity for families to be involved in education and children to learn in different ways
- Appreciation and gratefulness - it has offered us a new perspective on all the wonderful things we have
The majority of our Kindergarten cohort have now returned to school and are very excited to be back with their peers and teachers. This week we have seen our Kindergarten children keen to see all their friends and enjoying plenty of play experiences together both in the classroom and on the playground. We have had the opportunity to engage in some different games and sports and revitalise our school garden in celebration of all the wonderful women in our lives.
Most importantly our Kindergarten students have settled back into their classroom space and are getting on with their important job of learning.
Back to School
Yesterday (21 May) was Ascension Thursday, which marks 40 days from the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday to His ascension to heaven. In Australia, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord on the following Sunday. Like the disciples, we then wait for Pentecost (50 days from Easter) when the Holy Spirit comes upon the gathered apostles.
The liturgical seasons of the Church immerse us into a pattern of waiting and preparation. As we wait for a return to the routines and patterns we took for granted before the pandemic, let’s use this time for our healing and growth, and for outreach to others, so that we may serve our community well in the post COVID-19 world.
Sunday Mass
Sacraments
Prayer
Sport & PE
School Sport update- Direct from the Catholic Schools Office
We will endeavor to keep you all updated on any advice we receive regarding sport from both a school and diocesan level. The following advice was provided to us this week.
A number of sporting issues are being discussed at CSNSW level and above. It is important that schools keep in mind the following pressures that exist in this area:
- Financial and economic issues for parents;
- Moving dates of events into Term 3 and 4 places increased pressure on schools;
- Limited availability of transport to events.
School Based Sport
All school based sport is to be undertaken within the school grounds until further restrictions are lifted by the government (this date is unknown). This decision would allow local venues and sporting grounds to be used into the future.
There is to be no inter-school sport until further notice.
PDHPE Lessons
PE classes can continue with increased hygiene procedures in place. Individual schools are required to manage the increased risk around these activities.
Diocesan Athletics
School and diocesan athletics carnivals and the pathway to State are still under consideration. Further advice will be available early June.
Representative Sport
At this point both Primary Schools Sports Association (PSSA) and Combined High Schools (CHS) pathway sports will commence in mid to late Term 3, pending the rollback of government public health orders.
If PSSA and CHS resume mid to late Term 3, both Polding and Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) events may go ahead as scheduled.
Further advice will be provided at the end of May when the next State level meetings occur.
Student wellbeing is very important at St Mary's and the transition back to school after our blended learning time is important. In an effort to create a little bit of fun and encourage all our students back to school, we are introducing “Flourishing Fridays”.
Parent Game Aware Webinar
- The culture and psychology of gaming
- Why gamers love to play
- Is the gaming a hobby or habit
- Does gaming affect academic performance
- Get tips on being a 'screen-smart' family
Please use the link above to register.
Canteen
The school canteen will continue to remain closed until the end of this term. We know that this is a service that we all miss however, we are unable to have our valued parent helpers on site for the next few weeks due to the restrictions of adults on the school site.
We will seek advice towards the end of this term as to when it will be safe to reopen. We thank you for your understanding.
Visitors to the school and Morning Arrivals
Thank you to those parents and carers who are following the guidelines regarding visiting the school. It is important that we are following the directions of the Catholic Schools Office to assist in keeping our children safe. Parents are asked to not enter the school site unless they need to visit the front office. Staff and year 6 students have been doing an amazing job greeting students as they arrive. If you need your child to be greeted and walked to their classroom by Staff and Year 6, can you please assist us by using the Turf Street entrances of the school - the main gate or the Kiss and Drop zone.
Fees
Support is available to assist fee payers through this difficult time. Please contact the school office or email grafp@lism.catholic.edu.au should you wish to discuss fee relief.
School Uniforms
Thank you for the recent donations of second hand uniform clothing. We have been able to distribute most of the items to families in need. If you have any uniforms that you can donate to help families affected by COVID-19 please send them into the front office.
With the cool weather upon us please ensure jumpers and jackets are labelled with your child's name. Girls are permitted to wear stockings to school however we suggest packing a pair of socks in case the weather warms.
Term 2 Tips for Parents
This document provides numerous tips to assist students returning to school after a change to normal school experiences. We hope you find it useful.
Children's crossings
These are part-time crossings which operate just before and after school hours, as well as other times such as school excursions and lunchtimes. They are highlighted by red flags with the words CHILDREN CROSSING on them.
When the flags are displayed you must slow down and stop before the stop line if a pedestrian is on or entering the crossing. You must not proceed until all pedestrians have left the crossing.
You must not stop on or within 20 metres before or 10 metres after, a children’s crossing.
School Crossing Supervisors
As you approach a pedestrian crossing or children's crossing where a School Crossing Supervisor is displaying a ‘STOP Children Crossing’ sign, you must slow down and stop. You may proceed when the School Crossing Supervisor no longer displays the sign in your direction or has indicated it is safe for you to proceed.
Recently, a Transport NSW representative visited and reported back to us on the following unsafe and illegal driving activities that were witnessed at the school crossing in Turf Street Grafton.
These illegal activities are being monitored daily, fines can be large, and loss of demerit points may apply.
A friendly reminder:
- Avoid crossing unbroken lines in the school zone.
- Don’t stop within 10 metres of the school crossing in the entrance to the pick up/drop off zone.
- Avoid stopping parallel inside the fog line, unless reverse parking.
- Don’t park for extended periods in the pickup and drop off zone e.g. several drivers observed for 20 minutes to 30 in 1-minute pick-up area.
- Adhere to no “U-turn“ sign when exiting drop off zone.
- Always maintain 40 km/hour during school zone times.
- Avoid stopping or parking in a disabled parking zone without proper authorisation.
- Hands off mobile phones.
- Always stop for adult pedestrians on school crossing, when flags are erected.