Wallington P.S. Newsletter

Term 4 - Week 6 - 2021


Principal News

Remembrance Day Thursday 11th November
Remembrance Day falls on the 11th of November each year. On the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, a minutes' silence is observed and dedicated to those soldiers who died fighting to protect the nation. Today the loss of Australian lives from all wars and conflicts is commemorated on Remembrance Day. Our Senior student leaders will lead the school in a minute’s silence today over the PS. Remembrance Day marks 103 years since the end of World War I (1914–18). The commemoration will run in all classes from 10:50-11am.

What do Remembrance Day poppies represent? 
The reason poppies are used to remember those who have given their lives in battle is because they are the flowers which grew on the battlefields after World War One ended. This is described in the famous World War I poem “In Flanders Fields”.

Pupil Free Day: Monday 6th December

COVID Safe Arrangements
We are now able to hold face to face meetings with parents onsite depending on vaccination status, please see below the guidelines as issued by the Department of Education.

Vaccination requirements for parents and carers attending schools
All parents and carers attending schools, including for drop off and pick up must also adhere to physical distancing, density limits, face mask requirements and practise respiratory etiquette and good hand hygiene.

Parents and carers who enter school buildings must check in using the QR code.

Parents and carers who enter school buildings must also have had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and must have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine by 29 November 2021 or have a valid medical exception with the following limited exceptions:

  • when attending to administer medical treatment to their own child when the treatment cannot be administered by the school
  • when attending to collect their child who is unwell and cannot leave the school building unaccompanied by their parent/carer.
  • when attending for a momentary period that does not involve any sustained contact with staff or students, for example, to collect a completed art project or similar.

Parents and carers attending any event or activity inside a school building including, but not limited to tours, graduations, kindergarten transition, whole of school events are required to show evidence of vaccination.

Meetings and other discussions (such as Student Support Group meetings) with parents and carers who do not meet vaccination requirements should be held virtually. 

Parents and carers attending school sites for drop off and pick up who do not enter school buildings do not need to comply with vaccination requirements.

Any parent / carer who needs to access an early childhood education and care service (including OSHC) via the main entrance of a government school building is required to check in using the Victorian Government QR Code Service but do not need to show their vaccination status.

Information to the school community
To better support schools to manage COVID-19 cases, the Department of Education and Training (DET) and the Department of Health (DH) have revised how COVID-19 cases will be managed in schools and I wanted to share some information with families to let you know what will happen if we were to receive a positive case at school. I thought that it was important to provide more information on what occurs during a school closure so that you can be prepared for this scenario should it happen. Much of this information is changing rapidly and schools are only provided with some information after a confirmed case is reported. This makes it hard to be fully prepared for such circumstances. Please note the information below is guidance only and is subject to change in the event of a positive case.

What happens if a child tests positive?

  • If your child or children test/s positive you need to inform the school as soon as possible either via phone or via email. We will need to obtain information from you about the date of the test and the date of the result along with other relevant information about your child’s movements and their symptoms.
  • After the school receives this notification, we contact the Department of Education and raise an alert which prompts the School Closure Team to contact the school. They obtain key information about the details of the case and determine the next steps.
  • If it is deemed necessary by the Department of Health, the school will be closed for 24 hours, however this may be extended if there are additional cases reported in this time, or if contact tracing is not complete. Please note that it is not my call as to whether the school closes, I receive an official order from the Regional Director and have to comply with this order.
  • The school then moves forward to contact tracing and contacting parents of children who may be considered a Primary Close Contact (PCC) of the positive case. PCCs are likely to be limited to those in the same class as the confirmed COVID-19 case. However, this will also depend on the level of compliance with face-mask requirements and how much classes might have mixed.
  • If your child is considered a PCC they will be required to quarantine at home for 14 days, monitor for symptoms and inform the school if they test positive. If this is a whole class, during this time we will run Remote Learning for that class. If your child is 12 and over and is double vaccinated, they only have to quarantine for 7 days.

If the school is closed what happens?

  • I will send a School Closure notice via Sentral from a template provided by the Department of Education. If you know of someone in our community who may not be aware of this please reach out and let them know. Please note that this notification may come at any time so it is important to monitor Sentral messages.
  • A school closure means that no-one is allowed onsite which means no Before or After School Care and no Onsite supervision will occur.
  • Please do not call the school during this time, there will be no-one onsite to answer the phone. The best way to contact us is via email: wallington.ps@education.vic.gov.au Please keep in mind that if you or your child are a PCC we will contact you.
  • While the school is closed, cleaning is undertaken, with a focus on high touch areas.
  • The school will be given notification to extend the closure or to re-open and we will confirm this with the community, again using Sentral.
  • All students can then return to school unless they have been identified as a Primary Close Contact (PCC).

Are we prepared?
As always throughout the past 18 months the staff at our school have been preparing for this. There will be challenges and glitches, but as a flexible and growth mindset-orientated community, we will be understanding, patient and forgiving. We receive regularly updated guidance from the Department of Education and have developed our own school plans and CovidSafe actions to keep our staff, children and wider community as safe as possible. These school guidelines will continue to be communicated to families via Sentral and includes things such as drop off and staggered pick up, limiting movement and visitors onsite and as is practical limited mixing of students onsite.

What can we do at home to support your child/ren in the event of a school closure?
The best thing that you can do is to remain calm and be supportive of your children. Just like adults, they will go through a range of emotions and be challenged by these times. Remind your children to bring home their belongs daily. Practice and encourage them to uphold high levels of hygiene, social distancing and mask wearing where possible. Resources from organisations such as Emerging Minds and Raising Children Network are very useful to support you to have some of these conversations at home. We are hoping that we do not have to experience a school closure or positive case, but the reality is that it is quite likely that we will. I ask that if you get notified of a school closure that you remain calm and be assured that we will contact you personally if your child is a PCC. Please keep in mind that our focus during this time needs to be on contact tracing and if you have a non-urgent issue, we ask if you could please wait until after the school re-opens.

I hope that this has provided some clarity and allows you to have some level of preparedness for a future school closure. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding during these complex times.



Support for your kids to get active

Does your child love sport and being active? Does your family have a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card? You may be eligible for up to $200 to put towards the cost of your child’s participation in physical activities.

As children return to sport over the coming months, the Get Active Kids Voucher Program helps eligible families get their kids involved in organised sport and active recreation activities.

Under the program, children may be eligible to receive up to $200 to help with the cost of membership and registration fees, uniforms, and equipment.

The program also provides a special consideration stream to support children residing in care services as well as temporary or provisional visa holders, undocumented migrants or international students.

Applications for vouchers in round three of the program close at 5pm Tuesday 30 November.

For eligibility requirements and to apply, visit the Get Active Victoria website.




Parents and Friends



SUBWAY SPECIAL LUNCH FRIDAY 26th NOVEMBER

A reminder to get your orders in for this terms Special Lunch!  Payment must be submitted on QKR AND your form returned to the drawer opposite the office.
Please CLICK HERE for a copy of the order form.
NOTE: If you previously paid for this lunch the last time it was scheduled, you only need to submit a form (if you are unsure if you paid, please check your receipt history in QKR).  Forms are due by Wednesday 17th November.  Sorry no late or incomplete orders will be accepted.

NEXT MEETING

Our next meeting is on TOMORROW at the Rolling Pin in Leopold 9.15am.

Positive Behaviour Awards




Prep K

King

IMOGEN B

For being friendly and inclusive when working in groups and out in the playground.  You have shown good leadership and kindness to others.  Well done Imogen!


Prep M

Moore

SERENA H

For making a great start at a new school. It’s great to see you have taken on the challenge of making new friends within our classroom.  Welcome Serena.


1/2 F

Firns

WILLOW G

For coming to a new school and getting to know all of your classmates as well as making some new friends. Keep smiling Willow!


1/2 O

O'Brien

HEATH M

For joining in all our class activities, you have shown great resilience when challenged and when having to work in different groups. Well done Heath!


1/2 B

Belsar

ABEL B

For always being flexible and inclusive with who you are partnered with in class activities, and bringing out the best in whoever you are working with. Excellent leadership and resilience Abel!


3/4 D

Duckett

FRED R

For being able to play  with a range of different people in the school yard.  Well done on making great choices and having fun with lots of friends.


3/4 M

Macys

JOEL M

For being kind and caring to your other classmates and always making sure they have the necessary materials for each lesson.  Keep it up Joel :)

Pre-Service Teacher : Mr. Shandley


3/4 V

Vaught

KALEC D

For joining in all the activities for the week. Kalec you showed good resilience in the school yard and chose lots of friends to play with.


5/6 B

Bennett

EZRA T

For remembering to use your resilience strategies when working with others and facing challenges in the classroom and outside. Well done Ezra, I am very proud of you!


5/6 S

Stevens

ALEX M

For being able to work with a range of different people in the classroom. Well done on all of your hard work this year. Keep up the good work!


Swimming Reminder

A friendly reminder that the School Swimming Program for Preps to Year 3 will commence on Monday (15th November).
Students must be in their full school uniform with their bathers underneath.  This allows for a quick change once at the pool.  Please remember to pack your named items (underwear, towel, goggles etc) in a named plastic bag to be used for their wet gear.
Please also ensure that your child has packed a normal lunch, snack and drink.

Year 5/6 Learn a New Skill Project

Last term the Year 5/6 students were assigned a 'Learn a New Skill' project as their homework.  They were required to learn or develop a skill.  All students did a fantastic job.  Some students learned photography, bonsai making, cooking, woodworking and skateboard building.  Students presented their journal, process and final products to their peers. Well done to all the 5/6 students on their hard work.

Here are some examples of 3 students work.....

 





Reporting Absences

Just a friendly reminder that the Skoolbag App is no longer available for reporting absences.  The preferred method to report an absence is via the Sentral Parent App or Portal.
To report an absence on the Sentral Parent App choose 'ABSENCES' from the home screen.  A list of unexplained absences (if any) for your child will appear.  You can update these unexplained absences with reasons. To report a new/future absence choose the '+' symbol in the top right corner and enter your childs details.   There is a drop down box to choose the absence reason.  Press 'submit'.
To report an absence on the Sentral Parent Portal click on the 'Absences Tab'.  A list of unexplained absences (if any) for your child will appear.  You can update these unexplained absences with reasons. To report a new/future absence click on the 'Notify of an Absence' in the green box in the top right corner.  There is a drop down box to choose the absence reason.  Enter the date and comments and click on the 'Send' button in the green box.
Please submit any current day absences prior to 10am.

Thankyou.