Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Craigslea for the 2021 school year! A special welcome to our Prep and new families and we are so honoured you have chosen to join our community. This year we are approximately 580 students in 25 classes.  Our priorities for 2021 are as follows:

We look forward to reinforcing and extending our School Community Partnerships in particular given the difficulties around parents not being on-site during the COVID period last year.

It has been wonderful to see parents back on-site this week having the chance to meet their child’s teacher by appointment and we look forward to more parents taking this opportunity into the end of Week 2. https://eq.sobs.com.au/pt3/parent.php?schoolid=70103 

The pick-up and drop-off zones were fairly hectic on the first day but by Day 2 it was much improved. We expect that all our procedures will be like clockwork once everyone is settled into their new routine.  Car visor labels were sent home from today, if you can use rubber bands to attach to the front of your visor (see photo) so we can easily identify your vehicle and call your child to the car on your approach. If you haven’t received a car visor label, please email kcana2@eq.edu.au

FROM WEEK 3

(specific arrangements to be confirmed at end of Week 2)

If things continue to travel in a safe COVID direction, we will move towards

• Parents/carers who wish to, can walk their child into school of a morning and pick up their child from outside their classroom in the afternoon, moving in and out of the school site quickly without congregating or moving inside classrooms except by prior arrangement. Have a mask available as it could be required.
• Discussions with the teacher (if required) will be possible before 9am or after 3pm by emailing the teacher directly to ensure a mutually agreeable time. This is to ensure we can follow the guidelines for distancing indoors. Unscheduled visits make this difficult.
• We are aware that parents would like us to continue with the pick-up and drop-off zones. Therefore, we need to ensure that parents/carers coming into the school grounds are parking a distance away so as not to interfere with these zones or impact negatively on our neighbours by making sure our school community is parking and driving legally and courteously. Please allow yourself time to walk a distance and avoid parking in Ballinger Street and in the cul-de-sac end of Kittabilla Street wherever possible.
• We suggest that parents/carers have built some independence in their children during the period that external adults couldn't access the site. Consider allowing them to walk themselves inside and out some days as this is good for them as well as ensuring not too many adults are on-site at once.
• From sometime in the first half of this term, we will make it possible for parents/carers to volunteer in their child’s classroom, if they wish.

ASSEMBLY WEEK 2

Next week’s face-to-face assembly will be a Year 5 and 6 assembly taking place on Thursday 4 February at 2pm. School Captains, Vice-Captains, House Captains, Music Captains and the Tech Crew will receive their badges at this assembly. Please note this is a change of date. We will be sending a link via email to parents of Year 5 and 6 students as we are able to reserve places for 2 parents to attend for each of the students receiving their badges and we will release 20 additional tickets on Event-Brite for those Year 5 and 6 parents who would also like to come along. We are able to fit 60 parents in the hall once we take account of students and adults. Please note senior leaders will receive their badges at the next 5/6 assembly in Week 8, if they have a successful probationary period.

PARENT-INFORMATION EVENINGS

These evenings will take place in Week 3 with some classes occurring via Zoom and others as face-to-face. I have had detailed discussions with Metropolitan Regional Office as to whether we can hold all these meetings on-site in each of the classrooms as usual. The advice I have received is that it will be impossible to achieve distancing requirements. I also considered holding year level meetings in the hall, however, these evenings are best when specifically prepared by your child’s class teacher and where parents of their child’s class have an opportunity to ask questions and engage directly with their child’s teacher rather than within a much larger group. 

The format will be as follows: the teachers will prepare a PowerPoint and send it out 24 hours prior to the scheduled Zoom or face-to-face meeting. If it is a Zoom Meeting, the link will be sent with the PowerPoint. During the meeting, the teacher will touch on and personalise aspects of the PowerPoint and invite parents to ask questions within the Zoom chat or directly to the teacher in the face-to-face meetings and the teacher will respond to them.  A reminder that this evening is a general information evening. More specific questions pertaining to your child individually, should occur by making a future time via email to discuss with the teacher.

Tuesday 9 February:

Prep and Year 1 5.30pm: Classes via Zoom (PA, PD, PK, PT, 1B, 1H, 1T)

Year 2 and 3 6.30pm: Classes via Zoom (2B, 2C, 2G, 2S, 3C,3D, 3HB)

FACE TO FACE MEETING: Sam Hendle 3H in Hall

Wednesday 10 February:

Year 4 and 5: 5.30pm: Classes via Zoom: 4M, 4HN, 5W

FACE TO FACE MEETINGS:

                                         Tim Young  4Y (in hall)

                                         Sophie Morley 5D in classroom

                                         Stephanie McGovern 5M in classroom

Year 6: 6.30pm: Classes via Zoom: 5/6J, 5/6W, 6K

FACE TO FACE MEETING: Stacey Franklin 6F in classroom.

NEW UNIFORMS

Thank you to the P and C for their hard work in ensuring our students were outfitted in our new uniform. The styles and fabrics are such an improvement. Organising a uniform for a school setting isn’t an easy task and all variables are impossible to predict. Despite the P and C’s tireless efforts, it was not easy to predict the numbers of different sizes required particularly for Prep students. There were a much larger number of very small sizes needed than in previous years.  We thank Prep parents for their patience and be assured the P and C have submitted an order for these smaller sizes to the supplier. This will take some time to arrive. Please talk to the P and C or the school leadership team if you have any concerns in this regard and we will seek solutions where we can.

SCHOOL DRESS CODE

Craigslea SS has a distinctive school uniform worn proudly by all our students. The P & C Association supports the wearing of the school uniform and provides a Uniform Shop facility for parents to purchase new and second hand uniforms. It is the policy of the school and the P & C Association that all children wear the uniform every day.  A slip will be sent home with a student to inform parents where an item of uniform does not align with the code.
Special Notes: 

• The school uniform consists of the Craigslea SS shirt, winter jacket, shorts/combo skirt and school hat. Girls also have the option of a dress.
• Only plain navy tracksuit pants, jackets/pullovers and navy tights are acceptable to accompany the school uniform. Winter jumpers and tracksuits are not to have any writing or additional stripes etc. Plans are afoot for uniform specific tracksuit pants to be available from the uniform shop in the future.
• The School Sports House shirts can be worn on Wednesdays, Sports/Gala Days, Swimming Carnival etc. House shirts cannot be worn on school excursions, official functions and photo days. House shirts can only be purchased through the School Uniform Shop.
• Our Year 6 students have the choice to wear a special shirt to celebrate their last year of primary schooling. These shirts can be worn by Year 6 students as a substitute for the uniform shirt.
• School shorts and skorts need to sit no shorter than the mid-point between the thigh and the knee and no longer than the knee as this is a sun-safety requirement of the Department of Education and Training Provision of School Uniform Policy. Cargo shorts, jeans or leggings are not acceptable school wear.
• Short white or black socks that cover the ankle. No knee length socks. Closed shoes such as sneakers or leather school shoes with laces or Velcro for younger students are acceptable. Thongs, sandals, slip-ons and shoes with a high heel or platform do not meet safety requirements. Predominately black or predominantly white is the preferred colour. Laces must be black or white.
• The wearing of a school uniform broad brimmed shade hat or bucket hat is essential. This is only provided by the Craigslea State School Uniform. In accordance with our school’s sun-safe policy when children are playing in the sun they must wear a school broad brimmed hat or bucket hat. Because lessons such as Science, Art, ICT could take place outdoors, it is essential children have a hat at school every day or they would miss important learning. Our expectation of ‘no hat, no play’ is our way of encouraging children to ensure they have a hat available for any learning situation.
• Students’ hair is to be neatly presented, not impair vision and tied back if longer than shoulder length. Hair should be of natural colour and style at all times. Hair accessories should be minimal and in school colours. Large hair bows are prohibited for health and safety reasons.
• Nail polish and make-up is inappropriate for school. Parents will be contacted to make arrangements for removal. The only acceptable jewellery items to be worn at school are watches excluding smart-watches and one set of sleepers or studs worn in the ear only or medical alert bracelets. This ruling is for safety reasons particularly during sporting and physical activities where jewellery cannot be worn at all. No responsibility is taken for the safekeeping of any form of jewellery worn to school by children.
• Swimwear: As part of the Department of Education’s Sun Safety Strategy, it is compulsory for students to wear a sun shirt or t-shirt during school water-based activities. No sun-shirt, no swim.
• Any alteration to uniform worn for religious, cultural or medical reasons is by submission with appropriate medical or other evidence to the Craigslea State School Uniform Exemption Panel who have parents and school staff represented.
• A reminder that representation in Student Councillor, Sporting and Leadership Positions at Craigslea State School, is dependent on conforming with our school dress code.

It is our greatest motivation to ensure our students are actively and enthusiastically engaged in learning and play. I hope it has been a positive start to the school year for you and your children.

Don’t forget to follow us on FaceBook. There is helpful and timely information posted there.

Kathy