Dear Parents/Carers,

How our world has changed in just over two short weeks and for some more than others. I want to express on behalf of myself and staff to those families who have been impacted by this virus whether by the illness of family and friends, through job loss or by the anxiety we all feel about this great unknown, that our thoughts are with you at this difficult time. It is a time for kindness not for selfish actions so I think we can all come out of this knowing what is truly important, not taking for granted how easy life was before this and that we all need each other.   I would like to thank parents for their emails, phone calls and conversations where they have expressed their appreciation of our staff. This appreciation is keeping us all going with energy and positivity.

For health reasons, I strongly recommend that families keep children at home if they possibly can. Schools (despite best efforts) cannot provide the social distancing that the medical officers recommend for other settings.  Children may become ill or be carriers and not symptomatic. This places the adults (some of them vulnerable) and other children at additional risk. The risk increases the higher the numbers of children at school. In fact today in reviewing the advice of the Nation’s Chief Medical Officer given at the Prime Minister’s media conference on Tuesday night, I have made the decision that staff over 60 as well as those who have medically certified health vulnerabilities, are to be given the option of taking leave or working from home depending on their role. News has just broken that Term Break now starts from Monday March 30 so that teachers can prepare for continuity of student learning in Term 2. A number of people have already emailed identifying themselves as 'essential workers' and queried the arrangements in place for them. In a nutshell, anyone who is working is considered 'essential" but if you have an adult at home or you can get placement for your children at OSHC this is the appropriate arrangement. OSHC places will be limited so please phone Kylie on 32563688. From Thursday, classes will be combined and students may not be with their regular teacher. Next week, there will be only skeleton supervision and there won't be any formal education taking place. I do implore you that if you have made the decision to keep your children at home that you should #stayathome and follow all the necessary advice that is on social media, TV and radio about what self-isolation looks like and what it doesn’t look like in order to protect the vulnerable and stop the spread of this virus.

If your child is coughing, sneezing, sore throat, headache, generally unwell they MUST be at home.  We do not have the skills to diagnose whether something is a routine flu or COVID19. In this crisis situation, we do have the right to say “Your child needs to be at home” without a parent arguing or getting angry with us or saying we are incorrect. We are trying to manage the anxiety of other parents and staff around children presenting at school with these symptoms at the moment and that is no easy task.  In any case, the government is currently drafting emergency laws so we can legally demand a child be collected from school, so I just ask parents/carers to work with us respectfully.

Please see the Coronavirus Response Plan we have sent early in the week if you have any further questions.  I have updated below the cancellations and postponements that exist as of today.
For those working at home, I reiterate that teachers do not have time for individualised planning for students unless they submit medical certificates to me. They are working with the students in front of them and working on curriculum for school closure-that’s more than enough at the moment. From Monday March 30, teachers will be focused on plans for next term so will not be providing individualised work to those who have provided medical certificates or similar.  I refer people to the Learning @home websites put together by Queensland and Western Australia which can be found easily by putting in Learning@home in your Google search as there are plenty of activities there to keep students busy at home and they are being added to continuously. Here are some other great ideas below:

Finally, we are all looking at new ways of doing things, Mrs Joyce and I had a Skype Conversation one morning this week so she could participate in planning from home and some of the memes on social media are keeping me well amused when I wake up in the middle of the night because my mind is going over and over about what we can do better to manage this situation for our parents, staff and students.

Stay healthy and safe and love one another.

 

Virtual hugs,

Kathy


HARMONY DAY

 STUDENT WORK AROUND THE SCHOOL - WRITING

Amazing writing by Jem in Year 6.  Highly sophisticated piece of writing for a primary school student: 

Year 4AD hard at work on their paragraph writing:

 

 Year 3 writing their persuasive texts:

 

HAND WASHING SONGS AND RESOURCES IN FULL SWING!

 

OVAL UPGRADE - NEARLY THERE!

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK PRESENTED IN CLASSROOMS

 

SENIOR LEADERS PRESENTED IN CLASSROOMS PRACTISING SOCIAL DISTANCING!

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX 4-
CHANGES IN ROUTINE, CANCELLATIONS AND POSTPONEMENTS
AS AT MARCH 26.

To be updated and reviewed as the school year progresses in light of ever-changing circumstances

TERM ONE

All assemblies: Junior and Senior cancelled until further notice
We will instead come to classrooms and give out awards and Gotchas and take photos of LIFE and Principal Award Winners.

School Banking:  Cancelled until further notice

Friday afternoon sport:  Cancelled but PE teacher will take students out in smaller groups.

Inclusive Choir cancelled

Representative and School Sport Programs including District, Regional, State, National, Interstate and International including trials and training cancelled. 

Swim Club and school swimming lessons cancelled.

Volleyball cancelled

Reading Club postponed.

Week 8   

March 17: Harmony Day cancelled

March 19: Year 2 Excursion to Nudgee Beach cancelled.

 

Week 9

March 24: Yr 5 Raw Art Incursion cancelled.

 

Week 10   

Parent/Teacher Interviews will not proceed as it is not advisable to introduce a significant number of additional adults to the school setting all at one given the need for social distancing. We have elected not to do them by phone as this can be complex within a linguistically diverse setting and in a primary school setting it is much more effective to be able to conduct these face-to-face to ensure clear communication and an opportunity to show work samples etc. Parents are encouraged to make a mutually convenient time with their child’s teacher sometime during Term 2.                   

March 31: Easter Raffle Draw (Announced over office speaker. Children come to view their basket at office and then take home in the afternoon)

April 3:  Easter Parade cancelled. Children can make bonnets at home or in class.

TERM TWO

All assemblies: Junior and Senior cancelled until further notice 
We will instead come to classrooms and give out awards and Gotchas and take photos of LIFE and Principal Award Winners.

School Banking:  Cancelled until further notice

Friday afternoon sport:  Cancelled but PE teacher will take students out in smaller groups.

Inclusive Choir cancelled

Swim Club and school swimming lessons cancelled.

Volleyball cancelled

Reading Club postponed.

Representative and School Sport Programs including District, Regional, State, National, Interstate and International including trials and training cancelled.

Week 1

April 23: Anzac Day Assembly cancelled. Will be marked in classrooms.

April 25:  No Anzac Day March at Kedron Wavell RSL

 

Week 3

Mothers’ Day Stall:  Need to take through one class at a time.  No touch policy. Consider plastic gloves for parent volunteers and other safety measures.

May 6: Year 4 Ngutana-Lui Excursion cancelled.

Further decisions will be made re the following events in Week 1 Term 2:

Week 5

May 22:  Under 8’s Day

Week 6

Gala Sport: cancelled until further notice

Further decisions will be made re the following events in Week 4 and 5 Term 2:

TERM 2

Week 8

June 8 Instrumental Music Concert

Week 9

June 18: Colour Fun Run and Inter-house Cross Country.

Week 10

June 22 and 25: Interhouse Track and Field Day 1&2

TERM 3           

Week 4

August 5 to 7: Year 5 Currimundi

Week 7

August 24 to 28: Year 6 Canberra

Further decisions will be made re the following events in Week 9 Term 2:

Week 1

July 16 Junior Sports Day

TERM THREE

All assemblies: Junior and Senior cancelled until further notice

We will instead come to classrooms and give out awards and Gotchas and take photos of LIFE and Principal Award Winners.

School Banking:  Cancelled until further notice

Friday afternoon sport:  Cancelled but PE teacher will take students out in smaller groups.

Inclusive Choir cancelled

Swim Club and school swimming lessons cancelled.

Volleyball cancelled

Reading Club postponed.

Representative and School Sport Programs including District, Regional, State, National, Interstate and International including trials and training cancelled.

 

Further decisions will be made re the following events in Week 2 Term 3:

Week 6

August 21: School Disco

Week 7

August 25: Book Week Parade

Week 8

September 3:  Father’s Day Need to take through one class at a time.  No touch policy. Consider plastic gloves for parent volunteers and other safety measures.

 

Further decisions will be made re the following events in Week 5 Term 3:

Week 9

Music Workshop

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS AND ASSESSMENTS (ICAS)

In the last newsletter I announced that although we will be providing an opportunity for chidlren to sit the ICAS tests this year, there will be differences within the process.

*  Firstly, the children will sit the tests sometime between 9 am – 3 pm NOT before school as has been the practice.

* Parents need to purchase the tests online rather than through the school.  You need to ensure you purchase the test BEFORE the CLOSING DATE (see below)

*  Considering the changes to schooling with our current circumstances, I will hold off on the sitting dates at Craigslea SS until next term.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

Two Mondays ago, Mrs Canavan and I walked around every class to talk to them about the current world wide health issue and what we can do to keep ourselves and others safe.  I have no doubt you are having conversations at home, too.  The children have been responsive – as best as children can – to our message that included:

*social distancing and not touching each other

* washing hands with soap and water and drying them after toilet visits, before and after eating with soap provided in the eating areas’and after fingers go into mouths and noses

* not to touch their face

* coughing and sneezing either into their elbow or into a tissue which goes directly in the bin – then washing hands.

 

We have asked all teachers to run a quick clip about handwashing at the start of every day.  OUR AIM IS TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE.

Woody has visited this week determined to fight the nuisance that is INTERRUPTING OUR LEARNING!

 

I wish to sincerely thank you for your support of staff here that has come in many forms.  Your kind gestures and words genuinely lift the spirits of staff members which is especially important for those who are a little nervous about being here.  I wish good health or speedy recovery for your families and other loved ones.

Narelle Green
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

BOOK CLUB

Book Club Issue 2 has been submitted. Orders are not likely to arrive until Term 2 – apologies for the delay.


DIGITAL LIBRARY

Students in Year 4 and Year 5 who are participating in the Student Resource Scheme now have access to the Education Queensland Digital Library – which means they can read anywhere, at anytime with their digital device.

Please download the free Sora app on to iPads to assist students to set up their Digital Library. When setting up the app for the first time please choose ‘Education Queensland’ as your school and use student MIS ID (their school user name) to sign in.  If your student needs support to access the Digital Library they can visit me in the Library Monday-Wednesday with the Sora app on the iPad. 


BEFORE SCHOOL READING CLUB

Before School Reading Club has now closed. We will notify you when we are able to start this club again. Thank you to those families and students who attended – it was excellent to see so many students dedicated to improving their reading skills.

Tess Bryce
LIBRARIAN

 

The following recipients are receiving a L.I.F.E. Award, as they have enacted out school values:

Learning	Be a Learner
Individuals	Be Independent
Friendship	Be a Friend
Environments	Be Safe in all Environments

These awards are being presented in classrooms for the forseeable future.

If you have not received any of the above e-form links via email or are having difficulties completing, please contact the school office.