Health, safety and wellbeing
It has been pleasing to talk with many parents and families recently about some of the positive impacts that the forced COVID-19 changes have had on our school. In the coming weeks, staff will reflect on the challenges we have faced, with the view to framing a number of post COVID-19 actions that will help us on our improvement journey moving forward.
While we continue to ask that you drop-off and pick-up from the front of the school and avoid coming onto school grounds, it remains a great opportunity for children to further develop their self-management skills and resilience.
Our hygiene and cleaning protocols have never been so comprehensive. Additional cleaning of hard surfaces and high contact areas, including playgrounds, remain during the school day. Hand washing and sanitisation routines for students before/after play breaks and eating times are also continuing.
With access to our school grounds still limited to essential services only, Breakfast Club and volunteers cannot yet resume. We will continue to keep you informed regarding the recommencement of school sport, with Sarah French (Deputy Principal) and our coordinators working hard behind the scenes to ensure we are best prepared when we are given the ok to recommence.
Gates and security
From this Monday, we will be doing our best to secure our main perimeter gates outside of school hours. This will include the walkway gate adjacent The Children’s Centre, the roadside gate to our Diagonal Road staff car park, and the double access gates at the eastern end of our administration building. We will also be locking the front gate adjacent to the Keynes Ave crossing and the walkway gate next to the Warradale Children’s Centre between 9am and 3pm, so students who arrive at school late or exit early must do so through the front office.
Eating break trial
As communicated with families yesterday, we will be trialling flipped eating break times in weeks 5 to 10, starting this Monday 1 June. Students will eat under teacher supervision after both play breaks, with canteen lunch orders to be distributed to classes at the end of the first play break (Wednesday to Friday). Other schools who have implemented this change have reported increased student concentration and engagement, less interruptions to learning time, decreased food waste and yard litter, and greater flexibility for teachers to respond to the individual dietary and wellbeing needs of students. We will survey parents, students and staff later this term to gather feedback on the trial and determine next steps.
Attendance
With all students who are well and not considered vulnerable to COVID-19 now expected to be back at school engaging in face to face teaching and learning, we are no longer able to support learning at home. If children are unwell, please keep them at home and communicate this with us. We will continue to follow up unexplained absences as per our regular attendance processes and support those with special circumstances as best we can.
