Community Update #7 Further details going forward

Family Week takes place from 15-21 May every year.

You can access the resources for Family Week at this link.

 Further details going forward
The last few weeks of flexible and remote learning have been challenging for everyone in education. It has been a difficult period for teachers, students and families as we have all adjusted to new ways of learning and teaching. But where we have been successful, it is because parents and carers are partners in achieving learning outcomes.

So, I wanted to take this opportunity on behalf of the school and our teaching staff, to offer my thanks for the support you have provided during this transition. I have been inspired by the commitment and energy shown by parents and teachers in educating our students, and this is reflected in the innovative and creative ways we have come together to ensure continuity of education.

I believe that meeting this challenge together has strengthened the partnership between St Pat’s and our community, which will sustain us through the learning and teaching of the weeks and months to come. That partnership is, and will continue to be, the foundation of a high-quality Catholic education.

As shared in our Community Update #6,  I wish to reiterate that following advice from the Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government and the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria Ltd (CECV) schools can begin a phased return to onsite schooling.

In the first stage, students in Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 will return to school from Tuesday 26 May.
To support all school staff to prepare for this transition, Monday 25 May will be a student-free day.
In the second stage of our return to onsite schooling, all other year levels will return to school from Tuesday 9 June.

For those students who cannot be supervised at home and vulnerable children, the existing model of onsite schooling will remain in place during the two-week period from Tuesday 26 May to Tuesday 9 June. The current process that we are using to enable parents and carers to indicate the days or part-days for which onsite schooling is required will continue for this two-week period. Access to the Onsite Intentions form can be located FAQ 2 at this link.

All other students in those year levels will continue learning from home until Tuesday 9 June.

Once a year level has returned, all students will be expected to attend school as normal. This means if you choose to keep your child/children home after their year level has returned to onsite schooling, we can no longer support their learning from home. We will continue to share year level and specialist learning plans on the Community Learning Site but our full focus will remain with the children at school.

This does not apply to children who need to be absent for health or medical reasons. For those families, please contact us so we can make an appropriate plan.

This same approach is being taken by all Catholic and government schools in Victoria.

To support the health and wellbeing of all students and staff, our school will continue an enhanced cleaning routine and will encourage frequent hand washing.

If your child is ill or is feeling unwell, they must not attend school. They must remain home and seek medical advice.

While the Chief Health Officer has advised that students will not be required to maintain physical distancing at school, there will be a number of important changes to our school operations, consistent with health advice to all schools. These will apply until further notice. It is important to note that changes will include:

• adjusted arrangements for drop-off and pick-up, including staggered school start and finish time

Entry/ Exit to school for Preps - Yr 2's in Week 6 and Week 7

• Preps - main gate- 8.45am : 3pm dismissal
• Yr 1s - church gate- 9am : 3:15pm dismissal
• Yr 2s - main gate- 9.15am : 3:30pm dismissal

• restrictions on access to the school site for anyone other than immediate school staff and students 

Parents will need to avoid entering the school grounds with children and must contact the office to arrange an appointment. Families will need to plan for and adapt to arriving at specified times.

We understand that some families may feel anxious about this move back to classroom teaching and learning. I can assure you that this decision has been taken on the basis of the best health advice available to our state.

More information about the return to school and coronavirus (COVID-19) can be found on the CECV website, which will continue to be updated: www.cecv.catholic.edu.au/Coronavirus-information-for-parents.

Thank you for your continued support and patience during this time. We look forward to welcoming the children back to the classroom. Our staff are here for you and, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me directly principal@spmurrumbeena.catholic.edu.au for help or advice during this challenging period.

Jenny Hawkins 

Principal

SRC  Survival Tips Video #3 Indoor Activities for the Family

Thanks to our keen SRC team who have some great ideas for families to do together indoors.

Hope you enjoyed the SRC Survival Tips#2 from last week - outdoor activities. We had internet problems and couldn't display this in the newsletter.

Ms Trot has entered St Pat's in a Fitness Challenge

St Pats Workout Challenge

"We're all in this together, so LET'S GET ACTIVE TOGETHER!!

The RHSports is having an interschool sports e-challenge to help keep as all active while at home, as well as keeping some of those competitive juices flowing!
The school with the most participants and best results will win a NYDA sports equipment voucher to go towards new equipment and sports gear for the school. Challenges include, skipping, running/walking, speed dribble and wall bounce.
To Participate - Students/staff/families can complete all the activities as shown online here and enter their results in the form at the bottom. Make sure to click on St Patricks Primary School. There is no limit to how many times a student can enter so the more challenges the better!

Competition ends Sunday 31st May so let's get active.

Good luck and have fun!"

Pastoral letter from the Bishops of Victoria.
The Bishops of Victoria have released a pastoral letter with information regarding the reopening of churches in Victoria. Here is the link.

End of Semester One Report Information

The content on which we report is reduced, as the usual assessments undertaken in the everyday classroom have not been possible this term.

Teachers will use a broad evidence-base to make their own balanced assessments of your child’s progress at this point in time. Such evidence includes student-led conversations and teacher observations, Term 1 assessments, notes and work samples.

In that context, this report will look different from usual. Following the advice of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), Victorian Department of Education and Training, and Catholic Education Commission of Victoria Ltd (CECV), this report will provide:

• a description of the areas of the Victorian Curriculum  taught in Semester 1
• a succinct descriptive assessment of student learning achievement, based on the Achievement Standards in the Victorian Curriculum where possible, progress
• a comment on how your child has adjusted to the remote and flexible learning environment, with reference to the ‘Personal and Social Capability’ curriculum.

The end of year report (December) will provide a more comprehensive view of the year’s learning across all usual curriculum areas.

The Semeseter One reports will be available in the last week of Term 2.

Term Dates:

Friday 22 May  -    Special assembly video with awards
Monday 25 May -  School Closure Day (Team Kids will operate for the day)

Tuesday 26 May -  Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 children return to learning at school.

Tuesday 26 May  - Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 continue Home Learning off site.

Monday 8  June -   Queen's Birthday - school closed

Tuesday 9  June -   Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 return to learning at school learning.

Monday 22 June -  Reports : End of Semester One adjusted reports available 

Friday 26 June -    End of Term 2

Please note: 

• We await further information from the Archdiocese of Melbourne in relation to the Sacrament of Confirmation (Previously scheduled for May 7 for Year 6 students)
• The school concert will not take place on September 10 but classes will share items at the fete on November 21 if it is still able to go ahead
• All Term 2 sporting events have been cancelled until further notice