Latest News
September 16 Newsletter
Click here to view the September 16 Schoolzine eNewsletter!
P & F fundraisers
- Pie Drive Orders
A reminder that the pie drive orders are due TODAY. Please either drop in or email through your order sheet to the School Office (Office.Stmarysc@cg.catholic.edu.au) and pay via Qkr, cash or cheque.
Delivery of pies will be Thursday 13 October.
- $5 Meal Deal tomorrow
Tomorrow we have the $5 Meal Deal available. Please order through Qkr only.
$5 Meal Deal is back!
The $5 Meal Deal is back!
This Thursday 16 September for lunch, why not order the $5 Meal Deal which consists of a pie, popper or water and a packet of chips.
Orders will be taken until Thursday 9am on Qkr.
Food will be prepared in a covid-safe manner and have contactless delivery .
Week 10 Update
Dear Parents and Carers,
Thank you for your prompt reply to the survey, sent out yesterday. This has enabled me to put plans in place for a safe return to onsite learning on Monday.
I can confirm that each class will have their usual classroom teacher and routine, including their additional activities with our specialist teachers. All classes will be running face-to-face and remotely next week.
Activities that require mixed class groups, however, will cease until the restrictions ease.
The following information is pertinent to learning on Monday, and may differ from the letter I sent out yesterday:
- NSW Health and the Department of Education are discouraging public bus travel, where other arrangements can be made
- Masks for primary school children are strongly encouraged - but not mandated
- There will be no Morning Club until further notice (sorry about the inconvenience). If you are dropping your children to school, please only do so from 8.40am onwards.
- Each morning the children are to enter the school through the Old Hall for hand sanitising and temperature checking before being sent to a specific area until bell time
- If your child is learning remotely unfortunately we will not be able to offer the class TEAMS meetings next week
- Due to our spacious playgrounds, the children are able to be broken into two larger cohorts for play breaks
- We strongly ask that any children displaying any signs of illness refrain from attending school onsite.
- Students returning to school are to wear their full winter school uniform.
- Each afternoon, student pick up will commence at 3.05pm to allow a staggered approach for students leaving the school. Your child will be sent out to you when you arrive. Please wait in a visible position, whilst maintaining physical distancing, outside the school gates.
- For students remote learning, work can be collected from the Old Hall this afternoon, or on Monday morning. We ask that you avoid coming between 8.35am - 9.10am and 3.00pm and 3.30pm.
We look forward to welcoming our returning students back onsite and endeavor to provide the best onsite and remote learning possible for Week 10.
Thank you for your support.
Kind regards,
Sarah Lowe
Survey- please complete ASAP if you haven't already
THIS IS A GENERIC MESSAGE TO ALL PARENTS AND CARERS
Dear Parents and Carers,
Thank you to those who have already completed the survey sent out yesterday afternoon.
If you have not completed it yet, please do so ASAP.
https://smpscrookwell.schoolzineplus.com/survey/23
Thank you in advance.
Week 10 Learning
THIS IS A GENERIC MESSAGE TO ALL PARENTS AND CARERS
Dear Parents and Carers,
As you are aware, the Upper Lachlan Shire will move from stay-at-home orders into Stage 3 restrictions from 12.01am on Saturday 11 September. For us, this means students may return to school from Monday 13 September. I am currently working to put measures in place to ensure the safe return of staff and students.
I appreciate that some of you may feel apprehensive about sending your children back to school before the holiday break, so, during Week 10, we will continue with the one mode of learning for all students – those at home and those onsite. For planning purposes, I ask that you respond urgently to the survey indicating where (home or school) your child will be learning next week. Please click on the link below:
https://smpscrookwell.schoolzineplus.com/survey/23
For those returning to school the following Stage 3 and school based restrictions will apply:
- Students will be placed in cohorts to minimise unnecessary physical interaction between students on school grounds. In a school our size, it is likely that the cohorts will be multi-age. Students learn and play only with those in their cohort, wherever possible, to minimise opportunities for transmission and enhance contact tracing; and to minimise the potential for widespread infection across the school and wider school community.
- There will be no assemblies.
- Students will enter the school via the specified door every time they enter or exit the school building.
- Students will get their temperature checked and sanitise at the front gate and go straight to their classroom each morning, rather than play under the sails area.
- Classroom teachers will ideally be the allocated teacher for one cohort to limit the potential exposure should there be a positive COVID case in the school.
- Each cohort should be allocated a learning space, completing all lessons and break times with their allocated cohort.
- Play equipment will be wiped down between use.
- Shared spaces, such as libraries, school halls and other communal areas, may only be used by one cohort at a time, with adherence to strict personal hygiene protocols and physical distancing requirements.
- Dance and/or drama are permitted in line with COVID-Safe practices within classes in outdoor spaces. Mixing of classes is not permitted.
Parents and carers should:
- Maintain physical distance
- Remain outside school grounds (except for vulnerable students and those with a disability)
- Wear a mask
- Sign in using the Service NSW QR code
Cleaning
- Additional cleaning regimes will be instituted. Target areas include high-touch areas and other hard surfaces, door handles, light switches and handrails and movement areas. Enhanced cleaning is delivered as part of the daily protocols.
Banned activities:
- Singing, chanting, group repetition and choirs
- Bands and ensembles
- Emergency drills
- Assemblies
- School performances, productions, concerts, speech nights and award presentations
- Excursions, camps, field trips
- Student visits to aged care facilities
- School orientation activities
- Community events (fetes, grandparents’ days etc.)
- Playgroups
- P&F activities, including meetings (unless held online only)
- All external providers and specialist programs not directly related to educational outcomes and support, including community use of school facilities (such as markets and all after school activities) unless delivered online only.
Please also find attached a letter from the Director of Education, Ross Fox.
20210909_Parents_and_Carers_REOPENING.pdf
Be assured, I will let you know as soon as any other information becomes available. I appreciate your flexibility and patience as we work through these uncharted time together.
Kind regards,
Mrs. Sarah Lowe
Principal
September 9 Newsletter
Click here to view the September 9 Schoolzine eNewsletter!
School Fees Due
THIS IS A GENERAL MESSAGE TO ALL PARENTS AND CARERS,
Dear Parents and Carers,
This is a friendly reminder if you do not have a direct deposit in place, can you kindly organise payment of your Term 3 school fees by Qkr, BPAY or direct deposit, as soon as possible.
If you require another copy of your statement, please contact me.
Please remember, if there are circumstances regarding payment that you would like to discuss confidentially, please do not hesitate to contact me or Sarah.
Thank you for your assistance with this.
Kind regards,
Mrs Belinda Tarlinton
Office Manager
Celebrating St Mary's Day
THIS IS A GENERIC MESSAGE TO ALL FAMILIES
Dear Parents and Carers,
Kind regards,
Mrs. Sarah Lowe
Principal
St Mary's orientation and transition programs update
Dear Kindergarten 2022 families,
I hope you are all well and managing during this lockdown period.
I just wanted to touch base with you all to let you know that we will resume our transition and orientation programs as soon as we are able to have our students back onsite. Given the likelihood that this will be in Term 4, we aim to continue with the scheduled School Explorers sessions on 22 and 29 October and 5 November followed by our full-day orientation days on 15 and 22 November. We would also like to offer a part-day (9.30am - 1pm) orientation session on either the 9 or 10 November in lieu of the sessions we have missed this term.
On another note, I am sorry that we have had to postpone the Kindergarten Interviews scheduled for this term. We will reschedule these for Term 4, however, if our lockdown continues into the first few weeks of Term 4, we may need to attempt to do some of these via TEAMS Meeting or Zoom. Ideally, I would like to meet face-to-face with you and your child prior to our orientation days. We will be contacting the families that have had their interviews postponed by the end of this term to make a new arrangement.
Please be assured that we will endeavour to provide opportunities for your child to become familiar with the St Mary's school environment prior to their commencement in Term 1 2022.
Kind regards,
Sarah
Principal