Principal Talk with Mrs. Lowe
Procedures, Planning and Organisation
The staff at St Mary's are doing their very best to remain positive and settled during these increasingly concerning times. All staff are wearing a mask when moving around inside the school and we all check-in each day. We are also not sharing food platters and are ensuring we are physically distancing in common spaces. Many of the staff, including myself, are already fully vaccinated and those who are not are mid-way through or have a date set.
Staff are ensuring our students sanitise each time they enter the classroom and are cleaning thoroughly each day. We also strongly encourage any students who display symptoms to get tested and stay home until their symptoms pass.
As of Monday 16 August, we will commence student temperature checks upon arrival to school. From
8.00am-8.40am, all students will be checked entering Morning Club. After 8.40am, we ask all students to enter via the front doors at the Old Hall. Parents of students who register a temperature over 38 degrees, will be contacted to collect their child/ren.
We would like to thank you for your vigilance with remaining socially distanced and offsite when collecting your children and for only entering the school grounds for essential purposes. Also, if your child has_ a birthday and would like to bring something to share, we request that there are individual serves for each child.
Updated health advice for families
The ACT will enter a seven-day lockdown from 5.00pm today, as a result of a COVID-19 case being identified in the community and positive wastewater detection's reported overnight. The lockdown will remain in place until 5.00pm Thursday 19 August 2021.
The ACT is also declaring all of NSW as a COVID-19 affected area. For residents in the surrounding NSW region, in approved postcodes, may enter the ACT for essential work and healthcare reasons only. Upper Lachlan Shire residents will not be able to enter the ACT without an exemption. Policing will be undertaking compliance checks across the ACT and you will be expected to provide proof of residential address and the reason you are moving about the ACT community.
The NSW Premier announced yesterday that, in addition to Greater Sydney, all people in the following local government areas are under a stay-at-home rule.
Stay-at-home rules apply from 5pm 5 August - 12.01 am 13 August:
• Cessnock
• Dungog
• Lake Macquarie
• Maitland
• Muswellbrook
• Newcastle
• Port Stephens
• Singleton
Stay-at-home rules apply from 5pm 7 August - 12.01 am 15 August:
- Armidale
Stay-at-home rules apply from 5pm 9 August - 12.01am 17 August:
- Tamworth
Stay-at-home rules apply from 6pm 9 August - 12.01 am 17 August:
• Ballina
• Byron
• Lismore
• Richmond Valley
Stay-at-home rules apply from 1 pm 11 August - 12 :01 am 19 August:
- Dubbo
Following updated health advice from the Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant about the growing risk to the
community, stay-at-home orders will apply to all people who live in these areas or have been there on or after the time the areas entered stay-at-home rules.
Travelling between Greater Sydney and regional NSW
If you live in regional and rural areas, you must not enter Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour local government areas unless you have a reasonable excuse.
Facilitating arrangements for access to, and contact between parents and children or siblings is also a reasonable excuse to enter Greater Sydney under the Public Health Order.
If you enter these areas for any reason, stay at home rules will also apply to you for 14 days after you were last in any of these areas.
This means that you will need to stay at your place of residence for 14 days, even if it is in a regional area unless you have a reasonable excuse. Attending school or early childhood education is a reasonable excuse.
At all times, please continue to:
- closely monitor for symptoms for COVID-19 and immediately get tested should you have the mildest of symptoms, regardless of where you live or attend school. If you get tested for COVID-19 because you have symptoms or if you have been directed by NSW Health to do so, you must isolate at home until receiving your test result
• refer to the NSW Government list of case locations and act on the guidance from NSW Health if you have been to any of these venues.
Remote Learning
Currently, I am putting plans in place for a smooth transition into Remote Learning, should this be required. Last week you were sent an email asking you to let us know if you intend for your children to learn at school or at home in the event of a lockdown. Children of essential and emergency workers will be able to be supervised at school, however, they will be participating in the one mode of learning provided by their classroom teacher. A skeleton staff will be available onsite. Your response to the email survey will assist with our planning. Technology and Access to Class Materials
Should we need to move to Remote Learning, your child will be provided with a variety of print and digital resources.
For access to digital resources, class virtual meetings and some daily tasks, MS TEAMS is the mandated platform. Other digital programs that may be used include Google Classroom (4-6) and See-Saw (K-3).
To log into Microsoft Teams use an internet browser or download it as a desktop or mobile app. Go to https://teams.microsoft.com/ and use your child's school email address and password to log in. These will be distributed again soon.
I recommend that you check your access for MS TEAMS soon. Instructions on how to download and log in to this application can be found here:
Printable_Handout_for_Families_Web_Client.pdf, Printable_Handout_for_Families_Chrome_Browser.pdf, Printable_Handout_for_Families_iPad.pdf
The School Explorers
Tomorrow we welcome children to our first (COVID safe) session of the School Explorers. This is open to any school-age children, regardless of their school choice.
The School Explorers allows our 2022 starters to become familiar with our school environment, the spaces and places, whilst offering a taste of 'big school'
Operation Christmas Child
This project partners with local churches in developing nations to reach out to children in need by providing gift-filled shoeboxes.
As a school, we will aim to fill as many boxes as we can. Items can include small toys, hair accessories, a hairbrush, toothbrush, skipping rope, marbles, pencils, notepads, textas, handkerchiefs etc.
If you would prefer to send in a couple of dollars to go towards the $10 postage per box, rather than send in an item, this would also be appreciated.
Our boxes need to be filled and ready for collection by the end of this term.
