Build a community that continues to learn

Through:-   Building a school wide approach to the teaching and learning and increasing teacher capacity.

 Enhance and maintain the wellbeing of all

Our target for the year:- Attendance rates will increase from 88% to 95% across the school, and we will maintain representation throughout the community

 Build a community that is connected

Our target for the year:- Increase family attendance at interviews and open day and introduce Yarn Time sessions

Welcome Back to Term 2 and Remote Learning.

We are aiming to provide families with communication each day to assist with remote learning and the challenges this brings to families. Today I would like to share an article that was emailed to me that I think will benefit us all...

THINGS WE ARE DISCOVERING OR REDISCOVERING
by Michael Herbert

At the time of writing, Captain Tom Moore, a 99 year old British war veteran had raised over £28 million for British National Health Service staff after reaching his goal of walking 100 laps of his garden. His originally aim was for £1000!

It reminds me of Eudaimonia which comes from a philosophical tradition that a happy and meaningful life (being psychologically well) involves more than feelings of happiness; it entails personal growth, giving to others, and living in accordance with values.

Eudaimonia is an important concept in Dr Martin Seligman’s work on positive psychology. In the current world situation, we can remind ourselves to make sure we - and our children - are ticking the positive psychology wellbeing boxes:-

* Positive Emotions:- find the joy and beauty that is right in front of us and that has, perhaps, been taken for granted for way too long.
* Engagement:-  engaged individuals are curious, interested, motivated, and persistent, especially in the face of challenges.
* Relationships:- building, revisiting and promoting strong and nourishing relationships with self and others.
* Meaning:-  I saw a wonderful sign the other day that said - You are not stuck at home, you are safe at home. And that helps keep everyone else safe as well. In positive psychology, meaning is defined as understanding, believing in and serving something greater than yourself and deliberately engaging in activities for the benefits of others.

* Accomplishment:- Captain Moore’s story reminds us that our circumstances should not prevent us from accepting new challenges and sometimes the rewards are unimaginable.

“THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS TO INCREASE THE WARM HEART. THINK OF OTHER PEOPLE. SERVE OTHER PEOPLE SINCERELY. NO CHEATING.” The Dalai Lama

The staff had a special visitor on the last day of term. 

Our School Community Council will meet via Zoom on Tuesday at 6.00pm. This will be an opportunity to support the school community and to share information and concerns.

All families and interested persons are most welcome to join this meeting. Mrs Elwin will send out an email with an invite attached to the committee members today. 

Agenda items for the meeting are:-

- Car Rally Fundraising - update

- Remote Learning

- Microsoft Teams

- Return to school priorities 

If you would like to add any items to the agenda or become a committee member please let Jacinta or Andrew McFadyen (Chair Person) know.

Regular attendance at school is essential for students to achieve quality life outcomes. Schools, in partnership with families, are responsible for promoting the regular attendance of students.

During this time schools are still required to mark attendance of all students. Students completing their learning remotely are marked as Flexible Learning, which is present in learning. For teachers to mark your child as attending flexible learning there needs to be evidence of this occuring.

For students in Year 3-6 communication with their teacher through online learning and seeing students completing learning online is evidence enough. Otherwise sending a photo of completed work throughout the day to the school, via email or via a text is also evidence enough.

Kinder/Year 1/Year2 students are communicating through Dojo classrooms and again evidence of work completed is required.

Teachers will be contacting families of students that we do not receive evidence from. If we cannot contact families students will be marked as absent.

To ensure the ongoing health and safety of our school community – students, staff and families – we have sought advice from Dr Bardawil. The advice we have received is to continue the current measures in place until Friday 22nd May and to re-evaluate then for the following weeks of the term.

 This means –

• Children will continue with remote learning
• School is open ONLY for students of essential workers or for vulnerable students
• Students attending school will only be supervised with the remote learning work – the same work as children that are working from home

Additional measure in place at school include –

• Temperature checking children and staff on entry into school
• No child with fever, a cough or runny nose is allowed at school
• Hygiene practises will be strongly enforced
• Students displaying any symptoms of illness will be sent home immediately – Sick Bay is closed
• Extra cleaning regimes are in place and parts of the school will be closed to ensure spaces are maintained to a hygienic and safe standard

 As we have staff in the vulnerable category, we are currently working on a roster system at school. We will need 2 days’ notice if your children are returning to school during this period to ensure adequate supervision.