Dear Parents and Carers, 

As you would be aware, the Victorian Government has made some significant announcements in relation to arrangements for schools in Victoria for Term 3. As we continue down this challenging road, let's remember to keep an eye out for each other.

ACCESS TO SCHOOL GROUNDS is limited to:
School staff
Students attending on-site learning
Contractors, including cleaners and maintenance staff     

For more information, visit www.education.vic.gov.au

The Victorian Chief Health Officer has provided advice about the health measures that should be taken by staff and students, and we will be following these. The purpose of the changed arrangement is to reduce the number of students, parents and carers moving across Victorian Government schools in order to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
We are following all safety precautions throughout the day. Cross infection cleaning is occuring throughout the entire school day, focusing on high touch points, surfaces,equipment and bathrooms.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) temperature Screening
Your child will have their temperature checked as they enter school grounds. If temperature is 37.5 Celsius or above, you must collect your child and seek medical advice.

If your child is unwell they must stay at home.
The latest information about coronavirus (COVID-19) and schools is on the Department of Education and Training website: www.education.vic.gov.au/coronavirus

If you,your family or a family member develops symptoms of fever, chills or sweats, cough, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath, loss of smell or taste you must get tested at a COVID-19 testing facility and stay at home until you recieve the results. This is vitally important to keeping our school community safe. If you would like health information from the Departmnet of Health and Human Services, you can visit www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus

I will continue to communicate with you as we receive further information.

Jackie Lowther

Principal

        

 

WEARING Face Masks are now compulsory for all parents/guardians at ALL drop off and pick ups at school
Please do not enter the school grounds without a face mask

Thank you
 

Please read the latest advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer - Professor Brett Sutton regarding medically vulnerable families and children.

The purpose of this guidance is to provide advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer in relation to students with medical conditions and students living with medically vulnerable members of the community.

Advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer

As Victoria’s Chief Health Officer and as a member of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, and with the health, wellbeing and safety of students and staff front of mind, I fully endorse a return to on-site schooling for all Victorian schools. Health and safety advice for return to on-site schooling in the context of coronavirus (COVID-19) is available to support schools to continue to provide safe teaching and learning environments for staff and students.

The available evidence largely indicates that transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) between children in the school environment at the current time is very low and that the virus is generally milder in children than in adults.

Caution continues to be advised for students with complex medical needs. It is recommended that parents/carers of students with complex medical needs, seek advice from the student’s medical practitioner to support decision-making about whether on-site education is suitable. It is important, however, that clinical risk be weighed against the consequences of a student missing the opportunity for face-to-face learning, particularly in the context of very low rates of coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission in Victoria.

Understanding risk and making informed decisions

An individual assessment is always recommended and decisions regarding school attendance should be informed by the nature of a child or young person’s condition, its severity and intensity of required treatment. The presence of common conditions of childhood, such as asthma, epilepsy or Type 1 diabetes, in most cases should not preclude a student from attending face-to-face learning.

In keeping with national expert public health advice, people with a medically-diagnosed compromised immune system may be at increased risk of the complications of coronavirus (COVID-19). Such an occurrence is rare in children. As a result it should be an uncommon event for a child to be determined by a medical practitioner to be unable to return to school due to an ongoing medical reason raising concerns about coronavirus (COVID-19), outside of an acute illness.

Students who live with medically vulnerable members of the community

The risk of transmission in the school environment at the current time is very low. It is not recommended that students who live with someone who is at risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19) to remain at home at this time. Schools have put in place a range of measures to further reduce the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission and have clear protocols in place to quickly respond and manage a case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in a school.

Adj Clin Prof Brett Sutton

Victorian Chief Health Officer

Operational guidance

Continuity of education

The Department of Education and Training has developed a fact sheet that outlines the responsibilities of the school and of parents and carers and the circumstances where remote and flexible learning programs will continue in schools.

Managing and supporting students

Schools should ensure students with additional medical needs have an up to date Student Health Support Plan and accompanying condition specific health management plan (such as an Asthma Care Plan), based on:

• medical advice from the student’s medical/ health practitioner
• consultation with the student and parents/

Additional information to support decision making

• Asthma Australia
• Royal Children’s Hospital – advice for respiratory patients
• JDRF – Coronavirus and children with T1 diabetes

Happy Birthday !!!  ..... Celebrating all of our students Birthdays in the month of July.

Aziz S, Andrew P, Ronaldo M, David L, Erin U, Natalie H

Aleesha H, Aqbal R, Jirayia R, Johnny H, Salma K, Alex T, Zina T, Alex N

Tony B, Jayden D.

This week the students have been learning about worms.

Our Worm Farm

Recently in Kitchen/Garden classes, we learnt about our school’ s worm farm. Students enjoyed close encounters with our composting worms and were able to view them using a magnifying class in the classroom. Students were fascinated by seeing worm eggs, baby worms and adult worms.

Students learnt about what worms need to survive, how they help us in the garden and how we should care for them. Some students were very brave and were able to hold worms and feel their wet slimy bodies wiggling in their hands. It was a great opportunity for students to express themselves and to engage with the living world around them.

Putting a Resilient Mindset into Action

RESILIENCE:

THRIVING AMID ADVERSITY

Joy, Collected Over Time, Fuels Resilience.

Have you ever had times in your life when things just seem to get on top of you? Stressful events or situations are just too much to bare. This is when it helps to be resilient. But what does resilient mean? Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity. Resilience was once perceived as a rare and special character trait of heroes. We now understand that it’s a form of ‘ordinary magic’ that allows us to cope with the ups and downs of life. The inner strength and spirit that encompasses resilience is best illustrated by Pip, a courageous puppy who dreams of becoming a guide dog for the visually impaired. Pip is the youngest of the students in his class and always encounters complications in doing any exercise, but thanks to his great willpower he manages to get to the final exam.
Click on the link and enjoy “Pip.”



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v07d2dXHYb94&feature=youtu.be

At this time our Wellbeing is so important. There are two articles to read to support families and young people in these uncertain times. Please click on the links to read the articles.

https://www.springvaleparksds.vic.edu.au/uploaded_files/media/we_care_flier_august_2020.pdf

https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au

https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Black-Dog-Institute_Reassuring-young-people-about-the-unknown_COVID-19.pdf

The students have been creating some beautiful art work around our theme 'Winter Wonderland'.
It is great to see the diverse talents of our students and the wonderful artworks they are creating in their classrooms. Our display looks fantastic!

    

Earlier this year our staff were involved in Professional Development around Indigenous culture and understanding. Our KESO support officer gave staff an insight into the beautiful culture, art and history of our Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander First Nation Peoples. We were given an opportunity to purchase an artwork for our school and chose this painting from the artist below.
 

Title - Women's Ceremony

ARTWORK DESCRIPTION

Stunning colours and heavy dot work are used to depict traditional sacred women's sites in the Kintore area, which is located 250km west of Debra’s birthplace. The concentric circles commonly seen in her paintings represent the important ceremonial sites for Debra and her ancestors and the connecting lines between the circles are the ancient travelling paths that lead to these sites.

ARTIST PROFILE

Debra Young Nakamarra

Debra began painting in the mid 1980s, along with her sisters Katherine Marshall Nakamarra and Lorraine Yungut Nakamarra. Painting with their mother, the highly-acclaimed Pintupi artist Walangkura Napanangka, the three sisters have inherited her stories and iconography for representing them.

Debra’s father, Johnny Yungut Tjupurrula, was also a successful Papunya Tula artist, as were her mother's sister, Pirrmangka Napanangka, and her grandmother, Inyuwa Nampitjinpa.

Similarities can be seen between Debra's work and the bold style of the Papunya Tula movement. This is especially evident in the way the paint is applied in thick, joined dots. Debra has developed her own palette of colours and her personal way of representing the iconography to depict the traditional sacred women's sites in the Kintore area, located 250km west of her birthplace.

Debra is most certainly a talented artist; her works are bold, culturally significant and create a sense of powerful energy.

Selected Exhibitions
2011

• Black and White and Red All Over, Gallery 1, Noosa, QLD
• Passing Down Stories, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, QLD
• Desert Dreamings, Leslie Smith Gallery, Netherlands

2010

• Red Sands Gallery, Eumundi, QLD
• Papunya Tula Art Gallery, Alice Springs, NT
• Harrison Galleries, Paddington, NSW

2009

• Papunya Tula Art Gallery, Alice Springs, NT

As we are all spending more time at home due to COVID-19 many of our children will be spending many more hours online. It is important to make sure that all of our children are safe when they are actively online and are making positive choices when searching information online. These are 5 online safety tips you can help your child do to keep them safe online.


Top 5 online safety tips

1. Set up your device to protect
your information.

2. Explore safely & tell an adult
if you see anything online that
makes you feel yuck.

3. Limit who can contact you
when you’re playing games.

4. Stop all contact with anyone
online who asks you to do
anything you don’t want to do.
Report and block them.

5. Ask for help if anything online
is bothering you.


For more information go to :

https://www.esafety.gov.au