Healesville Primary School
NEWSLETTER
Week 1 - Term 1 - Thursday, 3rd February 2022
From the Principal's Desk…
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to what we hope to be a full year of onsite learning. It was great to see all of our students coming back relaxed and ready to start the year.
I wish to firstly thank all of our staff who came in throughout the holidays to prepare for their students. The learning spaces all look amazing. As you are aware we flipped the school and our junior classes (prep, one, two) are now located in the BER building – what an incredible job they have done creating this new learning space for their students. There was only one teacher who did not move classrooms for 2022, so a massive thank you to all staff who enabled the move to take place.
Our library building will now be home to our chaplain, Penny Mentiplay and our QuickSmart Maths program run by Tina. Also, much of the Learning Intervention Program for Literacy, which will be taught by Fenna Hogg and Rosie House when they are not in the classrooms. Our playgroup will start up again in a few weeks time and that is also located in that space.
School Wide Positive Behaviour and Respectful Relationship programs will continue to be a focus for our school. Students have already begun to receive tokens for following our values and setting a good example to others in class and in the yard. We will also be undertaking another initiative called ‘Let’s Talk’. All staff undertook training for this on Monday. The focus of this is to let everyone talk safely. This will help us address the many mental health issues that have developed over two years of COVID and remote learning. Some of our students in grades four, five and six will also be trained as Let’s Talk Buddy Mentors. Once we are able, we will hold a launch of this program at assembly.
The start of the school year has seen the Education Department take a stance of caution in regards to COVID. So, for now we are not holding assemblies inside with visitors to our school. We will not be starting our Parent Helpers’ program or holding the planned training session. As a school we have been asked to really limit visitors to our site and the mixing of students in large groups across year levels indoors. Hopefully this will only be for the first four weeks of the school year. We do want to hold parent teacher interviews in week five of this term, fingers crossed this can go ahead and be face to face. In the meantime, please use Class Dojo to contact your child’s teacher, especially if you have information they should know or have any concerns.
We have taken delivery of our air purifiers and all classes, Art and STEM have one. Rapid Antigen Tests have been distributed but we are waiting for deliveries of masks. Could parents in grades three, four, five and six please provide a mask for your students to wear indoors? This is a mandated policy from the Education Department. I realise there are some students who have mask exemptions, if parents could also advise their child’s teacher, not just myself, if this is the case. Masks do not need to be worn by students out in the yard. Teachers in all classes are opening windows and doors to allow air flow and are also utilising our outdoor learning spaces when appropriate. We do have lots of families who unfortunately have been affected by COVID over the holidays and for the start of the school year. Please ensure that if you feel your child is unwell at all – do not send them to school and use the RATs to check for COVID. If you do have a student test positive, please let us know because if they have been onsite we need to advise the school community. Privacy is very important – we would never use names – just that there has been a positive case in a particular class.
Our school has a number of parent vacancies for School Council this year. This is a great opportunity to have a deeper involvement in your child’s schooling and a great opportunity to have an impact on lifting the profile of the school. Overall, there are only eight meetings in a year (two per term). Please let me know if you would like to join our school council.
We had some staffing changes for 2022. Below is a full list of our staff and their area of responsibility.
Take care and stay well,
Tracey
Chickens
Please not all dates/events are subject to change.
Password: HPS
Tennis Coaching - Free Trial
Please book in via the contacts below - all ages abilities welcome
WAYNE BROOM - ph - 0437008788 www.classictennis.com.au
Tennis Australia/USPTA Club Professional Coach
COVID Resources
COVID RESOURCES
Emerging Minds COVID-19 translated resources
These COVID-19 resources have been translated into 18 languages and are available for you to share with the parents and families you work with.
- This factsheet has five tips to help parents and carers use play to support children’s mental health during COVID-19: Using play to support children during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
- Emerging Minds has developed a toolkit which includes a range of resources to help practitioners and families navigate child mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Supporting children's mental health during a pandemic toolkit - Emerging Minds
Vaccine development: a guide for families | Raising Children Network
This informative guide from Raising Children Network provides clear and reliable information on how the COVID-19 vaccine development and approval process ensures safety, effectiveness and quality.
https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/health-daily-care/immunisation/vaccine-development-a-guide-for-families
COVID Testing in Yarra Ranges
https://www.each.com.au/coronavirus-covid-19-screening-clinics/
Staying informed about COVID expsoure sites
Here you'll find the current list of COVID-19 exposure sites
This website/app provides a handy visual to stay abreast of new exposures - https://covid19nearme.com.au/state/vic
LINKS FOR THE PARENT PORTAL - TO REGISTER & LOG IN
Please use this link to REGISTER for the portal:
(please note, you will need your access key to link your child.
https://sentral.hps.vic.edu.au/portal/register
You only need to register ONCE.
Once you've registered use the following link as your usual login.
Please use this link to LOGON to the portal:
(once you have registered).
About Us
Email: healesvilleps@edumail.vic.gov.au
Website: www.hps.vic.gov.au
Location: Healesville Primary School, 2 View St, Healesville VIC, Australia
Phone: (03) 59624053
Facebook: facebook.com/healesvilleps