Healesville Primary School
NEWSLETTER
Term 2 - Week 6 - Thursday May 21, 2020
From the Principal's Desk…
Newsletter week 6 Term 2
Most of the newsletter this week is about returning to school, I have also sent out parts of the following document as a dojo notification and there is a copy on our website. This is because it contains vital information regarding the remainder of term two.
Firstly I want to thank you for staying home and the amazing job you have been doing with the remote learning. I know it has been a very difficult and stressful time for everyone. For our prep to grade two students that time is over and for the remainder of our students it will only be short time before you are also returning. I know that every single staff member can’t wait for our students to return – schools need students!!!!!!
Thank you for completing our survey again this week. This has enabled us to plan for the remainder of the remote learning schedule.
Together we make a difference is our motto – earlier this year every student and staff member was asked to trace and decorate one of their hands. This has been turned into a spectacular mural that will be on display in the library. Due to our onsite restrictions it will be difficult for everyone to come in and view this at the moment – please see the photo below to give you a hint of the amazing art work we have created together. Thank you to Fenna for painting our tree and putting this all together – it really is an impressive masterpiece.
Reports for semester one 2020.
Due to our move to remote learning for most of term two, the Education Department has created new guidelines for reporting to parents. We will not be giving students a progression mark grade. Students will instead receive a comment based report about the work they completed on site in term one with their teacher and further comments regarding their adjustment and participation in our remote learning during term two.
Canteen: This will be opening for the last three Fridays of Term Two – 12th, 19th and 26th June. This will be for lunch orders only and there will be NO over the counter sales.
Parent teacher interviews will also not be conducted in term two as they would have previously. This again is due to regulations regarding adults on site. If an interview is requested it will be via Webex or phone.
Please note:
MONDAY 26TH MAY IS A CURRIUCLUM DAY – NO STUDENTS TO BE ONSITE
Return to School: A Guide for Students and Parents
Welcome to the Healesville Primary School guide for the return to face-to-face learning, in May/June 2020. You have all done a fantastic job in adjusting quickly to the demands of remote learning. Now it's time to make a new adjustment, back into learning at school. At first it will be quite different to how we used to do things in at the start of Term 1.
To begin with . . .
If you are unwell, you must stay at home. This is to keep you safe, and everyone at school safe.
A staggered return for students and staff
School staff will return to work on-site at Healesville Primary School on Monday May 25 2020. This will be a student-free day to enable staff to prepare a safe learning environment for the return of our students.
The staggered return for students will be as follows:
- Prep, Grade One and Grade Two Students will return to on-site learning on Tuesday May 26.
- Grade Three, Four, Five and Six Students will return to on-site learning on Tuesday June 9.
- During the period May 26 to June 5, the school will continue to supervise students in grade three - six on-site who have been identified as meeting specific categories (vulnerable students, children of essential workers and children of parents who cannot work from home). These students will work through their Online Learning on-site at school. Please contact the school if you have any queries with regard to these categories.
Physical distancing at school
We have been advised by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) that the rules of no more than one person per four square meters, and keeping 1.5 meters distance between students, is not appropriate or practical in a school setting. We will, however, continue to remind students of appropriate physical contact.
Physical distancing will still be necessary between adults, and school staff will make adjustments to their workspaces and staff room to keep this rule in place.
School health and safety measures
Our return to on-site schooling is based on advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer and we are following their guidelines.
Parent gatherings, school drop-offs and pick-ups
It is important that we reduce the number of adults congregating inside and outside the school grounds at any one time, such as during drop-offs and pick-ups. Please pay attention to the new signage.
Due to our student population being under 250 and layout of our buildings, we won't need to put in place staggered starts and finishes to the school day. We will reevaluate this before the remainder of our students return to school on Tuesday 9th June. However, the following arrangements will be established from Tuesday 26th May till Friday 5th June:
· Parents will be asked to not enter the school buildings or the school grounds, unless it is essential. Office access will be via phone. The front door is locked, if you need to see someone in the office they will come to the window at the front to the left of the door.
- Morning drop-off: Extra staff will be on duty in the mornings at the front gate. Parents will be asked to drop their children off at the front gate, and staff will take over supervision from there. You are NOT to walk your child to their classroom or building.
- Afternoon pick-up: Teachers will escort the children out of their classrooms. Staff will supervision collection of students at the drive through. Parents will need to pick up their children from our drop off zone. Parents will not be able to wait for their children inside the school grounds or outside the classrooms.
Hygiene for students
Students will be taught and reminded about hand hygiene and how to sneeze, cough and sniffle safely. Shared equipment, including playground equipment, will be wiped down after use. Hand sanitiser will be frequently distributed, and toilets will be stocked with soap. Staff on yard duty will carry additional hand sanitiser.
Water bottles and drinking fountains
Students are asked to bring their own water bottle to school, as the drinking fountains will be turned off until further notice.
Cleaning
Healesville Primary School, as with all Government schools, has been given extended and increased cleaning arrangements.
Camps, excursions, gatherings and meetings
Assemblies, camps, excursions and school community gatherings will not take place until further notice. Parent-teacher interviews and meetings will not take place as they have done previously. If an interview is requested it will be via Webex or phone.
Fresh air and outdoor areas
When appropriate, we will ensure the flow of fresh air throughout the school buildings. We will ensure that the students have plenty of opportunities to be outside.
Managing a suspected or confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19)
The school is subject to strict procedures in line with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) if a student or staff member is a confirmed case or has been in close contact with a confirmed case. We will follow these procedures and contact parents and the health authorities.
The most important action that parents can make during these times is to ensure that any unwell children or parents remain at home and do not attend school.
Resources for parents
Learning from Home, digital learning resources compiled by the Department of Education
Tips and ideas for parents (originally published in The Age)
Our own website – the remote learning section
Health and Wellbeing Support
Your key contacts for health and wellbeing at the school are your child’s teacher or the Principal, Tracey Robertson-Smith. Penny Mentiplay our Chaplain is also a valuable resource and is available on Mondays and Tuesdays.
We will endeavour to stay connected by newsletter, website and dojo and we encourage you to share your experiences, ideas and photos with your child’s teacher.
The following websites may also be helpful:
DET website https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/department/Pages/coronavirus.aspx
DHHS website https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
Queries, questions, problems? please email or phone the Principal, Tracey Robertson-Smith.
Tracey
Curriculum Day - Student free day
Tuesday 26 May
Prep, Grade 1 and Grade 2 students return to school
Tuesday 9 June
Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5 and Grade 6 students return to school
Stars of the Week
3/4B- Joshua H - Joshua has been involved in all Webex conferences and trying really hard on all online learning tasks.
5/6H: Online learner of the week Sarah C - for always going on Webex, enjoying learning new maths skills,and continuing to write amazing stories
5/6W: Hayden G - for his amazing creative writing on ‘My Tiny World’.
Billy C - for his insightful writing of the story of Vincent Lingiari from the song ‘From Little Things, Big Things Grow’ from our work in Cultural Studies.
Finlay Mc & Chloe Mac - for their work in science about ‘Reversible Change in Matter’.
ART - Summer C (5/6S) and Penny F (Prep B)
PE - Oliver L (Prep H) for all his hard work in completing his PE and Performing Art lessons. Fantastic work Oliver.
Penny F (Prep B ) amazing effort in completing all her PE lessons and giving it a red hot go. Keep up the hard work Penny.
Summer, Taylor and Maddy C for all their hard work each week completing the PE lessons. Fantastic to see the whole family working together and keeping active. Well Done.
House Build of the Week
by Summer C. 5/6S
Lots of gorgeous detail.
Paper & Card Robot
by Penny F. Prep B
Penny used a range of colours and cut out shapes to create her colourful robot.
This is our 'Tree of Learning Together’.
This tree has every student and staff members own hand decorated individually. They are shown here (like leaves) with each attached to a twig on a branch and joined to the main trunk.
Together these hands show that we learn together, grow together and learn from each other.
Each of us relies on each other to make our school flourish.
The hands below the tree are growing upwards and are are drawing energy from the earth which also feeds the tree.
This is a very big mural which will be installed into our Library to remind us that together we are strong.
Fenna Hogg
Creative Arts co-ordinator.
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. This is available to established HPS parents in the email that we sent out to families on 30 July 2019). New families will have received their emails Thursday 30th January 2020.
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).
OSHCCP - Camp Australia
Hello everyone,
l hope you all had a wonderful weekend, as you are now able to visit family and friends.
At Healesville Primary School Before and After School Care we have been busy making a garden in front of our room, we have planted some baby spinach and parsley, as well as some pansies.
We have also got a recycled art tub ready for the children to create an amazing creation using their imagination.
As it has been very quiet here l am really looking forward to seeing you all back at school soon. l miss the laughter, the happiness on all of your faces, as well as the creativity that you all have and spontaneous ideas that you come up with in your art making.
From Stacey , Ellie and Emmi-lee Camp Australia at Healesville Primary School
Password: HPS
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