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Term 2, Week 2 - Tuesday, 3 May 2022
Confirmed COVID-19 cases versus close contacts isolation requirements
Last week NSW Health announced changes to close contact isolation requirements which mean that students who are identified as close contacts may return to school provided they follow certain risk mitigating criteria, including
- taking daily RATs
- wearing face mask is highly recommended
People who have had COVID-19 in the last 12 weeks, do not have to comply with this guidance if they become a close contact.
Please be reminded that this change does not affect students and staff who are confirmed COVID-19 cases or who are showing any symptoms.
There are no changes to the isolation requirements for confirmed cases of COVID-19, who must isolate at home for 7 days. Anyone showing symptoms should get tested and isolate until they receive a negative test and symptoms subside. Isolation rules for COVID-19 cases are still in place.
Refer to NSW Government’s Testing positive to COVID-19 fact sheet. for further information
Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits being sent home
Registering a positive RAT result
If your child receives a positive RAT test, they need to:
record the positive RAT result through the Service NSW website or Service NSW app
notify the school of the positive RAT or PCR test result as soon as possible
follow NSW Health advice to isolate for 7 days.
Registering a positive RAT with Service NSW is a requirement of the Public Health Order and helps NSW Health track COVID-19 in schools and address any public health issues early on if required including supporting the person who has tested positive.
Negative results do not need to be reported to Service NSW or to the school.
From the beginning of Term 2, students and staff who are identified as close contacts will be able to attend school at the principal’s discretion with the following risk mitigations in place:
Parents/carers and staff must notify the school if they or their child is a close contact and intends to attend school or work
Students and staff should conduct a daily rapid antigen test (RAT) and receive a negative result each morning before attending school for 5 subsequent school days
Staff and high school students identified as close contacts must wear a mask in all indoor settings when at school
Primary school students identified as close contacts are recommended to wear a mask in all indoor settings when at school
Close contacts are not allowed to enter SSPs, support classes, assisted transport or attend overnight excursions for 7 days from identification as a contact.
INDUSTRIAL ACTION WEDNESDAY 4 MAY 2022
Dear Parents and Carers,
You may be aware of recent media reports regarding the proposed 24-hour industrial action. The NSW Teachers Federation has asked all its members to take strike action on Wednesday 4 May 2022.
The majority of our teachers will be joining the strike action. All normal school programs will not continue and very minimal supervision is available for students that need to attend school.
I encourage you to make arrangements for the care of your children during Wednesday’s teacher strike action.
Thank you for your understanding
NAPLAN
Students in Years 3 and 5 will be participating in NAPLAN between 10 and 20 May 2022.
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. All NSW schools will sit NAPLAN online in 2022. Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not recommended. Students can use the public demonstration site (https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site)to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and tools available in NAPLAN.
It is encouraged that students bring their own headphones to school to use during the assessments.
For further information please refer to the attached PDF.
If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact your child’s teacher.
BEFORE SCHOOL CARE - 6:00AM - 9:00AM
We help children get ready for the school day by running quiet yet engaging activities. We can also serve a nutritious breakfast at no extra cost.
AFTER SCHOOL CARE - 3:00PM - 6:00PM
Once the school day is done, we help children wind down. We offer afternoon tea and mix of activities where children can socialise and broaden their horizons.
VACATION CARE - 7:00AM - 6:00PM
At the Y Vacation Care, we put on activities that children look forward to including arts & crafts, cooking, sports, incursions, excursions and more. No matter what your child is interested in, we'll plan school holiday activities to suit.
Ph 1300 009 679
Visit our website for more information.
Opportunity Class 2023
Dear Parents/Carers,
The application process for Year 5 opportunity class placement in 2023 is about to begin.
Opportunity classes cater for high achieving academically gifted students. These classes help gifted and talented students to learn by teaching them in specialised ways and providing educational materials at the appropriate level.
Applications for opportunity class placement are now available. If you would like to have your child considered for a Year 5 opportunity class entry in 2023, you need to complete an online application form.
Detailed instructions on how to apply online are available here
For further information on the application process
The application website closes on Friday 13 May 2022. (No late applications will be accepted).
The Opportunity Class Placement Test will be held Thursday 28 July 2022.
Thank you.
ANZAC DAY
On Thursday 28 April our school held its Anzac Day Ceremony.
The school choir performed ‘The Last Anzac’ a beautiful song about Alec Campbell who was the world’s last surviving Anzac.
Our students all completed artworks within their classes for the occasion. Kindergarten and Year 1 created an Anzac Day artwork based on the silhouette of a soldier. Year 2 – 6 incorporated technology into their artwork, producing a digital artwork to commemorate Anzac Day. Student’s used Anzac symbols, text and colour to create their work.
LEARNING GOALS
Our school encourages all parents and carers to have conversations with their children, asking them about their own learning goal and the goals they have achieved.
Our teachers know that our students are unique and have different learning needs, this is why each student has their own personal learning goal for Reading, Writing & Maths. Individual learning goals make students active participants in the learning process, empowering them to become independent learners, and motivating them to achieve their full potential.
Here is an example of a year 4 students Maths Learning goal. The student has met with the teacher during a one-on-one conference and discussed and explicitly taught the strategies. The student has then practiced these and uploaded as evidence on their Google Classroom page to demonstrate their achievement of their personal learning goal.
KINDY CAPERS
Welcome back to Term 2. It was great to see all the eager and enthusiastic faces of our youngest students, all ready for learning as they returned to school Wednesday last week. There was lots of excited chatter as they shared about holiday activities and met up with friends.
Term 2 will be full of more fun learning and activities including our Mother’s Day Stall. Kindergarten students loved the opportunity to “shop” and select their own special gift for mum at the P&C run Mother’s Day Stall.
On Thursday, we acknowledged Anzac Day with an assembly in our school hall. It was a respectful assembly by our school leaders that honoured our armed service men and women. The teachers were very proud of the respectful behaviour shown by our wonderful Kindy students during the ceremony. At the end of the ceremony our students were given a treat of ANZAC biscuits.
Homework will start this term. More information and details to complete the homework will be sent home next week.
This term students will continue with music, library, sport and fitness each week and our history program will continue with our study of ‘Personal and Family Histories’. Science will move from daily and seasonal weather changes in the environment to exploring the characteristics, needs and uses of living things. This will reinforce what the students learnt during our excursion to Calmsley Hill Farm last term.
Stars of the Week
Kindy at the farm
Years 3 and 4
Welcome back to Term 2. We hope all students and their families had a chance to recharge their batteries, ready for another term full of learning.
Areas of learning you can expect your children to undertake over the coming weeks include:
English
• Creating Imaginative Texts
• Creating Persuasive Texts
• Summarising
• Identifying text forms and features
Mathematics
• Number Patterns
• Fractions
• Time
• Chance
Science
• The characteristics and effects of common forms of energy, such as light and heat
History
• First Contacts – the effects of British Colonisation in Australia and Great Journeys of Exploration
Creative Arts
• Traditional music notation
• Passing-off Karate Recorder Belts
P. D. H. P. E
• Interpersonal skills that build and enhance relationships
We’re looking forward to a great term.
St Marys South Public School
Phone: 02 9623 1745
Address: 96 Monfarville Street, St Marys NSW 2760