Welcome to our first newsletter for Term 1 2022. We are very excited to welcome our online students back to school on Monday 14^th February! We also say another welcome to our new families as you join us this year. We have already communicated with you several times prior to the start of school, and I want to say thank you for the respectful way that you have followed these arrangements. To continue reducing the strain on our Health system, we will continue to follow advice from SA Health while doing our best to provide meaningful learning opportunities for our students. 

Our Reception and Year 1 students have settled into their daily routines and have enjoyed having much of the school to themselves this week. Considering the SA Health advice to reduce visitors onsite, next week parents will need to drop all children at the gates of school between 8:00am-8:40am. We will ensure that staff are available to support the smooth transition into the school grounds and help any children that require support to get ready for their day. We have experienced this before and I would like to assure you that your children will develop independence and confidence as you trust them and our teachers to enter each morning. 

Next week, we will open the gates at the front Countess Street, Byron Bay Drive rear kiss and drop and the side pedestrian gate and you will be able to choose which entrance you use to drop off your children. At the end of the school day, students will be brought to the front turning circle, Byron Bay pedestrian gate or the rear kiss and drop so please notify your child and your class teacher as to which gate you will pick up your children. You can stay in your car and drive through to reduce contact with others or walk up to the gate wearing a mask. Please make sure that you consider how you can physically distance from others as much as possible.

Other exciting news is that on Wednesday 16^th February we will hold our annual ‘Meet the Teacher Evening’ sessions using an online platform. Each class teacher will be hosting an information session for you so that you can meet them and get to know their expectations and routines for this year. You will receive a registration email which allows you to choose either 5:30-6:00pm or 6:30-7:00pm session. If you have more than one child, you will receive the registration links from each teacher. Once you have registered, you will receive an invitation to join your chosen session on Wednesday 16^th February. 

In this newsletter, we have included some information regarding Communication procedures and IT use at school to help you, so I would encourage you to watch these short videos to familiarise yourself with this important information. Your class teacher will give you information about routines, special days, homework, and other specific information as a part of the ‘Meet the Teacher Evening’ session.

Please remember to let us know if you or your household test positive for COVID. We will continue to work with you to minimise the spread in our school community.

The school day begins at 8:40am and finishes at 3:10pm each day. Please continue to be patient as you wait for your children by showing one another courtesy in the carpark. This helps us to keep everyone safe in this busy environment. If your child arrives late at school, they will enter via the front office as the gates will be locked after the bell rings. This ensures everyone’s safety and allows teachers to begin their day. If your child needs to leave early for an appointment, please enter the front office wearing a mask and using the QR Code check-in. If you are dropping off or collecting your children outside the gates, you will not need to check in to our site.

Thank you once again for reading this information and helping us as we work with you to have a settled start to the learning for 2022. Have a restful weekend.

God bless,

Wendy Matear
Principal