MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to week ten of term three, which as we can all agree has been quite challenging and very different to what we had planned. Nonetheless, it is certainly a huge credit to our students, families and staff in recognising what has been accomplished and what continues to be achieved during this extended lockdown period.
We thank all our families who are continuing to support our school community by keeping their children at home to learn to minimise day to day travel and movement. It has certainly been a long time and I can assure you that our teachers truly miss their classes, and the Kearns staff cannot wait for all of our students to return to school when we are advised it is safe to do so.
We also acknowledge and thank those essential and frontline workers who continue to work hard to keep our community safe and able to access essential items and services. If you are an essential worker and/or your children cannot be supported to access some form of learning at home, our school will continue to be open with a minimum number of staff for supervision.
I would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff of Kearns. They have worked tirelessly this term under very challenging circumstances. I am proud of the way they have worked together to ensure that all students continue learning.
Stay safe and enjoy the school holidays.
Ms Phillips
MESSAGE FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS
As Term 3 draws to a close, we just want to take a moment to reflect on how far we've come, from teachers and students to our amazing and supportive families. Extended remote learning is not something we would ever have imagined happening, yet as time has gone on, we've been incredibly proud of how this new way of learning was embraced. Yes, there were challenges for all as we learned to navigate Google Classroom and log onto Zoom. One thing that has continually surprised us is how our students have not only adapted to the changes, they have blossomed. It has been exciting to see their individuality shine, through the videos they created and the work they uploaded. This would not have been possible without the consistent support of you, our wonderful parents and carers. You have done an incredible job of supporting learning from home and we are proud of you all. Please make sure you take time over the holidays to rest and recover and to enjoy the simple pleasures that come with spending time as a family. We look forward to welcoming you back, relaxed and refreshed and ready for Term 4.
Ms Naidu and Ms Woods
RETURN TO SCHOOL PLAN
As you will all be aware the NSW State government together with NSW Health and NSW DoE have announced a staggered student return to school plan starting on Monday 25 October with kindergarten and year one for primary schools. On Monday 1 November, year 2 and year 6 are to return while the remaining students in years 3, 4 and 5 will return on Monday 8 November. This still remains dependent on the numbers of COVID-19 cases in Campbelltown closer to the date of each anticipated return. We have been advised that all staff are to be vaccinated by 8 November 2021.
Staged return (Level 3 plus)- NSW DoE current advice When stay-at-home rules are still in place but other community vaccination and transmission conditions are met, students will return to school in a staged way. This is a staggered return for prioritised cohorts, with no mingling or on-site activities. Students will return to face-to-face learning under Level 3 plus with NSW Health-approved COVID-safe settings on school sites in the following order:
· from 25 October – Kindergarten and Year 1
· from 1 November – Years 2, 6 and 11
· from 8 November – Years 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10
Stay-at-home rules apply to all schools in Greater Sydney (including the Blue Mountains and Wollongong) until at least 12:01 am 30 September. All families are encouraged to monitor the NSW Government’s latest COVID-19 news and updates for locations where there may have been exposure to COVID-19 and adhere to the advice as appropriate.
A friendly reminder that if you are working from home and your child is able to learn from home it is important that they stay at home as directed by the NSW Health Public Health Order.
SASS APPRECIATION WEEK
This week is School Administrative and Support Staff Recognition Week. We would like to recognise and thank all the SASS staff at school who work so hard to support students, teachers, and parents. Our SASS staff play an important role in our school community. They have shown extraordinary commitment to supporting our school and community especially in this current environment. A huge thank you to all our incredible SASS staff who go above and beyond to support not only our students but also the staff and whole school community. We are very appreciative and thank you so much for all that you do!
KEY DATES – YEAR 7 SELECTIVE HIGH SCHOOLS’ ENTRY IN 2023
Mid-October 2021 - Applications open for placement in Year 7 in 2023. Dates yet to be confirmed.
Mid-November 2021 - Applications close for placement in Year 7 in 2023. Dates yet to be confirmed.
AP C&I POSITION
A new, permanent, and dedicated Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction role will be recruited in all public schools. This position is a leadership role dedicated to ensuring that literacy and numeracy knowledge and skills are embedded in curriculum and assessment; high quality teaching practices are enhanced; and the capabilities of middle leaders are strengthened in literacy and numeracy instruction. We were allocated one full time position.
We have been notified that we are in Phase 2 meaning this position will be filled in a temporary capacity for Term 1 of 2022. A panel will be formed in Term 1 of 2022 and I anticipate that the outcome of this merit selection process will be known by the end of Term 1 2022.
PRACTICAL PARENTING IN A PANDEMIC
Thank you for joining with the NSWPPA to engage with the wonderful Maggie Dent in her webinar Practical Parenting in a Pandemic. Over 400 schools and their families participated in the event and benefited from Maggie’s common-sense approach.
Participation in this event included free resources, a comprehensive handout and a recording of the webinar. These will be available for a month after the event for schools and their families to access. The links for the resources are below.
Webinar recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl9S14pf80I
Maggie Dent resources
https://www.maggiedent.com/covidresources/
KINDERGARTEN ENROLMENT 2022
The Department of Education has released a new enrolment procedure, meaning that families can now enrol their child at any time. Once enrolled, it is our understanding that your child will then qualify for Active Kids and Creative Kids vouchers. Please encourage your family or friends in our local area to enrol now.
We recently held a competition for families to win a uniform pack by returning their Kindergarten 2022 enrolment form. Thank you to the families who have returned their forms. CONGRATULATIONS TO SEBASTIAN FRISINA
Enrolment link:
https://enrol.education.nsw.gov.au/#/?schoolCode=4593
Active Kids Voucher:
https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-active-kids-voucher
Creative Kids Voucher: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-creative-kids-voucher
TRANSITION TO SCHOOL TIP
Self-regulation is the ability to understand and manage our own behaviour and reactions and is one important skill we can support children to develop as they begin to transition to school. Self-regulation is one aspect of social and emotional development and is important as it can support children to learn, behave in socially acceptable ways, make friends, develop independence, and be emotionally resilient. An important part of emotional resilience is to be able to identify the things we like to do to feel calm and relaxed. This is just as important for children too! Talk through a few different activities your child likes to do to feel calm and encourage them to try these out if they are feeling sad or angry.
YEAH, IT’S HOLIDAYS!
After 10 weeks of students learning at home, it's time for everyone to get outside and safely enjoy the warmer weather.
Spring school holidays and warmer weather make it a perfect time for children to get out and about riding bikes, scooters and skateboards, walking, running, and playing.
The freedom and fun they’ll feel is fantastic for their mental and physical wellbeing.
Help keep them safe by:
- joining in their fun and closely supervising when near the road traffic environment
- maintaining public health orders and social distancing requirements of the area you live in
- modelling safe road user behaviours as a pedestrian, passenger, rider, and driver at all times
- wearing bright coloured clothing so other road users can see you more easily
- playing, walking and riding away from the road
- checking and maintaining bikes and wheeled devices before use
- correctly wearing helmets when riding, skating or scooting.
The Safety Town website includes a suite of fun interactive activities, links to relevant transport information, and information for families and carers to reinforce road safety messages that are taught from Kindergarten to Year 6.
OPPORTUNITY CLASS TEST
The Opportunity Class Placement Test has been rescheduled to Wednesday 6 October 2021. This is due to the increased health and safety risks which prevent large groups of external students mixing and mingling with local school students. In mid-September 2021 you will receive your child’s ‘Test Authority’ advice which will confirm where your child will sit the test.
CYBER SAFE FAMILIES
Families can refer to the following resources to support their children in being responsible online users:
· Cyber safe families – an overview of cyber safety
· Technology and wellbeing – useful tips and tools
· Digital citizenship – a collection of articles and resources to maximise students’ use of technology
THE LAST DAY OF TERM
The student’s last day of Term 3 will be Friday, 17 September 2021 and I encourage everyone including students, parents, and staff to have a break from schoolwork.
For these school holidays, encourage children away from interactive video games and the TV with physically active games that improve their coordination, balance, and movement skills. This will build their confidence. Why not try:
· flying a kite
· help in the garden – maybe your child could have part of the garden as their own
· help to organise a picnic or BBQ
· practising skills like soccer, catching, throwing, skipping, or hitting a ball against a wall
· make an obstacle course
· play board games
· learn a musical instrument
· make homemade playdough
· stargazing
· camp in the backyard or lounge room
Normally, during the school holidays your children would be spending time with their friends and family. This school holidays it may not be possible to the same extent, but you should still schedule time for your child to catch up with their loved ones. For example, you can:
- Set up online play dates with friends: Not only will your child love seeing and spending time with their friends, but it may also give you some down time.
- Online bonding time: Video chat with grandparents or extended family to ensure everyone remains connected and spends time together.
- Virtual story time with grandparents: This could be a fun way for your children to spend time with their grandparents and ensure their grandparents feel and stay connected.
Enjoy the holidays in the beautiful spring weather.
Students will return to online learning on Tuesday 5 October 2021. Should anything change before this date, please be assured communication will be shared with you via SkoolBag.
The Fathering Project
Quality time and making memories
Spending more time with your child reaps rewards and builds strong foundations for life. The time a father spends with his child is important. Spending quality, one-on-one time together enables you to deeply connect and get to know your child. You get to know their likes, dislikes, worries, fears, inspirations and aspirations. Fathers who spend this time with their children also have been found to be better at caring because this time helps a father to be more sensitive to their child’s need for love, attention and support. Children need to know their dads think they are special.
Meaningful time
It is not just about the amount of time. You can’t put a number of minutes around quality time. What is important is that it is meaningful and regular time that will create lasting special bonds. Studies have shown, the memories of time with dad with the most impact, were when the child felt they had their dad’s undivided attention, without interruption. They need to know that you want to be with them, to listen to them and care about how they feel. In studies where adults have been asked to recount the times, they felt special with their dads, it wasn’t so much the activity they were doing, it was the feelings they remembered. It was because it was their special time their dad, with a feeling of togetherness and bonding between dad and child. These meaningful moments might have been going somewhere, playing, watching or creating something, but the important thing was that it was together. The key point that your kids will remember is, “Dad thinks I am important to him, and he wants to spend this time with me”. It was special between child and dad.
Visit The Fathering Project website.