Blaxland Public School

Term 4

Week 3

Learning from Home Year 2- Year 6

Monday, 18 October

• Kindergarten and Year 1 return to school

Week 4

Monday, 25 October

• Year 2 to Year 6  return to school

For all notes sent home please see either the School Website or SkoolBag.

Welcome to Term 4 in what promises to be a very interesting term. We are excited about our return to face-to-face learning and welcoming students and staff back onsite where we know the best learning happens. The continued positive support of the school from the school community has been overwhelming and I thank every one of you for all that you have done during the remote learning from home period.  This has been an extremely challenging time for all of us, but we are nearly there.

Returning to School

This week I have sent out an information sheet for all member of the community outlining what you need to know about our return to school in Term 4. I have also attached this to this week’s newsletter so that parents/carers have all the information in one spot for easy reference.

• Key dates: Monday 18th October: Kindergarten and Year 1 students return.
• Monday 25th October: Students in Years 2-6 return.

Starting from Monday 18th October we will need to start the strict use of using the correct gate for entering and leaving the school grounds. As part of our COVID Safe plan, we are required to put our students into smaller groups and not have these students mixing at all. From Monday 18th October students in Years K-3 will be using the Baden Place entrance and Years 4-6 will be using the Great Western Highway entrance. More detailed information was sent to families on SkoolBag and email on Wednesday 13th October 2021.

To keep all students and staff safe, it is important that anyone onsite who presents with COVID symptoms must be sent home and receive a negative COVID result before returning to school.

New School Visitor Check-in system

A single School Visitor Check-in system for every school across the state is coming from 18 October!The Department of Education has partnered with Service NSW to provide a streamlined, digital school sign-in system for visitors and contractors at every NSW government school. Benefits of the new system include:

·         Accelerating your check-ins to as fast as 20 seconds!  

·         Linked to NSW Health’s COVID-19 contact tracing ensuring every school is compliant with the NSW COVID-19 mandate.External link

·         Giving every school greater access to streamlined NSW Government services. 

Watch our short parent videoExternal link to see how it works for parents or our contractor videoExternal link.

Who can use School Visitor check-in

·         Visitors such as parents and carers, contractors, service providers and volunteers.

Students or visitors under the age of 18 are not required to use School Visitor Check-in.

School Visitor Check-in will be ready from 18 October at all NSW Government schools.

For more information visit School Visitor Check-in on the department website.

 Communications that have gone home

In this week’s newsletter, I have attached all the recent communication that has been sent home including my presentation for the P&C meeting. Mrs O’Brien has also prepared a presentation that will be used with the students on Zoom this week or next week plus with the class once they return to school to ensure that our students understand that things will be a little different at school.

Stay safe and take care! We are so looking forward to welcoming our students and staff back to school in a safe way.

When Unwell

Staff and students must not attend work or school if unwell, even with mild symptoms of COVID-19. Any person with any COVID-19 symptoms must be sent home and not return to school unless:

• they have isolated for 10 days, when no medical certificate is available
• they have a negative COVID-19 test result and are symptom free.

In circumstances where children or staff have other medical reasons for recurrent symptoms, a letter from their GP is sufficient to negate the requirement for a negative test.

School Activities on hold

Until further notice all school activities are on hold, including band, assemblies, dance, scripture, excursions, school camps and P&C meetings onsite. All community user of facilities are also on hold.

Welcome back to Term 4! The P&C would like to acknowledge all the work the teachers and staff are doing to prepare for our kids to go back to school next week or the week after. It will be wonderful for our kids to have the stability of normal school routines, other adult role models and friends to play with again.

The P&C also acknowledges how supportive the school community has been in this long period of remote learning. It has been a very stressful period for all parents and carers - those whose kids had to continue to attend school for a variety of reasons, those who have been juggling remote learning with normal responsibilities such as work and caring responsibilities, and all of us who have been missing our friends and family. I know many of us are looking forward to a return to the normal school routines, too!

The P&C suggests that parents and carers talk to their kids about the new arrangements for drop offs and pick ups and also about face masks and how to take them on and off safely. It would also be great if you could let your children know that not all kids can wear face masks, so they should expect to see some kids at school without masks, and that’s okay.

Online Ordering is available only.

To order Online please email the school with your child's full name, class, and what you would like to purchase. Payments are is to be made online through the school Website and the uniform purchase will go home with your child.

For any Uniform Shop enquirers please email the school.

Student banking is closed until further notice.