Change is the only constant

A lot has happened in just a week since I last wrote a Principal message for the newsletter. We now have a new Premier, there will be a greater easing of Covid-19 restrictions due to commence tomorrow and there is an earlier than expected return to face to face teaching for some of our students. I said to our staff this week that between now and the end of the year – Change is the only thing that will be constant! The week just passed certainly lived up to that expectation.

Social commentary is not the place of a school principal, but I am sure that you would be aware from media reports that moving the goal posts a second time has not been warmly received in schools. There are a couple of reasons for this. To be clear, it has absolutely nothing to do with not wanting our students back as soon as possible. The two main reasons for concern are – ensuring all school staff have adequate time to receive two doses of vaccine (easier in Sydney and Newcastle than in regional areas); and having adequate time to plan the return and communicate plans to students, teachers and families. Both areas have been challenging.

In my case, I had already prepared all of the information that is shared a little further on in this newsletter about what you need to know about the return, well before the Premier’s announcement last Thursday morning. Because of the change, it needed to be revised and updated to be consistent with the new state of play. I am sure all of our parents and carers whose work has been impacted by change would understand the slight irritation felt when the goal posts move. That being said, I hope that you find the information shared below really helpful in wrapping your head around what school will be like as the students start their return to face to face teaching beginning on October 18. I am one principal that is eagerly awaiting the return of our students. I cannot wait to see them all again - bring it on!

Return to School

As the stay at home orders are lifted, one of the things that will become apparent very quickly (if it hasn’t already), is that in the weeks ahead families will have a number of freedoms outside of school that they won’t have in school. For example, you will be able to take your children to a club or restaurant for a meal, but you won’t be able to walk them into the school grounds. There are two specific and related reasons for why this will be the case.

Firstly, children under 12 have not yet been given the opportunity to be vaccinated, therefore they have an elevated risk of serious infection. Secondly, because of this elevated risk, the guidelines governing what the conditions in school will be like have been designed to reduce the number of people that they will have contact with while at school. To do this, we are required to form Cohorts, or what I am calling ‘Mini-bubbles’.  For Lambton PS, the cohorts will be staged-based. This means that students and teachers will stay with their designated cohort for classes, breaks and other activities without mingling with those from outside their cohort.

We will be implementing staggered break times, finishing times and access to the canteen will be one cohort at a time. All for the purposes of keeping cohorts as separate from one another as we can achieve. Another reason for cohorts is that should a student or staff member test positive for Covid-19, authorities are hopeful that only those from within the same cohort may need to self-isolate following a deep clean of the school, not the whole school.

When students return to face to face learning, they will return under Level 3+ guidelines. We have done our best to explain the guidelines and how they are being implemented below. Please take the time to read and understand the information below carefully. We will need everyone’s cooperation to bring our students back to school safely.

I will also be facilitating another parent and carer Zoom session on Thursday evening 14 October at 7:30pm. I will provide a short presentation of the Level 3+ guidelines. This will be followed by a Q&A session about the staged return to face to face teaching.

To join the meeting, please use this link:

https://nsweducation.zoom.us/j/65097967433?pwd=WGdwUVlqclYxcmE4T0VveDJpWkt2UT09

Meeting ID: 650 9796 7433

Passcode: 180602

Transitional Period

As we prepare for the transition to face to face learning, please anticipate that the teachers will be less active with established Learning from Home tasks such as: monitoring the Google Classroom stream for questions, calling parents to check-in and providing students with regular feedback. The teachers will still post work in Google Classroom the evening before, but some of our regular practices will cease as teachers invest more time in preparing face to face lessons and resources ready for the students return. Class Zoom meetings will still take place at the scheduled times as we expect the students themselves will have questions about returning to school. We appreciate your understanding and patience over the next few weeks as this transition takes place. At any stage if you have questions, don’t hesitate to call the school office for clarification.  

 Have a great week

David Holland

The information provided below is current as of 9am Saturday 9 October

 The Staged Return

Students will return to face-to-face learning at school in the following order:

• from 18 October – department preschools, Kindergarten, Year 1
• from 25 October – all remaining year groups

Although it is tempting to send students from older grades back earlier, we ask families to respect the staged return plan. Many staff will still be working from home as we continue to meet our obligations to keep staff numbers to a minimum. There is one exception to the staged return above – the students in Year 2 from 1/2J only will be allowed to return on Monday 18 October with the remainder of their class. We are sure that parents would understand that in this instance, it wouldn’t be right to allow half a class to return while the other half are asked to learn from home. The students from 2S will return with all other year groups on 25 October in line with the staged return plan.

Conditions for a Staged Return

Students will only be able to return if the adult community vaccination rates are over 70%. This milestone was reached last week. All adults working on school sites must be fully vaccinated. If cases in certain LGAs increase significantly, learning from home will resume for that LGA until case numbers drop. This will be determined by NSW Health.

 Cohorts or ‘Mini Bubbles’

The Cohorts at Lambton will occur as follows:

• Early Stage 1 – KH, KL and KS
• Stage 1 – 1S, 1O, 1P, 1/2J and 2S
• Stage 2 – 3B, 3/4W, 4B, 4L
• Stage 3 – 5L, 5M, 6CS, 6CS

The students in K/1S and 4/5L which are cross stage classes will remain with their class during learning time, PE and Sport, but will be allowed to join their peers for breaks. We feel this is in their best interests for connections with their friends. Teachers will also operate within these mini-bubbles for teaching and playground duty therefore minimising contact across the school.

Break Times

To allow the cohorts the opportunity to have breaks without mixing we will be having different break times for recess and lunch as follows:

Recess

• 10:30-10:55am – Stage 2 and Stage 3
• 11:00 – 11:25am – Early Stage 1 and Stage 1

Lunch

• 12:30-1:20pm - Stage 2 and Stage 3
• 1:10-2:00pm – Early Stage 1 and Stage 1

Students will eat their recess and lunch in the usual outdoor areas with the exception of Kindergarten who for the purposes of keeping them separate from Stage 1 will now eat under the small cola in the asphalt area.

Playground access

The staggered break times above will help to keep the cohorts apart during play periods, but in addition to this, students will only be allowed access to specific parts of the playground with their own cohort at any given time. Each cohort will be allowed access to each area – asphalt, cola, grass, netball court etc on rostered basis across the week. For example, on Monday Kindergarten might have access to the asphalt area for recess and lunch while Stage 1 have access to the grass. This would then switch on a Tuesday.

Face Masks

Masks will be mandatory for all staff and all students in Year 7 and above while they are indoors and outdoors on school sites unless eating or exercising. Masks are strongly recommended for primary students both indoors and outdoors unless eating or exercising. Students should bring their own masks where possible, but schools will have back up supplies just in case.

Vaccination

All adults at school sites must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by 8 November 2021. Adults that are required to support the staged return to school in October 2021 will be required to have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine by that date. This will include teachers, support staff, SLSOs, counsellors, OSHC staff, canteen supervisors and volunteers as well as contractors.  The Department of Education strongly encourages our students and school community to do the same where eligible.

Physical Distancing

All adults must keep 1.5 metres distance from each other, including teachers and support staff, and parents and carers waiting to collect children. Physical distancing between children in the same class is not required under the latest health guidelines. As outlined above, mixing between class groups will be minimised and students will be supported to follow strict hygiene practices like:

• regularly washing hands
• not sharing drinks or food
• coughing or sneezing into their elbow, or else
• using a tissue which should be put in the bin straight away
• filling water bottles from bubblers rather than using the bubbler directly.

School Cleaning

Schools will continue to receive additional cleaning in line with advice from NSW Health. Schools have received extra supplies of soap, hand sanitiser, toilet paper, paper towels, disinfectant wipes and personal protective equipment and can order more as needed.

Ventilation

Open or well-ventilated spaces help reduce the risk of COVID-19. Where possible classroom doors and windows will remain open during the day and air-conditioners will be set to use outside air, where possible. An audit of our school’s ventilation capability was conducted in the recent school holiday period and work to ease and adjust any stuck or damaged windows commenced last Friday and will be completed tomorrow.

Drop Off and Pick-up Procedures

The drop-off period in the morning is currently staggered sufficiently to not require any changes. We will be asking students when they arrive to make their way to a designated area of the playground to join their cohort and avoid mixing with other cohorts. Pick-up at the end of the day presents a few more challenges to preserving the students in their cohorts. We are still working on a pick-up plan that will work smoothly for parents and carers. We will share this plan with you once finalised next week. It is likely that we will have staggered finishing times as well – 2:45pm and 3:00pm.            

Attendance

All students should be at school on the date indicated for their year group, unless:

• they have a medical certificate which says
• they can’t return to school due to a condition or illness
• they are currently unwell
• they have been asked by NSW Health to self-isolate

Students must be marked as absent outside these conditions. School are not required to provide learning from home material for students whose families have elected to keep them at home beyond the return to school date for their grade. If you have concerns about your child’s return to school, please speak with your child’s class teacher.

Student Wellbeing

Supporting students’ wellbeing as they transition back to school will be a high priority. There are a number of things that teachers will endeavour to do and be on the lookout for, to best support our students:

• acknowledge and listen to students’ feelings and concerns
• take time to specifically re-establish routines and expectations
• create a balance between learning and wellbeing in the first weeks back
•  focus on rebuilding connections
• support students who have found the learning from home period difficult
• notice changes in behaviour and offer intervention where necessary

Teaching & Learning

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) has eased curriculum expectations for the remainder of 2021 giving schools flexibility to identify and address specific areas of need. When students return to face to face learning, our teachers will have 5 main priorities between now and the end of the year:

• English – identifying and addressing gaps in foundational areas like reading and writing
• Maths - identifying and addressing gaps for each numeracy strand
• Wellbeing – reconnecting with friends, teachers and school
• Physical fitness - 150 mins of activity per week
• One other KLA area

 Activities not permitted under Level 3+

There are a number of activities that are not permitted under Level 3+, these include:

•  Singing, chanting, choirs
•  Sport (except in classes)
•  Band
•  Emergency drills
•  Interschool activities
•  SRE/SEE
•  Assemblies
•  Excursions
•  Community events
•  P&C activities
•  Community use of facilities (except OSHC services)
•  Face to face staff meetings or professional learning

Attached below are three documents that you may also find helpful:

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded Junior and Senior Students of the Week for their work during last week. 

Due to the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the school has commenced refunding payments for 2021 school activities that have been cancelled.

This includes:

•   Taronga Zoo Excursion for Stage 2 students - $40.00

•   Bandlink - $80.00

•   Band Fees for Term 3 have been reduced to $20.00

•   Band Fees for Term 4 have been waived

•  PSSA Soccer & Netball - Due to the impact of wet weather on the competition during Term 2 with a number of games being washed out, a refund of $30.00 is being paid to families whose children participated in PSSA.

Although it still looks highly unlikely that it can proceed as planned, we have left making a decision about the Stage 3 Canberra Excursion (Wednesday 1st – Friday 3rd December) as late as possible to give our students every opportunity to still go. A final decision will be made in the next 2 weeks. A full refund of all monies paid will be made if the excursion needs to be cancelled due to covid restrictions and ACT border closures.

An email and Student Refund Application has been emailed to parents and carers and can also be found below. The ‘Student Refund Application’ requires details which parents and carers may not recall such as date of payment, payment method etc.  It is important we have a signed request for refund, however the office will complete details payment details prior to processing refunds.

It would be appreciated if forms could be completed and returned as soon as possible for processing.

There was an error on our part while compiling this week’s Stage 1 LFH booklets. You may notice that the dates on the cover pages have not been changed, they have last week’s dates. Please rest assured that these are new booklets and that the work is current. Our apologies for any confusion caused. 

How are you finding the Parenting Ideas articles that we have started including with each newsletter? This week, author Michael Grose give suggestions on how to Ease Children’s Anxiety. His key point is that anxiety is normal and part of everyday life. There’s no better time than childhood for learning how to cope with anxiety. 

Our P&C has registered with Ritchies IGA Benefits Program as a fundraising initiative and would love all families to register as a member and identify Lambton Public School P & C as their nominated recipient.

To celebrate the 1st anniversary of their new Ritchies Card and Ritchies Card app, Ritchies are offering DOUBLE DOLLAR DONATIONS from the 4th to the 31st October.

Here’s how it works!

• Pick up your free Ritchies Community Benefit Card at your nearest Ritchies supermarket or liquor store OR
• Download the Ritchies Loyalty app available in the App Store or Google Play
• Click here to join our free Ritchies Card program, log into your new account or app, click on the "Community" section and follow the prompts. {make sure Click here is linked}
• Choose Lambton Public School P & C as your nominated recipient
• Every time you shop at one of the local IGA stores, you will be asked by one of the friendly Ritchies cashiers to present your Community Benefit Card!
• Local stores include New Lambton, Elermore Vale and Broadmeadow.
• Your card or phone app will be scanned at the register, which will automatically allocate 0.5% of the money you spend to your nominated organization, as long as the school are achieving the minimum of $2,000 spent each month.

It’s a nice and easy way to help raise funds for our school whilst doing your weekly shop!

Information below, current as at 12pm 9 October 2021

Stay-at-home orders remain in place for the Hunter Region for the commencement of Term 4. Parents and carers in areas under stay-at-home rules must keep children – across primary and secondary school – at home unless they need to be at school. Schools and outside of school hours care (OOSHC) services continue to be open for any child that needs it.

Masks and Face Coverings

NSW Health current advice requires all staff must wear a face mask or covering at all times including when working outdoors in all schools operating under Level 4 restrictions – this includes in playgrounds and elsewhere on school grounds. While at school, masks or face coverings are required in all indoor settings for all students in Year 7 and above. Masks are strongly recommended indoors and outdoors for primary students.  

Visitors

Non-essential visitors are not permitted on school sites. Parents and carers must follow their school’s advice regarding changes to student drop off and pick up. This includes staying in the car when dropping off and picking up children if it is safe to do so. This does not apply to drop off and pick up from outside of school hours care (OOSHC) as sign in and out procedures are required.

Parents should:

• follow the physical distancing advice for their local area and avoid gathering outside of school gates
• remain outside of school grounds
• adhere to mask-wearing requirements and sign in using the Service NSW QR code when entering the school.

School Operations

●   Early childhood services including outside of school hours care (OOSHC) can continue to operate for those who need it

●   Families to be encouraged to keep their children at home wherever possible but no child will be turned away from school

●   Implement revised roll marking procedures incorporating use of “F” for students participating in learning from home

●   Minimum staff on-site to oversee one unit of learning for students attending school site, noting that flexible syllabus requirements are in place

●   Kindergarten orientation and transition activities are recommended to be delayed until later in Term 3 or early Term 4

●   Canteens and uniform stores are not to operate

●   No community use arrangements

●   No community language schools

●   No multicultural celebration

●   Continued enhanced cleaning and hygiene supply arrangements

●   No SRE/SEE/VSA

●   No P&C activities on school sites.