Our Last Newsletter for the Year: It is amazing to think that we are already at the stage where we are up to our final newsletter for the year! It has been a roller coaster of a year, I would like to thank the Luddenham community for showing their true spirit through thick and thin.
Thank you Mrs Radovic: Sadly, Mrs Radovic has decided to retire at the end of this year. Mrs Radovic has been such an important member of our staff for many years and will be dearly missed by the entire community. Mrs Radovic has always had such a strong relationship with the students she has worked with and has made such a positive impact for so many of the students at Luddenham Public School. Thank you for everything that you have done to make our school such a special place. We hope you enjoy your retirement.
Teachers' Strike: As a result of the strike, our school will be providing minimal supervision of students on Tuesday 7 December. Our school will still operate in a COVID-safe manner in accordance with NSW Health guidelines. A note will be sent home regarding this matter.
2022 Class Teachers:
K/1/2 - Mrs McCarthy & Mrs Mitchell
3/4 - Mrs Rootes
5/6 - Mr Holmes
Learning and Support / Library / STEM - Mrs Treharne
Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction / Aboriginal Education: Mrs Cara Laing
Staffing Changes: As you can see from the above information, we unfortunately are saying goodbye to some of our amazing staff members as well as welcoming some new ones. Miss Ellul and Mr Pietersma have taken roles at James Erskine and Campbelltown Public Schools respectively. Mrs Storey is returning to her substantive position at Liverpool Public School and Mrs Cameron is moving to Queensland. We would like to thank all of these teachers for their passion and enthusiasm when teaching our students and wish them all the best in their future endeavours. It is unfortunate that we were unable to keep these teachers as we know how great they are, that is often a challenge in smaller schools.
Welcome New Teachers: We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Mrs McCarthy and Mrs Laing to our wonderful school community. Mrs McCarthy will be teaching the K/1/2 class with Mrs Mitchell, she has a wealth of experience and is deeply passionate about the Science of Reading and Early Arithmetic Strategies. Mrs Laing has been appointed to assist the school with curriculum and instruction. Mrs Laing will be working closely with groups of identified students to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes.
Reports: This semester our reports will look a little different to our Semester 1 reports, this is due to the amount of time our students spent learning from home. You will notice there are four comment boxes; Maths, English, General and Learning From Home, these are the only areas teachers will be commenting on this term. Reports will go out to parents on Friday 10 December.
Staggered Arrival and Departure Times: These staggered times will continue for the foreseeable future. Wherever possible, we appreciate that you stick to your allocated time, we understand that this is not always possible.
| Class | Arrival Time | Learning Start Time | Departure Time |
| K/1/2 | 8.45am - 8.55am | 8.55am | 2.40pm |
| 3/4 | 8.55am - 9am | 9am | 2.45pm |
| 5/6 | 9am - 9.05am | 9.05am | 2.50pm |
We ask that students go directly to their classroom upon arrival. Siblings can enter and depart the school at the same time. The Jamison St gate will open at 8.45am. The Northern Rd gate will not be open. We ask that parents do not congregate out the front of the school.
COVID Update
We are currently Level 3, this means: All students are expected to be at school unless they are unwell. Do not attend school if unwell, even with mild symptoms. Get tested for COVID-19 and follow NSW Health directions.
- In circumstances where children have other medical reasons for recurrent symptoms, a letter from their GP is sufficient to negate the requirement for a negative test.
- Fully vaccinated parents and carers will be allowed on site to support curriculum delivery, vulnerable students or students with disability, student wellbeing activities and school operations (for example reading support, canteens and uniform shops), or to attend essential meetings. Parents and carers must check in using the school check-in, show proof of vaccination on entry to the school site and follow mask-wearing requirements.
- The rapid antigen home test (RAHT) – test-to-stay program was implemented for both primary and secondary school settings from Monday 29 November. This means:
- The test-to-stay program will only apply to close contacts (students and staff) identified from a positive COVID-19 case in the school.
- The test-to-stay program will not apply to close contacts (students and staff) identified from a positive COVID-19 case from a community setting.
- Students and staff will need to remain in isolation outside of school until the end of their isolation period.
Kindergarten Orientation - We have now had two onsite Kindergarten Orientation days for our 2022 Kindy students. The most recent one was also a Pirate Treasure Hunt! This gave our students a great opportunity to get to know about all of the different areas in our school and develop an understanding of school expectations in these areas. We also have a fantastic write up about our Kindergarten Orientation in the Mulgoa Gazette https://www.districtgazette.com.au/mulgoa-valley/. We currently have 12 Kindergarten students on our books for 2022! We can't wait for them to join in with our adventure in learning.
Drop off and Pick Up – Remember that the 'Kiss and Drop' is to be used for just that, parents should not leave their cars to have conversations with other parents. Smoking is not permitted within 4m of the school boundaries.
Presentation Day: Our presentation day will take place on Monday 13 December at 9.30am. Unfortunately, at this stage, parents will not be allowed on site. We are planning on having a live stream of the event via our Facebook page and will have more details about this next week.
Camp Refunds: Any parents that have paid for camp this year, please return your refund form as soon as possible to ensure you receive your money back in a timely manner.
Year 6 Formal: We have received some incredibly generous donations to go towards making the Year 6 Formal a memorable night for our graduating students. This type of philanthropy can be seen throughout the organisation for the formal. Our Year 6 parents have shown such enthusiasm and passion for this event and we thank them for the time and effort they are putting in.
Captains Speeches: On Wednesday 8 December, some of our students will be presenting their captain speeches to the school, unfortunately we are unable to have parents on site for this event, however, we are hoping to organise a livestream, we will keep you updated about this via Facebook.
Year 6 Graduation: Our Year 6 Graduation will be taking place on Tuesday 14 December. At this stage we are able to have parents on site that are fully vaccinated for this event only. We are currently in the process of sorting out what the process will look like for this event as parents will be asked to remain 4 square metres away from each other, we will send a note out next week with more information about this.
Upcoming Events:
Thursday 9 December: Book Character Parade
Monday 13 December: Presentation Assembly
Tuesday 14 December: Year 6 Graduation and Formal
Thursday 16 December: Last day for students
*Please note, there could be some changes to the events depending on differing factors.
While this is the last newsletter of the year, there are still two action packed weeks of school left for the year. Remember to keep an eye on our Facebook page for pictures and regular updates.
I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of the members of the Luddenham Public School for making my first year of principal at this school such an enjoyable one. While it has been a bumpy road, your ongoing support has made all of the difference. It has been such a pleasure getting to know all of the amazing families that attend our school. 2022 is going to be a big year for Luddenham Public School, I can't wait for you to be a part of it and join in the 'adventure in learning' with us. I would like to wish all of our Year 6 students all the best in High School, you have been wonderful role models for our students.
Have a safe and enjoyable break over summer and we will see you all on February 1 in 2022 to do it all again.
All the best.
Sean Holmes
Principal
