Mansfield Primary School Newsletter

Dear Families,

Three weeks until the end of 2021!  Our Grade 6s managed to fit in their School to Summit last week.  A huge thankyou to Jen Driessen, parent helpers and staff who supported the students in their journey from Apollo St to the summit of Mt Buller.  The students did a wonderful job and showed great resilience and support of each other.

The weather has made other School to Summit excursions tricky to plan this week.  We postponed the Grade 2 hike and then had a mostly clear day and I’m sure the Grade 3s came home with stories about the rain yesterday afternoon.

Reports

Reports will be sent home on Monday December 6th.  This will give families a couple of weeks to touch base with teachers if they have questions or concerns.  Reports will look slightly different again this year due to COVID interruptions.  I will send a note home next week explaining the changes.

Parents and Guardians Onsite

Parents and guardians are able to come into the school grounds to pick up their children.  If you need to come into the office or into a classroom you will need to sign in using the QR code and show the office staff a valid vaccination certificate.

Kinder Transition

Our 2022 Preps have had their 3rd transition sessions this week.  Their final transition will be on the 7th December where they will have some sessions with our specialist teachers and spend time with their 2022 classmates.

Staffing and Classes 2022

We are close to finalising teachers for 2022.  I am pleased to welcome Olivia Cowie, Hannah Dundas and Justine Miller to our teaching team for next year.

Our whole school transition morning on December 15th will give students an opportunity to spend a morning in their new classroom with their new teacher.

Mask Wearing

Mask wearing rules have changed within the community over the last week.  This now means that primary schools (staff and Grade 3-6 students) are one of the few places where mask wearing is required.  Teachers have explained to students that immunisation, regular cleaning, hand washing and mask wearing all keep everyone safe.  Primary school students do not currently have access to vaccines so cleaning, handwashing and mask wearing are more important for us.

Managing COVID Cases

Please see updated information below from the Department of Education.

Based on advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer, some significant changes have been made to how cases of COVID-19 and contacts of cases are managed in schools as we reach the 90% double dose milestone for eligible people in the coming days.

Schools will continue the process of identifying contacts of a confirmed case of COVID-19 at schools; contacts will no longer be contacted by the Department of Health with quarantine requirements. If your child is identified as a contact the school will contact you directly.

Contacts will be required to complete a standard (PCR) test within 24 hours from when they are identified by the school as a contact.

If the PCR test returns a negative result, the student can immediately return to school, with evidence of the negative result provided to the school.

It is strongly recommended that contacts complete five days of rapid antigen tests in the morning before they attend school.

You will be able to obtain these testing kits from testing centres if your child is required to complete a standard PCR test.

In exceptional circumstances the Department of Health may determine that contacts in significant school outbreaks are still required to quarantine for seven days. In this scenario, students will be notified directly of any additional quarantine arrangements.

Face masks will now only be required by staff, visitors and Grades 3 to 6 students in an indoor space within a primary school (or schools which have primary students such as P-12 school).

The wearing of masks remains recommended elsewhere where physically distancing cannot be maintained.

Like always, please get in touch with us with any questions or concerns.  Call or email your classroom teacher, call the front office or email me tom.macmunn@education.vic.gov.au.

Have a great weekend.

Take Care,

Tom  

SCHOOL UNIFORM

We have received a delivery of uniforms. If you have placed an order prior to last week please check at the front office for your order. 

Uniform is to be ordered through Spartan School Supplies.      www.spartanschoolworld.com.au

We now have a full range of uniform on display at the front office for you to view before making your purchases online. 

We have a limited range of second hand school jumpers available that can be purchased from the front office.

LOST PROPERTY

Please note we cannot return items that have no name. Please ensure uniform is clearly labelled with your child's name. 

SPARE CLOTHES

A reminder to pack spare clothes for your child. We have a small supply of spare clothing if needed however we are in need of smaller sizes 4,6,8 in pants & shorts. If your child has come home in a change of clothing we ask that you please wash & return to school. Thank you. 

BUS TRAVEL 

Please make sure you have been in contact with us regarding bus travel for next week. Any changes to your afternoon bus travel arrangements are to be made by 2.30pm of the day of travel. This can be made via the Skoolbag App under E-Forms, email or by phone. 

LIBRARY BOOKS

We have lots of library books that are now overdue. Please have a look around home & return to school as soon as possible. Thank you.

On the 17th November we started our journey from Mansfield Primary School to the summit of Mt Buller.

The first day we rode our bikes 25kms from school to the intersection of Wild Dog Road and Howqua Track in Merrijig where the bus picked us up. On the ride, Mitchell helped Tommy get through a muddy puddle and ended up covered in mud after Tommy spun the wheels, it was very funny!

Day 2 we started where we left off and walked up Wild Dog Rd until it came to an end. We then went cross country through paddocks to arrive at Darling Huts at the bottom of Timbertop where we stopped for a break and played a few games.

After Darling Huts we took the firebreak track, which was very steep! We finally stopped for lunch before continuing along Doherty’s Track to Forrest creek Saddle where we caught our bus home. We must have played 50 rounds of wink murder on the way.

Day 3, we started at Forrest Creek saddle and headed up the track to West Ridge. It was very steep at the start, but we were excited to get going. On the way we found a geocache! When we got to West Ridge it was very rocky. We all supported and cheered each other on as we climbed up and down the rocky knolls of the ridge.

When we finally made it to the summit we felt relieved and happy. Afterwards Gabriella told Mr Steele, “I feel like I can do anything!”

From the summit we walked down to the buses and found lots of snow to throw at each other!

It was a tough few days and lots of us were nervous and worried about the challenge ahead but we made it and it was so much fun. Now every time we look at Mt Buller we are proud that we made it to the top!

By Phoebe Guppy, Chloe Campbell and Billie 

In the last fortnight, most students had a chance to practice and perform their plays in front of other classes. It was great to see them have fun with the language and many showing great drama skills, as well as a great sense of camaraderie. Fantastique! 

We are very excited with the 2022 Rotary Calendar featuring fabulous drawings by our local Primary School students!

We were delighted with the entries and congratulate all students who put in an entry!!  Choosing the winners was a most enjoyable experience with so many colourful, creative drawings.

We think they would make a lovely Christmas present with the cost being only $15.00. They can be purchased from the school front office, at the Information Centre and during the Rotary Club BBQ’s (Nov 13th & Dec 11th).

 We would like to thank Cameron at Mansfield Printing for a wonderful job. They look excellent and were completed in a short time considering lockdowns.     

 Thanks again to all Staff who have assisted the students and us to produce this lovely Calendar.

 Sue Reynolds

ROTARIAN