Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Thanks to all our School Council members for their attendance at our meeting last night. Our School Council is always supportive our our school. At the School Council the school's new Code of Conduct for high school students was tabled. There will also be a parent meeting early next Term to explain the Code of Conduct, along with the high school assessment policy.

Thursday the 3rd June marked a milestone for LIS, with our first Year 10 class sitting their Written Expression National Exam. Thanks to the external invigilator from Lihir Secondary School, Mr Robuam, who came to supervise the exam. Thanks also to Mrs Yip, year 10 class patron and the high school teachers for all their work in preparing our first year 10 group.

School phone numbers

You may contact the school either on the landline - 9864233 or the mobile number - 70154448.

Do not hesitate to make contact If you have any further queries or questions.

Regards,

Mr Neville

Parents will be advised when afternoon activities recommence. We thank you for your understanding.

It is imperative that parents and carers do not send their children to school if they are sick or showing any symptoms of a cold or flu. If your child is sick, please keep your child home and seek appropriate medical attention. Children who display any signs of sickness will be isolated under supervision in the school's sick bay and parents called to come and collect them.

1.  A comprehensive deep clean of the school will be undertaken by Nayal LTD, prior to school resumption on May 3rd.

2. Entrance to school for students and parents / carers will be via the Aginas Oval gate only, which will open at 7.50am. Students who arrive before this (which is discouraged) are to social distance and  wait in the carpark undercover area until 7.50am. Students should be at school by 8.10am, ready to start the day at 8.15am.

3. All students will be greeted at the gate by a teacher, where they will be temperature checked. They will then wash their hands at the wash station and then proceed to their classroom.  Parents and carers will not be permitted to escort their children to classrooms, If parents need to go to the office, they will be permitted to proceed to the wash station and are then to make their way straight to the school office. Students will not be permitted to return home during the day to collect their morning snack or forgotten items such as books, etc. 

4. Several wash stations are installed around the school (see pics below) and hand sanitiser is available in all classrooms. Students will be required to wash their hands in the mornings before school, before and after recess/lunch and before leaving school in the afternoons. Educational videos and ISOS personnel will be utilised to support education in hand washing and general hygiene.

5. All desks, door handles, playground equipment and other high contact equipment will be sanitised twice daily or after use by cleaning staff.

6. Social distancing measure of 1.5 metres will be employed in classrooms through desk arrangements. Social distancing markings have been painted on cement areas where students line up and in the undercover area for recess/lunch eating times. The school will implement staggered recess breaks between the primary and high school to reduce the number of children using toilets etc.

7. Students will be issued with a reusable washable mask. Students will be need to wear these masks for travel to and from school and during all activities at school.

8. The school canteen will be closed for the duration on term 2. Students will need to bring a packed recess snack and lunch each day - there is to be no dropping off of food by parents, siblings or haus meris. Students are also asked to bring a water bottle to school that they will refill instead of drinking from the bubblers.

9. In term 2 there will be no after-school activities, sports carnivals or team sports and we ask that students are collected promptly at 3.00pm (12.15pm Kindy).

10. Term 2 will not have traditional assemblies at school. Virtual assemblies will continue throughout the term, with the assembly link to be published in the weekly Toksave for parents to view.

11. Reduced movement of high school students will be implemented.

Monday 19 April to Thursday 17 June

Monday 12 July to Wednesday 15 September

Tuesday 5 October to Thursday 2 December

Curriculum News

Student-led conferences

Thank you to all the parents and carers who attended our primary school student-led conferences on Wednesday afternoon. Students enjoyed sharing their learning and it was wonderful to be able to welcome parents into our classrooms, with the extended time period enabling us to be COVID-safe. It was very pleasing to hear students being able to explain in detail the learning that has been happening in classrooms over the past weeks.

Every day counts!

Although we don’t want children to attend school if unwell, we want to remind parents of the importance of students attending school. Every day does count in regard to your child’s learning! If your child is away, please contact your child’s teacher by email/note or phone/text Ms Rachael in the office to explain why they are away. Similarly, a lot of students are late to school. The school day starts at 8.10am and students should be at school around 8.00am to get organised to start their day. When students are late to school, they miss the start of the day instructions and overview of the day.

Reporting and Parent / Teacher interviews

This is certainly a busy time of the term! Teachers are finalising assessment tasks and preparing Semester 1 reports. These will be sent home in the last week of term, week 9. Student portfolios will be sent home at the end of next week, Friday of week 8. Parent/teacher interviews will be on Tuesday and Wednesday of week 9. From next week, Monday, parents will be able to make a booking for an interview by contacting Ms Rachael in the office by either email Rachael.Andar@Newcrest.com.au or by phone/text.

Year 10 Written Expression Exam

The Year 10s sat their Written Expression exam on Thursday of this week. The students were well-prepared, and the examination went smoothly. Thanks to Ms Yip for her organisation and preparation. We will continue next term with extra study sessions to prepare our Year 8 and 10 students for their National Exams. This will include Saturday morning sessions for our Year 8 students. Parents will be updated about extra exam preparation sessions by Mrs Laien and Ms Yip.

Please contact your child's teacher if you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Ms Langusch

Our Work Ready Program continues to progress well. Friday this week we welcome Hannah Ilave coming to present and discuss the Trupla Man Trupla Meri initiative, its associated values and its importance in Newcrest and for all people.  

Last week, Mr Neville and I went to POM for a number of meetings. While we were there, we met with a number of FODE staff to finalise our registration as a FODE RSC and streamline our enrolment processes with their team. Our FODE students have now completed all exams and will now commence their new subjects of study.

STMC have confirmed plans for lecturers from Divine Word University to come to our campus to deliver the Primary Education Bachelor Upgrade Program for local Lihirian Teachers. We look forward to welcoming Dr Lynus Yamuna and Mr Kelaki Peter for the delivery of the first semester of this 2 year program commencing on 28 June.

The Kisim Save Library will no longer open of a Wednesday evening due to lack of interest, however it is open to all Townsite Residents and Newcrest Employees on Saturdays by appointment. Please email kevin.collins@newcrest.com.au .

Regards,

Mr. Kevin Collins