Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Thank you to the high school parents / carers who attended our meeting on Wednesday. It was good to have almost every parent in attendance. If parents would like further information on the topics discussed, please contact your child's teacher.

There will be a School Council meeting tonight via Teams at 6pm. Thank you to all our School Councillors for their commitment and support of the school.

Parents / carers are reminded that the morning bell goes at 8.10am. All students should be at school ready to start the day by 8.00am. Recently we have had instances of lateness from students residing in both Townsite and outside. Lateness disrupts learning and should only occur in exceptional circumstances.

Congratulations to all the staff from LIS / STMC who have set a great example by receiving the Covid 19 vaccine while available on Lihir! The vaccine will help protect ourselves, our students, our families and our communities from the virus.

If  you have any concerns, or would like further information on any of the topics in this newsletter, please do not hesitate to make contact If you have any further queries or questions.

Regards,

Mr Greg Neville

Student Council is underway for term 3. The representatives have brought many exciting ideas along to the meetings for fun and fundraising events. Shortly these events will be finalised, and we can update families more next week.

For now, we are running a second-hand book donation. A local school has opened and is in great need of resources. Please go through your books at home. Any books that are no longer used, we would love you to send them in. There is a colourful box outside the Year 3/4 classroom. Children can place the books in the box. At the end of the term, we will be delivering the books and other resources to the school.

Thank you!

From

The Student Council

The P&W is running a logo competition for the new and exciting Kibung Café opening at the Lihir Social Club. Students have been talking about their design ideas and the possibility of having their very own artistic design on the logo.

The entries need to be completed on A4 paper and are due by Friday 13th August. The prizes include the honour of having your design printed on menus and various merchandise, along with the club’s generous donations of:

1st prize - K100 club voucher

2nd prize - K50 voucher for the runner up

3rd prize - kiddie hamper

Kids, it is time to get drawing! Make your design relevant to the theme of Kibung Café (coming together) and try to make it original and creative.

If you have any questions, please ask Anesia Wai or Mrs Neale.

Have FUN!!!

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 in term 3.

2. Entrance to school for students and parents / carers will be via the Aginas Oval gate only, which will open at 7.45am. Students who arrive before this (which is discouraged) are to social distance and  wait in the carpark undercover area until 7.45am. Students should be at school by 8.05am, ready to start the day at 8.10am.

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 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. 

4. Several wash stations are installed around the school 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.

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 open on Fridays in term 3. The P&W will send more info out regarding this in due course. 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.

9. Term 3 will see assemblies in the basketball court  throughout the term. Parents will be welcome to attend, adhering to social distancing protocols.

Term 3 - Monday 12 July to Wednesday 15 September

Term 4 - Tuesday 5 October to Thursday 2 December

Curriculum News

The term has started quickly and will be a busy term, with all classes returning to teaching full curriculum programs and also the recommencement of some extra-curricular activities such as Homework Club (years 3-6) and Saturday morning soccer. 

When speaking to the high school parents at Wednesday's parent meeting, I spoke of the importance of parents monitoring students' homework tasks and assessment schedules to ensure that assessment tasks are submitted on time. This is extremely important, as well as students revising for their subject examinations. High school students and parents should have received a copy of the term 3 assessment schedule this week. Please contact your child's teacher if you require a copy.

Every student reading every day!

Reading is so important at every stage of a child's learning journey.
In the early years, daily reading not only improves decoding skills but also vocabulary and comprehension skills. By reading daily with your young child, you are helping them develop these skills. Older students should be encouraged to discuss what they are reading. Parents who read are great role-models for their children.

Please support your child to develop a love and appreciation for reading! They will one day thank you for it!

Year 8 and Year 10 Exam Prep

Saturday morning Exam Prep sessions for all year 8 and 10 students will be on again this Saturday, 9.00am - 12.00pm, with Ms Aisa Victor and Mr Joseph Takaundo. It is expected that all students attend and be on time to begin class at 9.00am. Students should be organised and have their stationery materials with them.

Please advise your child's teacher (Ms Yip or Mrs Laien) if your child is unable to attend.

We will continue our after school sessions for year 10 students as per last term's schedule. Both year 8 and 10 students will be sitting Mock exams in Week 5.

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

Kind regards,

Ms Langusch

This week, a letter was sent home with students in the primary school (P-6) regarding the upcoming soccer program.  The program will run over 4 consecutive Saturdays, beginning on Saturday 14th August on the school oval.  If you wish for your child to be involved, please fill out the permission slip attached to the letter and return it to school by Friday 7th August.  All participants must be aware that once they commit to the program, it is expected they will participate every week for the 4 weeks. This makes it much easier to organise teams and resources.

For the program to run successfully, we are also asking that any willing parents please volunteer to help out each Saturday morning. We anticipate a large number of kids being interested, so to accommodate the large numbers, it is vital we have a number of adults present to help facilitate the games and activities. If you wish to volunteer, please email Mr McKeiver ( Simon.McKeiver@newcrest.com.au ). 

Well done Mr Joseph Takaundo who joins our list of vaccinated staff, having his first 'Jab' when he returned to site this week.

STMC staff met with our FODE students and parents last weekend to discuss student commitment and deadlines for the remainder of the year. Thank you to all students and parents who came to meet and for their continued commitment moving forward.

Our STMC staff continue to support the local Lihirian teachers studying in the Primary Education Bachelor Upgrade Program. We have commenced preparation for the next face-to-face semester lectures which will take place from 13 - 24 September.

Congratulations to our former Work Ready Program trainees who undertook interviews over the weekend and earlier this week. Congratulations in particular to those successful applicants and we wish you a smooth onboarding and all the best with your new careers. It is great to see these successful former students of the WRP. We continue to support our students who are still applying for positions within Newcrest and with Stakeholders and wish them all the best also.  

The Kisim Save Library remains open to all Townsite Residents and Newcrest Employees every Saturday by appointment. Please email kevin.collins@newcrest.com.au .

Regards,

Mr. Kevin Collins