8 September 2020

Term 3 – Week 8 PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Welcome to Week 8.

It is a beautiful sunny day here at Primbee as I write this message. Our wonderful raised garden beds have arrived and are in our garden. We are expecting the soil to be delivered early next week. I am sure that there will be much excitement as the little Bobcat places the soil into the beds and fills our garden with mulch. We are so keen to plant our vegetables and herbs. Watch this space.

Mrs Bell has had a wonderful start to the week with her Kindergarten friends assisting her in weeding and tending to the garden.

Please remind your child to bring a water bottle to school each day as our bubblers are not able to be used due to Covid restrictions. The children enjoy filling their bottles with filtered water at the water bottle station. We are providing cups for students if they forget their bottles and have handed out many water bottles that were donated by Bunnings and the Dragons. Thank you for supporting us in keeping your children hydrated.

Our 3-6 students have been enjoying participating in cricket lessons organised by Mrs Kelly and Mrs Bell. Cricket NSW has organised wonderful skills lessons and has donated new cricket equipment for our students to use at play time.

At Primbee Public School we are committed to the Department of Education Strategic Plan where we aim to have every student, every teacher, every leader and every school improve every year. Our school team has been working hard to gather data to complete our situational analysis that will inform and guide our School plan for the next 4 years. We aim to build a culture of high expectations and inclusion through authentic engagement with parents and the broader community. We will be sending out a survey next week where we will be hoping to gather your input for this planning. Please take a few moments to contribute your thoughts.

Last week Mrs Bell and Miss Stewart facilitated the Year 6 fundraiser. Students contributed gold coins to have their photo taken with the amazing artworks created by the Year 6 students. All funds raised will go towards the Year 6 farewell. The photos will be published on our school website later in the week. If your child forgot their coin it isn’t too late to bring it in as each child had their photo taken.

Have a wonderful week everyone. Sharon Rigg

Principal

A MESSAGE FROM LAKE ILLAWARRA POLICE

Lake Illawarra Police would like to advise parents in relation to a TIK TOK video that has been shared in the last 48 hours.

You may be aware from news reports that an adult male has posted a live video of him committing suicide with a firearm. This video has been posted and shared multiple times. TIK TOK have been working to remove the content and have been deleting any users that share the video however as you know the powers of social media it has been shared millions of times so is still out there.

TIK TOK are urging parents not to allow young people on this application at this time.

KINDERGARTEN ENROLMENTS 2021 Teddy Bears Picnic

We are thrilled to announce that we are hosting a virtual Teddy Bears Picnic for our 2021 Kindergarten class. This will give them an opportunity to meet teachers and their new friends. We are looking at innovative ways to support our students in their transition to big school.

To support this wonderful initiative and to bring our community together, to welcome our new friends we are asking all of our families to place a teddy bear in their front window of their homes. We hope that this helps the new students and their families feel special and welcome. Please select your favourite furry friend and place them in your window in Week 10 (September 21 - Sept 25).

Invitation for 2021 Kindergarten students

Primbee Public School is taking enrolments for Kindergarten in 2021. If you are intending to enrol your child or know of any students that would be starting school next year, please contact the office for an information package and have a look at the resources on our school website: https://primbee-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITY

The Department has released an Inclusive Education Statement for Students with Disability to further our commitment to improve learning and wellbeing for students with disability in every public school. Our teachers are engaging with a professional learning package to enrich their knowledge of inclusive practices to support students. We are proud of our existing practices and look forward to adding to our toolkit. Please find more information at the link below. https://education.nsw.gov.au/inside-the-department/disability-strategy-resources/inclusive-education

FRONT GATE Please be aware that our front gate is now operational. If you or your child need to access the gate for late arrivals or early exits please ring the bell and wait for office staff to buzz you in. Please do not place the gate closer down on exit as the gate is self-closing and locking.

https://www.google.com/search?safe=strict&rlz=1C1GCEA_enAU895AU895&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=chalk+drawings+of+children&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj2gOC_qavrAhURU30KHV8nD94QsAR6BAgKEAE&biw=1920&bih=1089

COMMUNITY NOTICES RN CL

Darian Zam’s award-winning book ‘Coalfaces’ tells the stories of 15 older members of the Mount Kembla, NSW community. It follows their lives in a semi-rural mining town, and explores how the aftermath of Australia’s historically largest industrial disaster at Mount Kembla Colliery, has affected them and their families, through generations.

Thank you to Darian Zam Publishing for donating a copy of Darian’s new book to our school.

A guide to NSW school students for Term 3 Last updated 4 September 2020

We're working closely with the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), NSW Health and other agencies to ensure our schools continue to operate in the safest ways possible during the COVID environment.

Download the NSW School Updates app to ensure and be notified when schools are closed due to a crisis.

Schools are operating full time while actively following health advice. Schools continue to be safe, and operations are in line with Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and NSW Health advice. All students should be learning on campus unless they are unwell or have a medical certificate to support their absence. The activities that are permitted at school will be conducted in a way that is safe and appropriate in the current environment. Those that remain on hold will be reviewed during the term and will recommence when appropriate based on health and other relevant advice. School attendance In accordance with advice from NSW HealthExternal link, parents and carers are reminded NOT to send children to school if they are unwell, even if they have the mildest flu-like symptoms.

NSW Health have requested that schools encourage anyone who is unwell or has even mild flu-like symptoms, to arrange to be tested through their local medical practitioner or one of the COVID-19 clinicsExternal link.

Students and staff with flu-like symptoms will need to be tested and provide a copy of a negative COVID-19 test result and be symptoms free before being permitted to return to school.

Students who do not undertake a COVID-19 test result will not be permitted to return to school for a 10 day period. Additionally, they must be symptom free for at least 3 days prior to returning to school.

Students who have seasonal allergic rhinitis or another condition that presents similarly to flu-like symptoms are still required to get tested for COVID-19 and return a negative test result. Where their symptoms continue beyond 10 days, students should provide documentation from their GP confirming their symptoms are typical for their condition. If the student develops new or changed symptoms, they should get tested for COVID-19. More information can be found on the NSW Health websiteExternal link.

COVID-19 testing for students with complex health or disability may be challenging. In these situations, schools will ask the parent/carer to have their child assessed by their medical practitioner. Where a medical practitioner determines that a COVID-19 test is not required, documentation must be provided to the school to confirm that the student does not have symptoms that warrant a COVID-19 test. The certificate must also indicate that the student is able to return to school.

Schools are not required to conduct widespread temperature screening or mandate the wearing of a mask.

All schools will be vigilant when implementing infection control, physical distancing and personal hygiene protocols to protect the health and safety of students and staff. Schools will promote the need to follow good hygiene practices such as:

• regularly washing hands

• avoiding sharing drinks or food

• coughing or sneezing into your elbow, or a tissue which should be discarded immediately

• filling water bottles from bubblers rather than using the bubbler directly.

COVID-19 LATEST NEWS

Please review the attached link regularly for updates on Covid-19 cases in NSW. Please ensure isolation requirements are followed if you have visited any identified locations. https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/latest-news-and-updates#latest-covid-19-case-locations-in-nsw