Tacoma Public School

Hillcrest Ave, Tacoma

Hillcrest Avenue, Tacoma

Ph: 02 4353 1154

E: Tacoma-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Www.tacoma-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Dates to remember: 26 March—7 April Dental Program 27 March Sydney North Swimming—Cancelled 2 April School Cross Country Carnival—Cancelled 9 April Easter Hat Parade—Cancelled Last Day of Term 1 28 April Student’s return ANZAC Ceremony –TBA 8 May Mothers Day Breakfast—TBA 20, 21, 25 May Life Education 26 May National Sorry Day 1-5 June Reconciliation Week 11 August School Athletics Carnival—TBA

Term Dates

Term 1 2020 29 Jan-9 Apr

Term 2 2020 28 Apr-3 Jul

Term 3 2020 21 July-25 Sept

Dear Parents and Carer,

Our newsletter is aiming to keep you informed with the latest infor-

mation released by the Australian Government and the NSW De-

partment of Education concerning COVID-19. We are implementing

proactive measures to limit the impact of the virus in our schools.

Information and advice is changing quickly. Please check the date

and time on any communication so that you know you have the lat-

est information.

As a school community it is important that we respond calmly to

that advice. Please be supportive of staff and other families as we

navigate this situation.

Currently we have no reported confirmed cases within our school

community. At this point, classes will continue as normal at Tacoma.

All NSW schools will be adopting ‘social distancing’ measures and

required to cancel any assemblies, excursions, whole school events,

PSSA events and staff conferences. These actions are precautionary

and designed to reduce exposure via non-essential gatherings.

At this stage (being a smaller school) our day-to-day activities will

have MINIMAL changes. We will be assessing this, in line with NSW

Health and NSW Department of Education guidelines, on a daily

basis. The safety of our students and staff is our number one con-

cern.

WE ASK ALL OUR PARENTS AND FAMILIES TO HELP US WITH THE

FOLLOWING:

WHEN TO STAY HOME - If your child is suffering from illness or

respiratory symptoms (sore throat, cough, congested nose, low

grade fever, shortness of breath), please keep them home until they

are well. Staff members have been asked to follow the same advice.

For clarity, this could include having any symptom, including only

one symptom. We will be sending students home with any of these

16 March 2020

symptoms. Call your doctor or Healthdirect on 1800 022 222 for advice and let the school know. This absence will not affect

their attendance record.

WHEN TO SELF-ISOLATE - If you or your children have a potential exposure to COVID-19. That is, you or family members have

travelled to at-risk destinations, or have contact with someone who has. Or, you or family members have had close contact to

someone who has a confirmed case of COVID-19. Please let us know in any of these cases. If you think your child needs to be

absent from school as a precautionary self-imposed quarantine, please let us know and we will do everything we can to sup-

port their education during that time.

ARRIVAL AT SCHOOL – If possible, please drop your child at school as close to 9am as possible. From today, classes will be

lining up outside their classrooms, excepting Gundang, Waagir and Murgu who will stay in the COLA for lines. We are trying to

ensure the whole school is not together at one time. Late notes will still be needed after 9am. There will be a teacher on duty

from 8.30am.

DRINK BOTTLES – Please provide a labelled drink bottle for your child to use during the day. Refills are available from our wa-

ter station.

KEEP UPDATED - Download the School Stream App and turn on notifications. This will allow you to receive urgent infor-

mation from the school, if necessary. The app is available in Apple and Android versions and can be downloaded for free

by searching “School Stream” and then open the app and search for “Tacoma Public School”. The school website will post

updates from the Department.

HANDWASHING AT HOME - In accordance with current advice, please reinforce handwashing and hygiene procedures at

home. Washing hands with soap and water regularly and for 20 seconds is one of the best ways we can stop the spread of the

virus.

SPEAK TO YOUR CHILD – regarding the school soap in the toilets at school. One of our BIG issues is that a small number of

students enjoy pumping all of the soap out of the dispensers so then there is none for other students.

PERSONAL HAND SANITISER – Please DO NOT send personal sanitiser/disinfectant products to school with your child (some

of these contain alcohol or chemicals that can be a hazard at school).

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL - If you have international travel planned in the coming months, including the April school holi-

days, please let us know when and where you are travelling (including in transit).

WHAT WE ARE DOING AT SCHOOL:

We are taking the following steps to continue to promote good hygiene and social distancing:

Reinforcing handwashing/good hygiene procedures through lessons and signage across the school.

Providing soap in all classrooms and bathrooms and encouraging all students to use this throughout the day (including before and after breaks).

Students will be encouraged to cough or sneeze into their elbows or a tissue.

Students will be asked to avoid contact with other students. No handshakes.

Making modifications to our school day to ensure no whole school activities occur. This includes some classes eating lunch and recess on the verandah and some in the COLA, and lining up at classrooms after breaks.

Actively monitoring and responding to the advice we are receiving regarding COVID-19 and communicating to the par-ent community as early as possible.

Following Department of Education advice, assemblies will not occur, PSSA sport (including Sydney North swimming carnival/rugby league), the school Cross Country and Easter Hat Parade are cancelled.

Term 2 activities/events will be considered later in the term.

We will be contacting you to pick up your child if they present with ONE or MORE of these symptoms: sore throat, cough, congested nose, low grade fever, shortness of breath.

If you have any concerns or questions please contact our school office on 4353 1154 or email tacoma-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

I thank you for your support of our decisions as we navigate this on-going situation.

Have a safe and healthy fortnight, Tacoma.

Nicole Heazlewood

Principal

Maddison, Malakkai, Samuel,

Jed, Ivy, Elijah, Seth, Liam,

Selena, Madeleine, Edward,

Kyah & Charli.

ZONE SWIMMING CARNIVAL:

Congratulations to all of our amazing Zone Swimming competitors. Ribbons will be handed out to the students over the com-ing weeks.

SEEN IN THE OFFICE:

Amazing things happen at Tacoma every day! Congratulations to the follow-

ing students for wonderful work. Lucas, Paige, Mia, Chantelle from Gulang

and Riley from Garawa. Bamayi were absolutely beautiful when I had their

class last week for an afternoon. What an independent class of engaged

workers. Thank you for looking after me, Bamayi!

Murgu—Paige, Abigail, Conner

Gundang—Madison, Oshini, India

Garawa—Lincon, Renata, Sophie

Badhu—Hannah, Diesel, Jessie

Balba—Ben, Summer, Riley

Principal Award

Sam Wishart

Merit Awards

Gulang—Isabella, William, Parkar

Banal—Laura, Charlotte, Aubree

Bamayi—Nethuni, Zak, Malakkai

Waagir—Jack, Ryan, George