We thank all families for their continued efforts & support during remote &  flexible learning. We know that everyone is doing their best during these difficult times. We encourage students & parents to stay connected with the school and to continue to persevere with the learning programs.

The teachers are working exceptionally hard to ensure that our students have access to the curriculum and ongoing learning activities. They are also being extremely diligent in supporting families where student engagement levels are faltering. Students are expected to engage regularly in their Google Classroom, this includes submitting finished work and communicating with their teacher. If children are not submitting any work or responding to communication you will receive a phone call or email from the teacher to let you know of their concerns. If your child is experiencing any difficulty either accessing the learning, submitting work or lacking motivation, it is important that you contact the classroom teacher to let them know. This can be done either directly via an assignment on Google Classroom (private message to the teacher) or you can call the office and leave a message for the teacher to call you back.

Students are required to check in daily via a ‘good morning’ post in their Google Classroom, we use this to mark our rolls so we know your child is participating in learning for the day. If your child does not do this they will be marked absent. If your child is ill and will not be participating for the day it is important that you mark them as absent via Compass, as you would normally.

Where it is noticed that a student has a high number of absences or is not engaging in the daily learning teachers and leadership will be required to follow up.

We remind parents that the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) states that it is the duty of parents to enrol a child of not less than 6 nor more than 17 years of age in a registered school and ensure that the child attends school at all times when the school is open for instruction. This includes both remote and on-site instruction. As a school, we have a duty of care to monitor and act on this.

If you are experiencing difficulty in supporting your child with the remote learning environment, please contact your classroom teacher or the school to discuss how we can best assist you and your child.

See Tips for Parents further along in this eNews

Preps 100 Days of School

This week our Preps, who have had the most unique and unusual start to school life celebrated their first ‘100 Days Of School’. Thank you to the many parents and children who joined in on the zoom call and completed the various activities to celebrate this special milestone which is a tradition at our school. It was certainly great to see the Preps connecting with their peers and teachers. We look forward to the day when we celebrate ‘100 Days At School’

Thank you to Miss Skinner and Mrs Attard for ensuring that this special occasion was able to be recognised.

On-site Attendance

We thank families who are doing the right thing to minimise community interaction by providing supervision in the home during the remote learning period.

We also remind parents that to be eligible for on-site supervision, you must meet one of the criteria. Parents who are permitted workers need to forward to the school a legitimate copy of their worker permit.

If ALL ADULTS  supervising your children meet the definition of “permitted worker” as published by the DHHS and ARE NOT WORKING FROM HOME your child/ren will meet the eligibility criteria for on-site attendance.

• children whose parents are permitted workers and no supervision is available in the home

• vulnerable children in out of home care, children known to child protection and other agencies and children the school identifies as vulnerable
• children with a disability who also fit one of the above two categories.

We thank the many parents who have provided copies of their worker permit forms for our records.

Please note as stated by DHHS penalties may apply if  ‘Completing this document with false or misleading information may cause you to be in breach of the Permitted Worker Permit Scheme Directions and liable to penalties up to $19,826.40 (individuals) and $99,132 (bodies corporate)’

We understand that many parents and teachers in our school are having to work from home and provide supervision for their children. It is not looked upon favourably when people flout the rules and compromise the health and safety of other families. We appreciate that the juggle of working from home and supervising learning is difficult and we have arranged our learning program to support flexibility in the home. We are sure that employers are also aware of this challenge.

Parents, carers and teachers, together with the children, need to work in partnership to ensure successful remote learning experiences. Some tips to consider:

Follow the learning schedule but build a plan that works for your child and family, adapting time  and gradually building the learning stamina of your child.

Remember, the key is flexible learning, especially as all children learn differently. Allow your child to pace themselves according to their need. Ensure that you allow for break times and fresh air.

Be ready to adapt and adjust where needed. Changes to the day might mean that you need to modify a task because of the way it’s presented or submitted, or you may just need to modify the timing to complete it.

Don’t stockpile unfinished work. It’s important to complete and submit work, but don’t get bogged down in a backlog of unfinished tasks. This just causes stress for everyone. Keep moving forward.

Focus on the important and build up slowly. Try to encourage a Literacy and Numeracy task each day. If something is challenging, look at it a different way or take a mental break and come back to it.

Focus on the things your child loves. If they are really motivated and engaged in a task, roll with it. Show interest and encouragement as you go, asking probing questions to foster deeper thinking.

Connect with the teacher and peers. Interaction with others is important for social and emotional wellbeing.

Ask for help. Your child’s teacher is always willing and able to assist with and support your child’s learning needs.

Try and balance between technology, hands on and written tasks. We all need to be mindful of online fatigue.

And remember……everyone is doing the best that they can!

Stay positive, healthy and safe!

Further information for parents can be found in the links below.

https://www.triplep-parenting.net.au/vic-uken/triple-p/

• Looking after your child’s wellbeing
• Looking after your child’s mental health
• Keeping your child active and eating healthy
• Being safe online  
• Taking care of yourself

Hi to everyone in the SWPS community,

I hope everyone is well as we move through the current Stage 4 lockdown period.

I would like to pass on yet another big, and ongoing, thanks to all school staff for their fantastic work in supporting students and their families during the current learning from home model. I also can’t forget the newest teachers amongst our community, our parents managing both work and home schooling!

I have been working from home for a few months now and really appreciate the extra time I have been able to have with my children – hopefully our families have also been able to enjoy the positives of spending more time at home with family.

School Council is continuing with our monthly meetings via Zoom and we will continue to update our school community as needed over the remainder of 2020. Hopefully in the weeks and/or months to come we will see changes to the restrictions currently in place so both students and staff can return to SWPS.

Stay safe everyone.

Best wishes,

James King

SWPS School Council President

The Preps had activities for the day set around the number 100 and made 100 days smarter crowns. They had a special Zoom meeting sharing what they had learnt in the 100 days. Thanks to all the parents who helped us to celebrate this significant milestone.

This term the Preps have been learning how to write procedural texts. They have successfully included a title, materials, steps and pictures to match their instructions. We have learnt how to do some very interesting things!

In STEM, the P-2's will be looking at mixtures this term! We created front covers in our enrichment books with our unit title 'All Mixed Up' and pictures to match. We are very excited for this topic! Here is some of their awesome work. 

Our focus in literacy is reading and writing persuasive texts. We are exploring opinions, reasons and evidence and practising  recognising and using high modality and emotive words. Our 3/4s are such good writers they persuaded their families to have what THEY wanted for dinner!!

Who will we persuade next? Have a look at some awesome writing from the 3/4s.

Mr Payton, Miss Williams & Mrs Langman

Year 3/4 are exploring trees, and eucalypts in particular as part of their study in Biological Science- the study of living things. We have compared trees, classified trees as eucalypts and investigated the life cycle of the gum tree. This week we are finding out about Koalas – are they a friend or foe of the gum tree?!

I have been so impressed with the interest of the 3/4s, I am receiving photos of beautiful gum trees and some great work is being handed in! It seems 3/4s are enjoying the opportunity to be outside for their STEM learning and noticing the beautiful trees they have in their backyard and neighbourhood

Mrs Langman

3/4 STEM

In Week 4 we tried to make 2D drawings look 3D using a technique where we drew straight lines to the edge of the item then curved the line inside the 2D drawing. We had to make sure we used a pattern of colours to create a cool effect! 

The students were asked to invent a new technology that would make their own or someone else’s life easier. We were very impressed with the creative and amazing inventions our students created. I don’t know about you, but I would pay $500 for a  “Mechanical Pooper Scooper”!

Please note: If you know of any potential enrolments, please ask families to contact the school as soon as possible so we can accurately plan for next year.

In 2021 Sunbury West celebrates its 50th birthday. Although this seems like a while away, we are already in the initial planning stages for this.