It was great to see our students return to school on Friday, catching up with teachers and friends ahead of a long weekend with some restrictions lifted.

Again we thank you for supporting your children and our school this past fortnight. The wellbeing of all our students is our priority and our school staff and teachers are here to support you and your family. 

A reminder that if you, your child, or a family member develops symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested at a COVID-19 testing facility and stay home.  Each family should regularly check the list of public exposure sites in Victoria (where a person with COVID-19 has attended), and if anyone in the family has attended a site at the times listed, follow the instructions given. 

We are required to limit the number of visitors to the school so respectfully ask that parents minimise time spent on-site in the morning and especially after school. Parents are asked not to enter the classroom buildings at this time.

Adults and children over the age of 12 are required to wear masks at all times when on school premises.

Car Parks / Exit Gates

I am continuing to receive complaints from parents and staff regarding parents, grandparents and carers who continue to disregard our rules about the use of car parks and car park exits.

Student safety is of paramount importance to us and it is therefore the reason that we do not allow students to enter or leave via car park gates, even in the company of an adult. Unfortunately what happens is that children see others using the gates and copy the behaviour.

Parents and carers are also not permitted to use any of our car parks during drop off and pick up times. We work extremely hard to ensure that OH&S standards are met and that student safety is not compromised. We model these expectations daily and ask that parents do the same, reinforcing the importance of abiding by rules.

We also remind families not to park illegally eg out the front of the school between 8am – 4pm

Thank you for your cooperation.

Welcome back from remote learning,

It appears that I spoke too soon in the last newsletter, and we have now experienced a lockdown with remote learning  in Term 1 and Term 2.

While the teachers do a great job with the Zoom calls and the activities through the lockdown, I agree that it is great to be back to onsite learning.

As we emerge from this latest lockdown, I hope all parents, guardians and carers can breathe a small sigh of relief as we again, try and return to a routine that we are content with.

These times can be hard for some people, and I would ask you to reach out to your communities and ask for help if you need it, or help others where you can.

Don’t forget that school council still has a couple of spaces vacant, so if you are interested in joining school council, please see the front office for more information. School council meetings are held once each month on Wednesday at 6:30 – 8pm.

We also have our 50^th Anniversary Celebration Dinner approaching, which is sure to be a great night. If you haven’t organised a table or got your tickets yet, please read on for further details or contact the office if you have any questions.

Until next time, stay safe.

Darren Watt

Despite remote learning, the Preps continue to work hard! 

Well done Year 3/4  on all your fabulous work in Remote Learning! We are however SO happy to see you back at school!

We are exploring our Who Makes the Rules? In our Inquiry unit this term. We have discussed what makes a great leader and the rights and responsibilities of a good citizen are. Have a look at some of our work! It was fabulous so see how many students included the Sunbury West values of We Respect. We Strive. We Belong. in their descriptions.

The 5/6’s focus in maths has been on shape. Continuing with our work about quadrilaterals, we are now focusing on symmetry. Students have defined what makes something symmetrical and asymmetrical and talked about lines of symmetry in different polygons.

During remote learning Year 5/6 students were asked to create a digital artwork and boy were we impressed! There was a variety of programs and apps used to generate an amazing assortment of art that showcased the creativity our students have. I’ll let the work speak for itself!

Enjoy.

This term the Grade Prep, 1 and 2’s are learning about drama through puppets.

After the visit to the MSO and making their own puppets in Visual Arts the students made up their own little plays and performed them for each other.

When children participate in regular physical activity, it boosts their physical and mental health and improves academic performance.

Physical activity throughout the day also improves concentration, and the ability to retain information and solve problems.

There are many benefits to being active and getting your move on, but a lot of children aren’t moving enough, particularly while learning from home.

15 minutes 4 times a day is all it takes.

To help support your children to stay active while learning from home, families can access a range of free COVIDSafe ideas to stay active and games  through Get Active Victoria.

Families should remember that whatever gets children moving, gets them active.