by mindarieps | Mar 26, 2020 | | COVID, Latest news
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Critical Update
The Premier of Western Australia and the Minister of Education of Western Australia today announced the following:
From Monday 30 March (Week 9), schools will remain open. However, we encourage all families to keep your children at home. The school will remain open for children of parents or guardians who are essential service workers or who do not have alternative care arrangements. Please keep up to date with the programs that have been added to the Mindarie Primary School ‘Learning‘ page on our website.
From Monday 6 April (Week 10), schools will officially close and teachers will cease teaching. The Minster of Education has advised schools to provide childcare, if needed, to children of parents or guardians who are essential service workers or who do not have alternative care arrangements. This will not be teaching time. They will be supervised by Education Assistants, under the direction of Teaching Staff. This care will cease at 2:45pm on Thursday 9 April.
During Week 10, the Minister of Education has advised us that staff are to be preparing a plan for our distance learning model for Term 2 and beyond. What this looks like at this point in time, is still in planning.
Moving forward, I acknowledge that this a scary and difficult time. We are all in this together. Thank you.
Thank you for your dedication to our students. Thank you for the compassion that you have shown to our teachers, our administrators, support staff and office staff.
School Drop Off and Pick Up – Essential Students Only
Thank you for managing this mornings transition to a social distance model of drop off. I will leave this in todays update for reference.
- All school gates will be now opened at 8:25am and locked at 8:45am.
- No parents will be permitted to enter school grounds to drop off or pick up students.
- Children will be met at all school gates by a staff member and asked to go to their classes.
- Kindy and PP students are to enter and exit via the stairs near the basketball courts where they will be met by teachers who will take children to classes.
- Parents/ Caregivers of students in other year levels are to arrange with their child the specific gate that they are to enter and exit – reinforce this when you drop off your children.
- Please allow safe social distancing of 1.5m while you are dropping off and picking up.
iMaths Books & School Photos
- iMaths books belonging to students who are not returning to school will be left on tables outside the front office in year groups. Please come and collect at any time between 9:00am and 2:00pm daily. Please practice good social distancing during this time.
Library Books/ Home Readers
- Please return these to the boxes outside the front office gates.
Other Updates on COVID-19 for Today:
Emergency SMS System
Yesterday, we sent out an SMS from the school servers. These messages will be sent in critical update situations.
Distance Learning at Mindarie Primary School
We know that families are in the process of setting up learning spaces for children at home – its going to be a journey for you all!
What we have learned over the last few years is that students love the flexible learning opportunities that we provide at school. This means that it could look very different from family to family, and very different from when we were all at school. Share your learning environments with us at school and we will update our Learning Page with pictures of these spaces.
Kind regards,
Barbara Bromley
Principal
March 26 2020
by mindarieps | Mar 25, 2020 | | COVID, Latest news
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Critical Update
We are in a difficult position. As a school, we understand our responsibility on society with regard to the continued education of the children. We also have a significant responsibility on the care, safety, health and well-being of our staff and their families.
In line with State and Federal Social Distancing Recommendations, we have implemented new procedures:
Major Adjustments to School Drop Off and Pick Up
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All school gates will be now opened at 8:25am and locked at 8:45am.
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No parents will be permitted to enter school grounds to drop off or pick up students.
-
Children will be met at all school gates by a staff member and asked to go to their classes.
-
Kindy and PP students are to enter and exit via the stairs near the basketball courts where they will be met by teachers who will take children to classes.
-
Parents/ Caregivers of students in other year levels are to arrange with their child the specific gate that they are to enter and exit – reinforce this when you drop off your children.
-
Please allow safe social distancing of 1.5m while you are dropping off and picking up.
Front Administration/Office Procedures
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All members of community to utilise all other forms of communication, that is email, phone and school website in order to limit the number of visitors to the front office.
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The main gate will be shut, but not locked. If it is essential, you may enter to the office. If you must enter the front office, please abide by the social distancing laws.
iMaths Books
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All iMaths books belonging to students who are remaining at home and have NOT been collected, will be left on a table outside the front office in year groups. This will start tomorrow, Thursday the 26th of March. Please come and collect after school between 3:00 and 3:30pm daily.
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All iMaths books for students still attending at school will be sent home every day. Please bring it back each day your child returns to school.
Library Books/ Home Readers
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Please return these to the boxes outside the front office gates.
Other Updates on COVID-19 for Today:
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Thank you for your efforts with regard to informing the school office that your children are not attending. I need to reiterate that if you are ‘Self-Isolating’ your children, that you abide by the rules of ‘Self-Isolation’ and Social Distancing. Seeing the children out and about, at the shops and in groups outside of school, is disheartening. If you are yet to make the Self-Isolation decision, please advise us of this absence in advance and we can process this until the end of the term. Please do this via the school website: https://mindarieprimary.wa.edu.au/absentee-notification
- Where possible, students are to walk to school independently or be dropped off by car. As there are 50% less students here right now, the morning commute to school is much easier! We ask that students do not ride bikes or scooters. This is to reduce the number of children who need to enter a shared area, and reduce gathering at the bike racks at the beginning and end of the day.
Distance Learning at Mindarie Primary School
We are working very hard in this arena. Please see the update below for information.
Attendance
It is imperative that parents and guardians inform the school if you are not sending children to school. On top of our already increased workload, our office staff have spent countless hours contacting parents to confirm the whereabouts of your children.
Please keep sick children who are genuinely sick at home. Children with bad coughs, sore throats, sneezing and so forth. This will reduce the work load and stress levels of all at school. Please advise the school office via email, Connect or the absentee notification link.
https://mindarieprimary.wa.edu.au/absentee-notification/
Thank you in advance for your support. If you wish to discuss any of the above, please phone the school. Please be assured that we will provide you with updates as we are provided with them.
Kind regards,
Barbara Bromley
Principal
March 25 2020
by mindarieps | Mar 24, 2020 | | COVID, Latest news
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Our updates on COVID-19 for today:
- I can not urge you enough – inform the school if your child is going to be absent. The office spent two hours today, chasing up on the whereabouts of your children. We totally support your decision to keep your children at home. Please respect our office staff and school by letting us know your intentions. If you have made the important and difficult decision to keep your children at home, this is reasonable according to the attendance policy. However, there are strict guidelines that surround this. They are not to be coming and going from school. That is to say, at home on a Monday for ‘Self-Isolation’ and then back at school on Tuesday. We support your decision and can extend their absence in advance until further notice or the end of the term. Please do this via the school website: https://mindarieprimary.wa.edu.au/absentee-notification/
- Please don’t plan to pick children up throughout the school day to ‘Self-Isolate’. This is another cause of contention among students, some of whom have been getting upset when their classmates leave.
- Teachers at Department of Education schools have been instructed by the Director General of Education to focus on the students who are at school and classroom learning. We as a school went above and beyond this direction to provide a localised work package to support our kids with their immediate learning. We are currently working with the Department of Education as to what remote learning will be supported by the Department. We are very aware that our families across our school have varied access to technology and we need to be mindful of this to ensure equity for all students across our school and Western Australia. As we know more, we will release more on this matter. Please do not ask your child’s classroom teacher for any extra work.
- When arranging to collect iMaths books for distance learning, please do so before, or after school. Please keep your visit to the classroom to a minimum.
- Friday the 27th of March will be the last day for Lunch Orders through the P&C.
- Sports equipment will now be set into Year level groups. The equipment will be washed thoroughly by the school at the end of each lunch session.
- We have had to make the very difficult decision to stop the dogs coming to school until such time as we can revert to the front door being closed, this is to ensure the safety of the dogs.
- Senior Choir has been postponed until further notice.
Students Before and After School
Thank you for your support so far regarding this.
Students are not to arrive at school before 8:15am.
Children are to be picked up at 2.45pm unless attending before / after school care. This is a matter of safety and security.
Attendance
It is imperative that parents and guardians inform the school if you are not sending children to school. On top of our already increased workload, our office staff have spent countless hours contacting parents to confirm the whereabouts of your children.
Please keep sick children who are genuinely sick at home. Children with bad coughs, sore throats, sneezing and so forth. This will reduce the work load and stress levels of all at school. Please advise the school office via email, Connect or the absentee notification link.
https://mindarieprimary.wa.edu.au/absentee-notification/
Thank you in advance for your support. If you wish to discuss any of the above, please phone the school. Please be assured that we will provide you with updates as we are provided with them.
Kind regards,
Barbara Bromley
Principal
March 24 2020
by mindarieps | Mar 23, 2020 | | COVID, Latest news, School News
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Our updates on Covid-19 for today:
- Our school library is now closed. All books currently on loan from the library must be returned to classrooms immediately and no borrowing will occur until further notice.
- The hand dryers in toilet blocks will be turned off. Paper towel and rubbish bins have been supplied in all toilets.
- All our staff, front office, teaching and administration are receiving countless emails regarding attendance. Thank you for taking the time to let us know of your decision to keep your children home. These are being read, however please appreciate that these may not be replied to.
- It is imperative that parents and guardians inform the school if you are not sending children to school. On top of our already increased workload, our office staff have spent countless hours today contacting parents to confirm the whereabouts of your children.
- Today, the Western Australian Department of Education have launched a Learning at Home website for parents wishing to keep their children at home. Please follow this link: https://www.education.wa.edu.au/learning-at-home
- In addition to these resources, as a school we have released a learning at home pack, also on our school website. Aside from your child’s iMaths workbook, no other learning packages will be provided to parents of students absent from school. Please appreciate that the focus for our teachers is on classroom learning. https://mindarieprimary.wa.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Working-from-Home-Package.pdf
Outside of School Hours
Students are not to arrive at school before 8:15am unless attending Senior Choir.
Children are to be picked up at 2.45pm unless attending before / after school care. This is a matter of safety and security.
NAPLAN
On Friday the 20th March, we received confirmation from The Schools Curriculum and Standards Authority that NAPLAN has been cancelled this year. I thank you for all of the work that you have already done with your children with regards to this, so far this year.
Attendance
It is imperative that parents and guardians inform the school if you are not sending children to school. On top of our already increased workload, our office staff have spent countless hours contacting parents to confirm the whereabouts of your children.
Please keep sick children who are genuinely sick at home. Children with bad coughs, sore throats, sneezing and so forth. This will reduce the work load and stress levels of all at school. Please advise the school office via email, Connect or the absentee notification link.
https://mindarieprimary.wa.edu.au/absentee-notification/
Thank you in advance for your support. If you wish to discuss any of the above, please phone the school. Please be assured that we will provide you with updates as we are provided with them.
Kind regards,
Barbara Bromley
Principal
March 23 2020
by mindarieps | Mar 20, 2020 | | COVID, Latest news, School News
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
It is amazing how the school community has rallied together this week to support each other though the unknown. Please ensure that you familiarise yourself with today’s communication.
School Office Hours and Communication
As you would be aware, there is a massive shortage of sanitizing products available due to hoarding within the community. If you are able to donate any hand sanitiser, bacterial wipes or liquid hand soap, please drop them off at the front office. This would be much appreciated.
Parent Contact Details
Please ensure that we have your correct contact details. If these have changed, please ensure that you complete the Update to Contact Details note that was sent home a few weeks ago, or, you may respond to this email with updated contact numbers and contact information.
Birthday Celebrations
Food prepared at home will not be distributed at school. We encourage you to send wrapped confectionary treats, such as Freddo Frogs, for any birthday celebrations that may be occurring.
Outside of School Hours
Students are not to arrive at school before 8:15am unless attending Senior Choir.
Children are to be picked up at 2.45pm unless attending before / after school care. This is a matter of safety and security.
Information from North Metropolitan Education Regional Office
Parents Registering for Home Education
In the current circumstances, it is timely to remind schools (and parents) about the formalities related to Home Education.
The three key messages are:
- Home education is a minimum 12-month commitment/program/cycle.
- Parents/carers need to formally register with the Department’s Regional Office in order to home educate their children. The parent then formally becomes a registered Home Educator.
- Once a parent/carer goes through the process of applying and being registered as a Home Educator their child(ren) is now longer enrolled at school. There is a formal transfer note.
For parents, when registering as the home educator for your child, it is vitally important to note the following key aspects of your role:
- You are taking on the full responsibility for your child’s education including the planning, implementation, supervision and resourcing of the education program.
- No work packs or programs are provided.
It is your responsibility to ensure your program is evaluated as per the requirements by
- Contacting your home education moderator to schedule a timely evaluation meeting
- Providing evidence of your child’s education program and educational progress (in accordance with WA Curriculum & Assessment Outline) at that meeting.
You are choosing to withdraw your child from a current school enrolment, which includes most supports available under the public school system. No formal accreditation of learning is available for home educated students. The role of the Department of Education is limited to:
- Providing the home education registration
- Providing a home education moderator to carry out a mandatory evaluation meeting within the first 12 weeks of registration, and then at least one successful evaluation every 12 months, to confirm ongoing registration.
Attendance
Today, we had 163 students who were not at school. Whilst a large proportion of those who were not at school were legitimately sick, we did not hear from a large number of families.
As directed by the Department of Education, students whose parents have chosen to keep them home, without seeking medical advice, will not be provided curriculum work and activities. The priority for staff is to maintain focus on classroom learning programs. In the event of a temporary school closure, further advice will be provided.
If you are self-isolating due to acknowledged and identified risk factors by the Department of Health, or any family members who have been directed by the Health Department to self-isolate, please keep your child off and advise the school office via email, Connect or the absentee notification link.
Please keep sick children who are genuinely sick at home. Children with bad coughs, sore throats, sneezing and so forth. This will reduce the work load and stress levels of all at school. Please advise the school office via email, Connect or the absentee notification link.
https://mindarieprimary.wa.edu.au/absentee-notification/
Thank you in advance for your support. If you wish to discuss any of the above, please phone the school. Please be assured that we will provide you with updates as we are provided with them.
Kind regards
Barbara Bromley
Principal
March 20 2020
by mindarieps | Mar 19, 2020 | | COVID, Latest news, School News
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Please take the time to update yourself with the following information with regard to COVID-19 Virus.
School Office Hours and Communication
Our reception office hours are from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm. If you wish to notify absences, please do so via our school email: [email protected] or via the absent student notification link on our website.
https://mindarieprimary.wa.edu.au/absentee-notification/
Work for Students Who Are Absent
Please be advised that students can do the following if they are not attending school:
- Reading Eggs (K-3)
- Reading Eggspress (4-6)
- Matific (PP – 6)
- Literacy Pro (3 – 6)
- Daily reading at home
- Keep a daily journal
- Mindfulness using Smiling Minds
- Daily fitness
Library Books
As per Australian Literacy Educators Association, all Library books are being quarantined for one week from when they are returned. Home reading books in Pre-Primary to Year 3 will no longer be distributed to students. Please continue to read books available online through the Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress platforms.
Uniform Shop
To reduce the amount of money handling and to promote social distancing, the uniform shop at Mindarie Primary School is now closed for face to face transactions until further notice. Parents may still purchase uniforms online through https://quickcliq.com.au/ and uniforms will be delivered to the school office for collection.
Outside of School Hours
Students are not to arrive at school before 8:15am unless attending Senior Choir.
Children are to be picked up at 2.45pm unless attending before / after school care. This is a matter of safety and security.
Children are not permitted to play on any of the school play equipment before and after school. This is a current procedure and will now be reinforced by staff through a daily reminder on the PA at 2:50pm.
Healthy Habits
Staff have been asked to remind students of ongoing Healthy Habits, including the following updated adjustments;
- All caregivers are to drop students at the classroom doors and not come into the classrooms. We truly appreciate the response to the implementation of this action today.
- The segregation of play areas will change for next week.
- At the beginning of Friday Sports there will be no initial meetings prior to the students going to sports. Teachers will group students and just take them to the sports area designated to them.
- Junior choir will be split in two and taken in the undercover area.
- Senior choir taken in the undercover area.
- Crown rehearsal will be taken in the undercover area.
- Achievement certificates will still be given each fortnight. These will be read out on Thursday, over the PA. A photo of all of the recipients will be included in the newsletter, therefore, publicly celebrating student’s achievement.
School Events and Operation
Postponed
The following events have been postponed, a new date will be set when we have more information. If you have paid, you may contact the school for a refund.
- Zoo Excursion
- Ninja Warrior
- Fathering Project Camp Out
- Mindarie Primary School P&C AGM
- Friday Playgroup
- School Student Banking
Cancelled
The following events have been cancelled, a new date will not be set.
- Boys Cricket Cup
- Summer Sports Carnival
- Easter Bonnet Parade
- Girls Glory Cup
- Wednesday Icy Poles
- All School Assemblies
Attendance
Today, we had 143 students who were not at school. Whilst a large proportion of those who were not at school were legitimately sick, we did not hear from a large number of families.
As directed by the Department of Education, students whose parents have chosen to keep them home, without seeking medical advice, will not be provided curriculum work and activities. The priority for staff is to maintain focus on classroom learning programs. In the event of a temporary school closure, further advice will be provided.
If you are self-isolating due to acknowledged and identified risk factors by the Department of Health, or any family members who have been directed by the Health Department to self-isolate, please keep your child off and advise the school office via email, Connect or the absentee notification link.
Please keep sick children who are genuinely sick at home. Children with bad coughs, sore throats, sneezing and so forth. This will reduce the work load and stress levels of all at school. Please advise the school office via email, Connect or the absentee notification link.
https://mindarieprimary.wa.edu.au/absentee-notification/
Thank you in advance for your support. If you wish to discuss any of the above, please phone the school. Please be assured that we will provide you with updates as we are provided with them.
Kind regards
Barbara Bromley
Principal
March 19 2020COVID
