No 11. Term 2 Week 5 - May 14, 2020

Principal's News

Hello everone,

Thank you for the amazing job you are doing as you support your children's learning at home. I am so proud of each and every member of our community for going above and beyond in the approach you are all taking.

Thank you  to all the parents who have sent in positive messages to our staff and myself on the level of support our school is providing. This expression of gratitude is so appreciated in this time where staff are giving their absolute all to ensure every student and family feels supported and connected. Being grateful for your family and friends who we can begin to reconnect with; grateful for the terrific position our country finds itself in with low active case numbers; grateful to know there is a plan to bring us back to school; grateful for our own health and wellbeing, are so important at this time.

It is true that when you consider how different things could have been, right now we actually find ourselves in the best possible circumstance we could have hoped for. Yes, there is some way to go yet before the virus no longer poses a threat to our community but with gratitude, hope, courage, trust and faith at our side, I know we will come out the other side an even stronger, more connected and a dynamic community and that makes the challenges behind us and ahead of us all worth it. Hang in there.

Jason Micallef 
Principal 

We are coming back to school!

That's right! The plan for Victorian schools to see children and staff return has been laid out by the Victorian Premier, Dan Andrews and we are beyond excited to be able to welcome everyone back on board as a whole school by Tuesday June 9.

The return to school will be phased in over two stages:

• Prep and Year 1/2 will return to school on Tuesday May 26
• Year 3-6 will return to school on Tuesday June 9

It is important to note:

• The remote learning program will continue for all students until their year level returns to school.
• Monday May 25 is a planning day for staff. There will be no remote learning on this day.
• Students in year 3-6 should still remain at home or in the care of an appropriate adult wherever possible until June 9, EVEN if they have younger siblings attending school.
• Once the students are due to return back to school, all students will be expected to attend. After the return date, teachers cannot provide home learning tasks and activities for families who choose to keep their children at home.
• Further information about how we need to work together to protect students' and staff health will be communicated next week.

"Where is Mr M?" Challenge

Congratualtions to Prep KK and 1/2 SC who were first to solve the riddle of 'Where is Mr M?' in their levels! In both cases, Mr M was ON THE COUCH. So far nobody has managed to guess where Mr Micallef is in the year 3/4 or 5/6 riddle but there is still time. Year 3-6's need to keep tuning into their Google Meets each Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday to see if they can figure it out. Who will be first ?

2021 Enrolments

A reminder to all parents that enrolments for 2021 are now open.  

Please put the word out among your friends, family and neighbours with pre-schoolers. We are currently taking enrolments for our Prep class 2021. Enrolment forms can be downloaded from our website. We are able to conduct school tours at present but only on a very limited capacity. 

Thank you to those families that have either handed in or emailed through their enrolment forms  to Trish.  If you are still yet to do this, please download the application. Once completed, please email the completed form with all required documents to tcale@skhamptonpark.catholic.edu.au.

In-school Supervision

We are so grateful to those families who are ensuring that where children can work from home, that they do. We need this to continue as much as possible right up until each year level's return to school date. We recognise this is becoming increasingly difficult for some families but we appreciate and need your cooperation to ensure we minimise the need for staff to be at school, so that we not only keep them safe, but also keep their focus on supporting students online. Unfortunately teachers can't supervise students and implement the remote learning program at the same time.

In order for students to attend school, they must be registered each week using the weekly form that comes home each week via CareMonkey. This form will only be distributed to those families who have made contact with the school and have been evaluated as having a valid reason for their child to attend school. It is vital that those children approved for attending school complete the registration form EVERY WEEK, so that we can ensure we have enough staff to meet the strict student to teacher ratios. As we are now reaching capacity most days, I am afraid we will not be able to accept children if they arrive at school and are not on our list. Please call the office if you need any help with filling out the form. Thank you for your understanding.

Mid Year Reports

I am pleased to advise parents that we will be able to provide a report as feedback on your child’s learning for Semester 1 at the end of this term. As our school moved to remote learning as a result of COVID-19, our usual ways of working and engaging with students have looked different in Term 2 and as a result, so will the report format.

Teachers are using a broad evidence-base to make their own balanced assessments of your child’s progress at this point in time. Such evidence includes student-led conversations and teacher observations, Term 1 assessments, notes and work samples. But we ask you to appreciate that the content on which we report is going to be significantly reduced, as the usual, reliable assessments undertaken in the everyday classroom have not been possible this term. The end of year report (December) will provide a more comprehensive view of the year’s learning across all usual curriculum areas.

In the second week of term 3, we will be offering parents and students the opportunity to meet with teachers in an online video conference to discuss your child's report in more detail and set goals for the coming semester. More infromation about booking these will be made available before the end of term. 

St. Kevin's is on Facebook!

Did you know St. Kevin's has a Facebook Page? Well now you do! It's just another way we can all keep in touch. We'll share important news, fun and intersting articles and links to important community services. As well, we can share photos and videos that will hopefully make you smile. You can even post comment or ask questions. 

Our very first Video Assembly

Last Friday we shared with you our very first attempt at a Video Assembly and what a hit it was! We must express a huge thanks to all involved in putting it together, especially our two House Leaders, Georgia and Arjun. If you missed it, check it out below!

Get ready for Video Assembly number 2, which we aim to publish on Friday evening. We will be sharing it via Flexibuzz and Facebook.

Birthdays

MAY 2020

6th May      Joanne 3/4 DM, Jayden 5/6 MB

7th May      Dennis 1/2 SC, Eegan PCA

9th May      Ronan 5/6 GA

10th May     Oscar 1/2 RO. Maximus 5/6 GA, Irie 1/2 RO, Jordan 1/2 SC, Aaleiyah 1/2 AL, Josip 1/2 HE

11th May     Mina 1/2 FE

12th May     Jeremiah 5/6 BU

13th May     Pippa PCA, Phoebe 1/2 FE

14th May     Jude 3/4 FO

15th May     Veronicca 3/4 PE, Dylan 1/2 MA, Melania 5/6 ME

Beleza Adjusted hours

Please note that as of Monday 18th of May, your local Beleza School Uniforms stores will be open at the following times:

Beleza Cranbourne

• Weekdays from 10am to 5pm
• Saturday from 10am to 1pm

Beleza Hallam

• Weekdays from 9am to 5pm
• Saturday from 9am to 1pm

Beleza would like ro ressure all of their customers that they will be continuing to operate with appropriate safety measures in place to ensure that social distancing guidelines are met and thank you for your patience and co-operation in response to the changes that have been made over the previous weeks.

Are you on Flexibuzz?

Flexibuzz is a free mobile phone app that we need all our families to have installed on their phones.  Flexibuzz is the best and most efficient way to send out alerts and reminders to our families.  This is the mode of communication we use if ever there is an emergency and will be the main way we communicate with families throughout the Remote Learning period.

It is vital that all families have this app installed on their phone and set it up to receive our alert notifications.  If you are not sure how to do this or need any help to make sure Flexibuzz is setup correctly on your phone, please see the diagram below.

Mazenod Open Days 2021

Dandenong High School 2021 Applications

St John's Open Days 2021