No 12. Term 2, Week 7. 27th May 2020

Hello from our Principal

We were really excited to welcome all of our Years Prep, 1 and 2 students back to school yesterday. They were very eager to be back with their friends to share learning and play. We did notice that they had changed – they had grown, lost teeth and had new hairstyles. At the start of today they were very quiet and probably readjusting to the classroom environment – that certainly changed after playtime! I am so proud of the students for their engagement in their home learning and their willingness to do their very best in a most unusual situation. Their work samples each day were a delight to see and read. Our St. Kevin's parents, grandparents and carers are absolute winners. Your devotion to supporting your children in their wellbeing and learning has been second to none and you are to be congratulated for an absolutely amazing effort. Our teachers are true champions. Their dedication to providing an online education took many hours in excess of their normal workload and the effort to make the children feel connected was so admirable. I admire them so very much and thank them for their commitment and care. How good is it to be part of such a connected and caring community. 

Jason Micallef, 
Principal

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Enrolment reminder

A reminder to all parents that enrolments for 2021 are NOW DUE.  

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.

Carpark Arrangements

Drop off and pick arrangements continue to be one of those aspects of school that needs to be different to normal, while we continue to ensure we minimise any possible risk of Covid-19 transmission. We are deeply appreciative of everyone's patience and cooperation during this time as it does seem to take a little longer than usual to get into and out of the school. As the days go by though, we will adjust and improve our procedures to make sure we minimise any hold up of traffic. For the time being we are asking all families to remember the following:

• Families who have more than one child enrolled at St. Kevin's use the roundabout in front of the church. Families who only have one child enrolled at St. Kevin's use the snake route through the carpark.

• Cars exiting on Edey's Run MUST turn right. We promise you this is actually quicker.

• For pickup, place a sign in your windscreen with one of your child's names and class. This will help us to have your child ready to jump into your car as you approach the pick up zone.

• The Parish House carpark is OFF LIMITS to all families. Only parishioners attending mass may park there.

• Parents who are on foot, need to meet their children at the gate on Hallam Road or Edey's Run. 
  

Keeping us safe

It is still absolutely vital that we take measures to keep us all healthy and safe. Our major work in preparing for our return to school has been to make things as normal and predictable as possible so that the children feel calm and secure. However, St. Kevin's has taken additional steps in providing for good health management though the purchasing of temperature testing equipment, training of staff, staff vaccinations against the flu, and the provision of extended cleaning procures taking place throughout the day. Our measures include:

• Staff and student temperature testing each morning
• Staff trained at each level in temperature testing
• Sanitiser in all rooms 
• Hand washing facilities and emphasis 
• Coughing and sneezing education 
• Cleaners on duty throughout the school day 
• Social distancing of adults in staffrooms and offices 
• Restriction of adults in classroom areas and visitors to the school
• Postponement of swimming and excursions 
• Postponement of assemblies and joint class activities 

It is not my usual practice to make political comment. However on this occasion I would like to share that I consider that the State Government and Catholic Education Commission ov Victoria have done a brilliant job in being extra cautious and committed to a gradual return that can keep us all as safe as possible. We have all learnt to be very careful so that we all can enjoy living and learning together.

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new website!

We hope that you find our new website to be both informative and engaging. Our aim is to provide visitors with a reliable insight into what we at St. Kevin's value and believe about contemporary education and nurturing children through their primary school years.

In a nutshell, we hope that the site will help to showcase and celebrate how we at St. Kevin's deliver a world class education and communicate important and useful information for both new and current families. It's pretty slick... check it out here: www.skhamptonpark.catholic.edu.au

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. 

Term 2 Week 6 Video Assembly

Last Friday we published our latest edition of our School Video Assembly. Recorded and shared each Friday, we aim to celebrate all the amazing achievements and important events still happening during this time of social distancing. 

St Kevin's Curriculum Overview for Term 2, 2020

Birthdays this week

Monday 18th May             Sean 3/4 TI

Tuesday 19th May             Chloe 5/6 GA

Thursday 21st May           Tiana 1/2 RO, Alexis 3/4 DM, Ella 1/2 HE

Friday 22nd May                Miya 3/4 BR, Navkiran 3/4 PE

Monday 25th May              Dinisha 1/2 AL

Tuesday 26th May              Chenuka PDE, Chantelle 3/4 TI

Wednesday 27th May        Elizabeth 5/6 AD, Tanvi PAT

Wednesday 28th May        Nicholas 1/2 FE, Ioane 3/4 DM, Ollie 3/4 BR

Thursday 29th May            Kevin 1/2 HE, Aiden 1/2 SC

Thursday 31st May              Bianca 1/2 RO

JUNE 2020

Friday 1st June                       Cara 3/4 FO, Lasuk 1/2 LO

Saturday 2nd June                Jaiden 3/4 PE, Senon 1/2 HE

Sunday 3rd June                    Olivia 3/4 TI, Carlos 1/2 LO, Kesha 3/4 DM

Alana & Aaron's Cooking Show

During this time of remote learning, we have seen and heard of some great learning stories happening at home. Here is one of those as we share with you Alana and Aaron's beaut little clip of them teaching us how to cook. Well done guys! Have you thought about a career on Masterchef?

Mazenod Open Days 2021

St John's Regional College

Hampton Park Secondary College

During the COVID-19 crisis, many parents have been unable to visit prospective secondary schools to explore potential learning opportunities for their children. As a relatively new Principal to the College, I am keen to meet families and share our vision for education.

 At Hampton Park Secondary we believe that “one size does not fit all and neither should education.”

 On Monday 25^th May at 2.00pm, we will be hosting a Virtual Q & A sessions for local families.

 I will also be able to walk families through the new vision and direction of our college and why we have opted for our innovative approach to learning.  Parents/Carers and Students will be able to hear first-hand from our students of the new and exciting learning opportunities.

Parents of all primary aged students are most welcome.

 Secure your free ticket to this online event via this link https://www.trybooking.com/BJRKW

Dandenong High School 2021

Sapphire Creations