3 April 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Hi everyone,

Today is the last day of Term 1, and as I am sure you’ll all agree, it has been unlike anything we have experienced before. The coronavirus pandemic has changed our world and our community so swiftly, and so drastically, that we are all still finding our feet.

However, with all of this change, there are constants and things that you can rely on to help get you through these challenging months ahead.

Firstly, that all of us at Snug Primary are committed to continue to provide your children a quality learning experience. Sure, it’s a brave new world for us, moving into developing home learning for you to deliver, but we are growing into the space every day. We know that there will be times when we need to reflect on what we are doing and readjust, but with your input, feedback and support we will refine a way of teaching and learning at home that benefits your children and which you can manage with the competing pressures in your lives.

Secondly, that your children will continue to grow and learn and they are already surprising and delighting us through their efforts in home schooling. Teachers have shared with me wonderful examples of students working from home, a strong student voice, and oodles of creativity and imagination. It has been affirming to see how adaptable and resilient our students are in a different learning environment.

Thirdly, for those of you whose children do remain on site, we will continue to provide a quality program for them and meet their needs while you are doing the work to support our community through this time.

You can be reassured that the team at Snug Primary is here to support you in any way we can. We are here to field any calls, talk through concerns, ideas or suggestions, and always welcome your input. Please stay in touch.

Your teachers will be available to respond to emails or questions during school hours in Term 2, from 9am until 3.30pm each day. Please don’t expect them to contact you outside of these hours (or in the holidays) as we want them to have time to connect with their families and do what they need to do to wind down as well.

As part of the home learning program, teachers have put together home learning packs for your children. They will go home fortnightly. The first lot can be collected from the school on Friday 24th April between 9am and 12pm, and again on Monday 27th April, between 9am and 12pm. Class sets will be in bags on tables outside the school. We ask you socially distance from others, to avoid touching packs other than your own child’s, and to be on and off the school site as soon as practicable (we know it will be tempting to stay and chat!). Kingston Police have been contacted, and are aware that parents will be driving to and from school on these days. (If you are spoken to by police, inform them of this fact). The following drop off of work, and pick up of the next pack, will be a fortnight after that on Friday 8th May and Monday 11th May, and every fortnight after that.

With a move to online, we are very aware of the need to ensure that students are safe in cyberspace. We will be providing online learning around cyber safety for students early in Term 2; we are also reviewing the platforms we are using with students to ensure they are safe too. (With that in mind, the department has asked that students NOT use Zoom at this time. Teachers will come up with alternatives). Can you also have a chat to your children about being safe online, and get them comfortable talking to you about their internet use. More guidance on this will follow.

Thank you again for your support, adaptability and consideration in this disrupted term. I am sure we can work together in Term 2 to provide normalcy and learning for your family as the year unfolds. Enjoy this break with your families. Be kind and compassionate and provide support where you can. We look forward to ‘catching up’ in Term 2.

Term 2

The Department of Education has informed us this morning that you are to keep your children at home if at all possible in Term 2. We recognise that some students may still attend school when they can’t be supported or supervised at home. A letter will go home about this today.

For clarity, there will be no home learning, or teaching support, from the end of today until the start of Term 2, which is on Tuesday, April 28 2020 (Monday 27 April has been deemed a teacher preparation day).

Kind Regards,

Blair Curtis
Principal

Kath’s Spot

What is grief? Because I’m pretty sure I am, and most of the world are, feeling it at some level at the moment.

Grief is defined as “the intense sorrow felt by the loss of something or someone”, and I think that is what our world is feeling at the moment. We are grieving contact with others, we are grieving what life ‘used’ to look like, where we could walk to the local playground for a play on the flying fox. We are grieving being able to drop in and see Nan or Pop, and grieving being able to stand in the shops and natter away in the aisle as people go past you. In fact there are five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. And we are probably all at different parts of those stages.

But I wonder through this huge stage of turmoil, what have been the positives of this ‘new normal’? Because I know for me, if I don’t start looking at the positives, then I could seriously dig myself a big hole that I would find hard to get out of! What are the positives for you?

Have you had a chance to see new ways of communicating emerge? I know in our house it has been lovely to see the boys FaceTiming grandparents. One boy was showing his grandparents the new seedlings he has grown, and I could hear them educating him on the best ways to grow each of those plants, telling him where and how.... while he was teaching them how to flip the screen to show them himself and then the plants.

Has it given you time to plant or sew or cook? For me I have been planting, and one corner of the loungeroom has finally been cleaned out and sorted, and it’s been on my ‘to do’ list for ages!

I know we are all grieving, and I also know that this crisis has bought a lot of stress also, but we here at Snug want to support you all at this time. Please keep in touch, please let us know how you are travelling. And maybe during this coming week try something new and afresh! Maybe a new hobby or learn a new skill. Remember we are ‘all’ learners! Maybe together as a family you might try something new. Last Monday we played Kahoot online as a family, which brought lots of laughs to our loungeroom.

Kath Dolliver
Chaplain

Kids Matter eNewsletter

Coming Events

For more information please see our school calendar by clicking the link below:

Term Dates for 2020