15 May 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Hi Parents, Caregivers and members of the Snug community,

A lot has happened since our last newsletter. The Department of Education has announced that our school will be able to open on Monday, 25 May - just over a week away - something we are obviously very excited about. While we appreciate the incredible work you have done juggling working/being at home, and schooling your children, we can’t wait to have them back with us so we can do what we love to do – teach!

On site health and safety

We do, of course, need to remain hyper vigilant about health and safety as we move back to all students on site. In order to reduce risks associated with coronavirus, we have put the following processes in place:

1. Before and after school, please follow the “Stop, Drop and Go” protocol – drop your children off and depart the school grounds as quickly as possible. If you are waiting to collect at the end of the day, please do so in the area parallel to the carpark and office - not outside classrooms.
2. If you are on site, please be mindful of social distancing, and follow our hygiene protocols e.g. washing or sanitising your hands when you enter a building.
3. If your child is unwell, please do not send them to school (even if it is “just a cold.”)

Having everyone back is what we all want, so let’s continue to play our part to ensure Snug Primary School remains a safe environment for all.

Another gentle reminder to please keep your child at home next week unless you are an essential worker or are unable to support them at home.

A New Start

Obviously, coming back to school is going to be exciting, potentially challenging and maybe worrying for some. Rest assured, our teachers are aware that the return to school will require us to be really mindful about supporting our students. Teachers will be focusing on student wellbeing and on re-establishing relationships and routines for the first little while to support everyone getting settled.

Communication

I just want to re-iterate that we understand there is a lot happening for all of us right now and we are here to support you too. If there is anything you wish to discuss with us, please don’t hesitate to make a time with me, another member of senior staff or, of course, your classroom teacher(s).

Kind Regards,

Blair Curtis
Principal

Support Staff Update

School Psychologist

Clare Laning, our School Psychologist is back at school and is conducting academic assessments with students. These reports are particularly helpful in assisting teachers in planning for students with additional needs.

Social Worker

Kylie Pettit is our school Social Worker.

Speech Pathologist

As there is currently a shortage of Education Department Speech Pathologists, we still have no Speech Pathologist appointed to our school. We will let the community know as soon as a person has been appointed to this position.

If you have any questions regarding support for your child or feel that your child requires a referral to these support personnel please contact Miss Woolley.

Kath’s Spot

You’ve heard that ‘Patience is a Virtue’, but gee it’s hard work sometimes hey! I know for myself in times of stress sometimes it is harder to pause and not feel frustrated, or not say something that in turn may upset the other person.

But what should we do when you can feel the frustration rising or you think “it would just be quicker if I did it myself!”? Well, I’m no expert in this, but I wonder if sometimes doing the breathe in, breathe out, can be the equivalent of “turn the computer off and on to make it work again”. Sometimes I can be looking at my child thinking ‘are you serious?’ and then by the time I have paused for 4 seconds, breathed in then out, I can already think of a different response. It gives me the moment to literally hit pause. It also means, my frustrations don’t tend to come out in my words and actions as much as they may if I just flew off into sharing what I am thinking in the moment. Taking the moment to pause can sometimes then set us up to work together better.

I wonder what works best for you? I know Whinsten Churchill’s wife, who used to care for their 13 children, would throw her apron up over her head and the kids knew if Mum did this, they were not to interrupt her. She would have a moment, calm down and then flatten her apron back down and carry on with her conversation or what she was doing at the time. Your technique may not be the apron one, but I know friends who escape to the toilet for a moment, and others who are great at being up front with the children and they might say “To be honest, I’m feeling a bit confused right now, and I think I just might need a moment to process my thoughts, can I get back to you in a minute?”.

I hope in this moment of crisis you can start to feel ‘Hope’. Please keep in touch with us and let us know how you are travelling in this journey, because together we can care for each other, and emerge as a stronger better community. I know last weekend, our family celebrated the date of our oldest son’s 18th birthday, however he passed away 11 years ago, so we were not able to celebrate it with him, or indeed others because of current restrictions. I learnt in this moment, that I need to share my world with others, so they know how I am travelling in the process too. It is our community that surrounds us that helps us in time of need, lets help each other in this time.

Many Blessing to you all

Kath Dolliver
Chaplain

Physical Distancing in Schools During COVID-19

Public Health advice is clear – it is safe for schools to be open. This is because we have a low rate of Coronavirus (COVID-19) community spread in Tasmania and there has been increased and expanded testing. To reduce the risk even further, schools have hygiene and physical distancing measures in place.

While it is safe to send your child/ren to school, we still need adults to maintain a distance from other adults, whilst on site.

In order to ensure parents maintain social distancing from each other, you'll be able to come in to the school grounds and wait on the concrete/asphalt area parallel to the carpark and the office. That way, we should all be able to maintain appropriate social distancing, while not congregating around classrooms.

We want to make school as safe as possible for everyone. Feel free to ask questions if you require any further information. These things won’t be forever, but we all have a shared responsibility to act in a way that supports everyone being safe.

More information is available on the Department of Education website below:

A message from Little Sprouts …

We hope you are all doing well and enjoying some family time and adventures together. We wanted to let you know that due to the ongoing restrictions and departmental guidelines, Little Sprouts will not resume this term. While this makes us sad, we know everyone’s safety and health is the most important. This could potentially affect the start of Pre Kinder next term but we will keep you informed as we know more. Enrolment forms for Kinder 2021 can be dropped off or collected from the school office and we appreciate those who have already begun the process – it helps with our organisation and future planning immensely.

We have a display in our school foyer to highlight “The Basics” with some gorgeous photos from our sessions showing how well we nurture and care for our children. In these uncertain times one of the basics we focus on – Maximise love, minimise stress has never been so important. Keep talking, singing, reading and exploring with your children until we are together at school again. Don’t forget to check the Little Sprouts group Facebook page as Mrs. Martyn is regularly adding new ideas for fun at home!

Kind regards,

Jane Martyn
Kindergarten and LiL Teacher

Kids Matter eNewsletter

Kingborough Council

Photography

Coming Events

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

Term Dates for 2020