Newsletter – Week 6, Term 1, 2022 – Message from Admin Team, Faction Swimming Carnival POSTPONED, Before School Swimming Training, Library Book Club Delays, Room 21 Activity, Canteen, Harmony Week

Message from the Executive Administration Team

Dear parents and caregivers

I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend together as families. It was a timely break for everyone and very much needed by staff, students and parents/carers.

For many families impacted by their child or an adult in the house being deemed a close contact or positive case, it was a much quieter weekend in isolation. As cases escalate in the community, adhering to the public health directions and doing our part can make the difference to limiting the spread. So thank you to the families affected for the way in which you have supported your own households and the school’s processes through this time. We are thinking of you and look forward to welcoming you back to school.

COVID-19 Close Contacts: As you may be aware, WA Health has updated the rules for close contacts of COVID-19 cases linked to schools, based on public health advice.

Effective immediately, household members are no longer required to quarantine with a child who is identified as a close contact of a COVID-19 case.

We understand that a parent or carer may still need to stay home to care for a child quarantining, but the rest of the household, including siblings who have not been identified as close contacts, are not required to stay home and can attend school.

As a household member of a close contact, it is important to take extra precautions, where possible, including:

• minimise physical contact with the close contact
• sleep separately from the close contact
• use a separate bathroom from the close contact if possible
• wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser
• cover coughs and sneezes
• Regularly clean all surfaces (such as tabletops, doorknobs and bathroom fixtures) by using household disinfectant or diluted bleach solution
• wear a mask in shared areas or when caring for other members of the household.

It is important that members of the household monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, and if symptoms develop, get tested immediately. If a person living in the house tests positive to COVID-19, all household members are close contacts and must self-isolate.

International Women’s Day: Today is International Women’s Day and in our online assembly this afternoon, I highlighted to our students the amazing female role models they have all around them – their mums, grandmas, aunties, teachers, EAs, school leaders and in the community, their sports coaches and Arts teachers. I encouraged our female students to find their inner voice as there is no limit to what they can achieve when they believe in themselves. Have a conversation with your daughter tonight, it’s such an important day to share with our future female leaders.

I shared a wonderful quote by an unknown author that I particularly like;

‘A strong woman stands up for herself and an even stronger woman stands up for everyone else’.

Learning Environment

Junior Playground: Over the weekend, we had an exciting new addition to our junior playground. Julia Foulsham, parent and School Grounds Master Plan sub-committee member, added in these beautiful flower stepping stones to the playground closest to Grantham St. Featured inside are hand painted rocks that our current Year 1 students did in Pre-primary. We are so lucky to partner with our community for the benefit of our school learning environment and thank every parent who gets involved. It certainly brought a smile to my face and what a lasting legacy for our Year 1s. Thank you Julia!

 

 

Engagement and Relationships

Year 4-6 Swimming Carnival: Our Year 4-6 carnival has been postponed and students will now participate in the faction swimming carnival on Friday 25 March. We hope the community will understand that this decision was made to allow students in our two Year 6 classes in isolation to participate. Now that the mask wearing mandate is in place, whole classes in Year 4-6 are unlikely to be sent into isolation as occurred last week. Thank you to Mr Bowman, Mrs Watson and parent coordinator Mrs Felekis for their work so far in preparing for the carnival. A few extra swimming training sessions can now be snuck in for all those eager swimmers!

School Board Community Member Vacancy: We are still seeking expressions of interest from ex-students/Wembley PS alumni who may be interested in joining the School Board (current parents unable to apply). You may know of an ex-student who graduated from one our local high schools who has or is pursuing a career in education or fields important to our school priorities (see Business Plan) and/or has a desire to stay connected to their local community and contribute to the school’s directions.

If you know of a community member (16 years plus) who may be interested in this opportunity, please ask them to complete this short form here to indicate interest in the position. The principal will then make contact with each nominee to discuss next steps. It is important to note that an election is not required for community member vacancies, the School Board may appoint a suitably qualified person by vote in a meeting. Thank you for helping promote this opportunity with your networks.

 

Yours in learning

The Senior Leadership Team

Tamara, Milani, Alan, Rachel and Natalie