Our school is safe, student centred and animated by our school values.  We aim to Inspire Hearts and Minds.

"Children are the future of the human family: all of us are expected to promote their growth, health and tranquillity." Pope Francis 2021

Roadmap out of Lockdown

The table below outlines the Roadmap out of Lockdown for students returning to on-site learning at school.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding the staggered return to school, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher, the school office or to email me directly ejones@marymacnarre.catholic.edu.au

On-site Supervision (Monday 18 October to Thursday 4 November)

In our Roadmap out of Lockdown, our school will continue to provide On-Site Supervision for students in the following categories:

Students of parents, guardians or carers:

• where there are two parents, guardians or carers, both must be essential workers, working outside the home
• for single parents, guardians or carers, the essential worker must be working outside the home vulnerable students including:
• children in out-of-home care
• children deemed by Child Protection and/or Family Services to be at risk of harm
• children identified by the school as vulnerable (including via referral from a family violence agency, homelessness or youth justice service or mental health or other health service)
• children with a disability who cannot learn from home due to vulnerability or family stress.

Parents please ensure you register your child/children for On-site Supervision via Operoo, located in the Operoo Form Library as we need to prepare staffing rosters to accommodate student numbers.  When students are attending On-site at school in the Roadmap out of Lockdown, they do not need to be registered for On-Site supervision.

Student Learning - Chromebooks

Students attending school in the staggered return, must bring their Chromebooks with them fully charged.  We have limited charging facilities at school.  When Remote Schooling concludes on Thursday 4 November, all Chromebooks and Family Chargers will need to be returned to school on Friday 5 November.  Students will continue to be allocated their 1-1 Chromebook for learning.

 Parish (Sacraments)

The Parish Sacramental Team is working hard to consider a way forward with our Sacrament celebrations and current restrictions in place.  More information will be shared with parents and students as soon as the information is available.

Community Safety

For our community safety, we are unable to have parents and visitors on-site at school until further notice.  We also are required to minimise groups of people gathering and therefore, during school drop off and pick up times, we ask parents to remain in their car and to utilise the drop off / pick up facility at the front of the school OR Lowry Court.

Student Drop Off - Mornings

• Classes will open at 8.35 am and the school day will begin as usual at 8.45 am with Morning Meditation and Prayer.
• Lowry Court will be open for drop off of students ONLY at 8.30 am. 
• A teacher will be rostered on at Lowry court to ensure parents do not enter the school.
• The main student entrance gate at the front of the school will be the only entry point for students. 
• A teacher will be rostered on duty at the main entrance gate in the morning. 

Staggered Student Pick Up – Afternoons (A-K 3.05 pm and L-Z 3.10 pm)

Parents are asked to remain in their car and to use the drop off/pick up lane outside the front of the school or to use Lowry Court.  

Pick up will occur in the following way:

• A-K Families will be taken to the pick up lane at 3.05 pm.  One teacher from the level to take A-K Surname students to the main entrance pick up lane outside admin area. 
• One teacher from the level to stay with L-Z Surname students in the class until 3.10 pm.
• L-Z Families will be taken to the pick up lane at 3.10 pm.  
• Students exiting via Lowry Court will be sent to the teacher on duty at Lowry Court.
• Lowry Court will be open from 3.00 pm for students to exit the school.  Two teachers will be on duty at Lowry court in the afternoon.

Please note there is a NO STANDING Council sign at the bottom of Lowry Court.  Parents run the risk of being fined by Council if they park their car in a NO STANDING area.

Sanitising Stations / Classroom Ventilation

Hand sanitising stations are set up at the entry of all learning areas within the school for students to sanitise their hands throughout the school day.  Classrooms will be adequately ventilated according to our COVID-19 Safety Management Plan. 

School events

School events, such as Foundation and Junior Swimming are cancelled.  Friday Assemblies are on hold for the next few weeks until all students return.  It is anticipated that Friday Assemblies will be held via Google Meet when all students return.  At this stage parents are unable to be on-site until increased vaccination rates are recorded in the school community.  Our whole school athletics day will be rescheduled to later in the term.  More information will follow regarding school events as these are considered on a week by week basis and are based on information received from the Chief Health Officer and DOSCEL.  School events will be published weekly in the Newsletter.

Wearing of Face Masks

The Victorian Chief Health Officer has expanded the mandatory use of face masks indoors to limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) within the population of school settings to include primary schools.

• Students in Grades 3 to 6 will be required to wear a face mask when indoors on school premises, including when attending an Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) program, unless a lawful exception applies.

• Whilst not required, it is strongly recommended by the Victorian Chief Health Officer that students in Foundation to Grade 2 wear a face mask indoors at school, including when attending an OSHC program.

Parents, guardians and carers are required to supply their child(ren) with an appropriate face mask that covers the nose and mouth. Appropriate face masks include single use face masks (commonly called surgical masks) or cloth face masks made from three layers of a mix of breathable fabrics. Further information on face masks, including what face masks you can and can’t wear, can be accessed from the Coronavirus Victoria website.

All school staff are required to wear a face mask, including whilst teaching (wherever practicable), unless a lawful exception applies, to protect the health and safety of all students, staff and the wider school community. School staff are permitted to remove their face mask when necessary for effective communication.

Parents, guardians and carers are encouraged to inform their child(ren) of the face mask requirements, and to continue to reinforce with their child(ren) the need to keep 1.5 metres apart from other people, to wash and dry hands thoroughly and regularly, and cough and sneeze into a tissue or their elbow.

Parents, guardians and carers will also be required to wear a face mask when dropping off or picking up their child(ren) or if required to collect an unwell child(ren) from the school.

Wearing of School Hats – Sun Protection Policy

Just a reminder that students are required to wear their school hats in Term 4 as part of our Sun Protection Policy.

Canteen

The canteen is OPEN for student orders via CDF pay on Mondays and Fridays beginning Monday 18 October. 

School Fee Relief for families

Many in our school community continue to face financial impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are committed to supporting families experiencing financial challenges through our School Fee Concession programs, and encourage any parent/carer/guardian experiencing difficulties to contact us regarding fee assistance. Please contact Jacqui Meunier – 8794 5777 jmeunier@marymacnarre.catholic.edu.au to explore confidential financial support arrangements or to obtain further information.

VRQA (Victorian Registration & Qualifications Authority)

As part of our year in Review, we will be undertaking VRQA on Friday 29 October.  In Victoria, all schools must meet the minimum standards for school registration.

The minimum standards provide a foundation for quality schools through the following areas:

• Good governance
• Strong financial management
• Effective curriculum
• Sound teaching practices and
• Safe environments for our students

Our school website has been continually updated to reflect VRQA guidelines, including policies and updated Child Safety information.

School Advisory Committee Annual General Meeting (SAC AGM)

The SAC AGM was due to be held next Tuesday 19 October at 7.00 pm.  As the next three weeks are focused on getting our students and staff back on-site and keeping our community safe throughout this staggered return, it has been decided to postpone our SAC AGM to a date in November.  More information will follow in upcoming newsletters.