19 July 2021

Newsletter Articles

July PBL Focus

Principal’s Message

Dear parents and carers,

It was lovely to see our students last week through their Zoom learning classes and their participation using the digital hands-up and real hands-up options.

We find ourselves in challenging Covid times again, with working and learning from home up and running in Week 1. Hopefully, our SIPPS community will find the multi-platform approach provided to support student learning supportive. Parent responses to the quick survey mid last week were very positive and provided valuable ideas which, where possible, the executive team have included into our planning for the coming weeks. Please be assured that whether your child is learning at home with you or needing to learn at school for valid reasons, they are participating in the same learning content. Staff at school are simply supervising students and no tutoring is available in the school setting.

The Premier announced further tightening of restrictions due to the continued threat from COVID. The tone of the Premier’s language has changed and the DoE has now adopted the imperative “Parents must keep children home if they can. This refers to children of all ages, across primary, secondary and early childcare.

Accordingly, I am asking you to keep your children home. The level of public concern with COVID is such that as a community we need to take responsibility both at a collective and individual level.

The school has been instructed by the Department to limit the number of staff onsite Last updated 4.50pm 18 July 2021

NSW has updated health advice that comes into effect for Greater Sydney (including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour) from 11.59pm Saturday 17 July.

Parents and carers in Greater Sydney must keep children – across primary and secondary school – at home unless they need to be at school. Schools and outside of school hours care (OOSHC) services are open for any child that needs it.

The stay-at-home order has been extended for Greater Sydney (External link) until Friday 30 July. This will mean 2 separate guidelines for schools depending on their location.

Please remember that students on-site are required to be symptom free as follows:

Students should not attend school if unwell, even with mild symptoms of COVID-19. Any person with any COVID-19 symptoms should be sent home and should not return to school until they have received a negative test result and are symptom-free.

Communication regarding transport for Greater Sydney is as follows and commences Monday 19th July, 2021:

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Transport for NSW will be running a reduced timetable that will include changes to some school bus routes from Monday 19 July. While there has been a significant drop in students attending class in person due to learning from home in Greater Sydney, parents and carers need to consider all their travel options for students. Please plan ahead as your child’s regular school service may not be running.

Key information provided in my letter to families over the weekend is as follows:

There are three platforms for all students to access:

We understand every Learning From Home environment is different, we have therefore provided three platforms of learning for students.

Offline learning – GRID – families may print the grid each week – offline activities.
Indirect learning – GOOGLE CLASSROOM – students access this platform each day for roll call and submission tasks. Timetables for the week are located in the timetable folder in each GC.
Direct learning – ZOOM – students may participate in Zooms between Monday to Thursday. Zooms are at scheduled times so parents may be able to schedule these into busy household planning.

As you would be aware, schools mark the roll each day, which is a statutory requirement. Schools must still mark the roll. Students are marked as:

F – Learning from home (roll call & submission tasks required)
A – no online presence and no sick note provided to the school
S – student is sick and parent has provided information in writing to the school (SZ app/email)
P – at school – children of essential workers only

Requirements for roll marking each day during Learning From Home include the following:

1. ALL students must log into Google Classroom before noon each day. Log into ROLL CALL.
2. All students must complete the two SUBMISSION TASKS which will be assigned each day (24hrs to complete, upload and submit tasks)
      a.   Literacy tasks – identified as the submission task
      b.   Mathematics tasks – identified as the submission task

Submission tasks will be clearly identified in the weekly timetable and in the topic folders for all grades and released each day as part of scheduling. Email teachers if you need to clarify. This will make it easier for all students to clearly identify and complete the minimum learning tasks each day.

A range of other activities for students to practise skills and participate in their learning are provided, as each family’s circumstances will differ. The DoE expectations are activities for between 2-3 hours of learning per day are provided during LFH. The Grid option is a weekly overview of activities for students, as households are different and students may be looking for additional learning activities.

Zooms are therefore Monday to Thursday for all students, where attendance is possible.

Zoom sessions will be provided in the following format:

Monday & Thursday – Class Teacher Zooms - supporting class connection, interaction and Q&A.

Tuesday – Stage/ Both teachers – modelled reading focus, reinforcing skills and how to access information in texts

Wednesday – Stage/Both teachers – mathematical focussed Zooms.

Zoom times for Weeks 2 & 3 will be as follows:

Kindergarten   9:15 – 9:50
Stage 1   10:00 – 10:30
Stage 2   10:40 – 11:10
Stage 3   11:40 – 12:20

While student numbers on-site remain low we should be able to maintain the above schedule, however, should numbers increase we will need to revise this option due to supervision scheduling.

Supervision and Staffing: As in all workplaces across Greater Sydney, it is required to have as few staff as possible on site. This is very complex when we are also essential workers. Please email as first point of contact and phone if necessary. Staff will get back in touch as soon as we are able. Please remember that all non-essential visitors are not allowed on-site. The only parents who may access the site are those attending OOSH: Helping Hands to sign-in and sign-out students via GATE 2.

It is really important that our community is supported but it is vital that families indicate when their child/ren will be on site for adequate minimal staffing purposes. An enormous thank you for your support in Week 1 where our on-site attendance has been around 7% each day.

If you are an essential worker and have not logged your child in on-site for Weeks 2 & 3 here is the link from my last email:

Updates to families

As we are all aware, advice and restrictions do change frequently and so as advice to schools is updated, I will email you advice to provide you with the correct information.

Zoom Times – changed times and purpose of sessions

Sessions are pared back.

Monday and Thursday are CLASS check-ins.

Tuesday and Wednesday are explicit teaching with both teachers present for each Stage session.

Tuesday is modelled reading and Wednesday is Mathematics.

To add a little joy into our days at home we have planned for Next Monday 26/7 to be CRAZY SOCK DAY and look forward to seeing many crazy socks online when classes are Zooming together.

Thank you to all our families for all that you are doing to engage your children in their learning and support their submission tasks while balancing your own workloads. Remember, please email teachers if you need to clarify or check information. Please email the office. in preference to ringing, as we have a skeleton staff on-site each day.

Please be aware that there are no visitors to site and anyone on the school site is obliged to use the QR code to lodge their visit for quick contact tracing. As you would be aware, there have been cases of Covid in the St Ives, Frenchs Forest and Belrose areas in the last week. Please take care when you leave your home and implement Covid safe practices within the community.

Staffing changes

To start Term 3 we have two new staff members joining our team at SIPPS.

Mrs Aylmer who has been our SAO in the office for many years, has taken leave for this term, as she and her husband settle into their new abode in regional NSW. Mrs Aylmer will advise whether she returns later in the year but at the moment she is enjoying the rolling hills and paddocks outside her door.

Mrs Catherine Littlewood joins SIPPS working alongside Mrs Fazzolari in the office team throughout Term 3. I hope you will welcome her and appreciate she is learning all the information and wisdom required to support our staff and community in her role.

Mrs Alison Wright, our permanent Assistant Principal, started on the 12th July and has the dual role as Assistant Principal and Class Teacher of 3 / 4 Purple. I know she has already spoken with and emailed families and looks forward to meeting her class in person in the coming weeks. She will be supporting 3 / 4 Purple in their online classroom and working with all of Stage 2 students in their stage Zoom sessions.

I look forward to seeing students and parents at the gates when we move back down to Level 3 restrictions as soon as advised.

Stay safe and well, looking forward to catching up with parents at the P&C Zoom meeting on Wednesday.

Caroline English
Principal
St Ives Park Public School

General Information for families

Cyber safe families

The following resources are available to support families and their children in being responsible online users:

• Cyber safe families – an overview of cyber safety
• Technology and wellbeing – useful tips and tools
• Digital citizenship External link – a collection of articles and resources to maximise students’ use of technology.

Dates for your diaries

Please check your emails for updates from the school.

12/7 – 30/7 Level 4 Lockdown for Greater Sydney
13/7 – 30/7 Students learning from home
21/7 – P&C Meeting Zoom 7:15pm (All Welcome)
27/7 – Education Week – TBA

Library

URGENT MESSAGE REGARDING BOOK CLUB

BOOK CLUB ISSUE 5

There will be no paper catalogues sent home for the current Book Club issue. All ordering needs to be done online via the online catalogue.

The link to the Issue 5 catalogue is below.

If you would like to order books from Issue 5 you need to:

• Order online via LOOP for school delivery as you would normally do. We will be in touch when the order arrives to organise contactless pickup.

All orders must be entered online by 2/8/21.

Virginia Allman
Book Club Coordinator

Notes from the school office

Road Safety

Please remind your children not to run across the roads outside the school once they go through the gates.

Kindergarten 2022

Now is the time to let the office know if you have a child starting Kindergarten 2022.

We will print off a pre-filled enrolment form for you to complete and lodge. Information regarding Kindergarten 2022 will be shared with the community in the coming week.

If you know of anyone in our school catchment area who would like to enrol at St Ives Park Public School please advise them that they are able to enrol online. Just visit the school’s website and look under the heading Enrolment.

Please find below the Kindergarten 2022 Information

Lost Property in the office

Please label all of your child/children’s belongings such as lunch boxes, lids and containers, hats, jumpers and bags.

Please advise the office of any changes to your phone number, address and/or child’s medical condition as soon as possible.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the school office on 02 91444085.

Schoolzine app – Please download the schoolzine app. The school uses this app for payment of fees, viewing of school newsletters, absentee notes, school alerts

Qkr! app – Please download the Qkr ! app – this app is used by the P & C for the ordering and payment of school uniform items and for Canteen ordering and payment of items.

Canteen

Canteen will be closed until further notice.

Uniform Shop

Uniform shop will be closed until further notice.

P & C

Our P&C meeting will be on line this week - 7.15pm Wednesday 21st July.

Join Zoom Meeting