ISSUE 16
Things to Know
Important Dates:
Monday 19-23 October Book Week
22 October ICAS Assessments
23 October Book Character Dress up Day
Monday 26 October School Photos
Monday 26- 30 October Nude Food Week
Tuesday 28 October- 4 November Book Fair
Chris Shaddock
Principal
Dear Kaleen Community,
Welcome back to the final term of 2020. I hope you enjoyed the school holidays and got out and about with your families. World Teachers’ Day will be celebrated in Australia on Friday 30 October 2020. Please take the time to say thank you to our amazing teachers and recognise their work and dedication. Our teachers go above and beyond everyday and we are very lucky to have such a fabulous team. In the next couple of weeks we also have our Book Week celebrations, Book Fair, Questacon incursions, tennis clinics and Nude Food Week challenge. Please read on to hear more about initiatives and events happening in and around the school.
Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL)
Our Positive Behaviours for Learning Team work collaboratively with the community to build and enhance our positive school culture. We invite parents to contact the school directly if they have any questions or concerns about our school initiatives or specific incidents. It is not appropriate for parents to address matters directly with students or other parents. Instead, please arrange a meeting with your child’s classroom teacher or book in a time with the school executive team to address more serious or ongoing issues.
Yesterday we had an incident where a student brought a cigarette lighter to school. We have spoken to the families of students involved and teachers have spoken to their classes about the importance of fire safety.
At the end of last term the students achieved our whole school mystery target of 6000 W@K tokens! To celebrate, the PBL team made Week 10 ‘Games Week’ where each class received 60 minutes of game time. Most classes chose student’s favourite sports, others set physical challenges and some even played board games. Congratulations to all members of our school community for their part in building our very positive school environment.
Term 4 Safety Protocols
As students return to school from school holidays, it is as important as ever to be COVID-safe, especially if you have travelled interstate. If students begin to feel unwell, they should stay home from school and if they have even the mildest of COVID-19 symptoms, they should get tested just in case and self-isolate until they receive their results.
If you travelled interstate over the school holidays, monitor the COVID-19 website of the state or territory you visited for two weeks after returning to see if there are any new cases where you have been. Keep up to date and follow the website’s advice about testing and self-isolation, if required. If you had interstate friends or family visit, ensure they keep you up to date if they are feeling unwell or if there are any new positive COVID cases reported in their area.
The following information is the Directorate’s new safety protocols, tailored to fit our school context. We will continue to update based on stakeholder feedback and professional advice.
Physical distancing requirements will remain in place between adults in schools at drop-off and pick-up times, in classrooms and staff rooms. Adults will maintain 1.5 metres between themselves and no more than one adult per four square metres in indoor environments (such as staff rooms). Signs are up all around the school where adults gather with maximum adult numbers for each space. Physical distancing in outdoor areas has changed to one person per 2 square metres, when attending scheduled school events (not exceeding 200 people).
Where possible, parents and carers are still encouraged to drop children off without entering the school grounds, although our junior school students and students with Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) may require some assistance, which will be supported. We ask our junior school parents to drop their children off to their class areas as close to 9am as possible and pick them up again right at 3pm. Please continue not to use this as an opportunity to socialise in groups on school grounds.
Parents and carers are not encouraged to volunteer in school programs unless it is requested directly by the school. If a face-to-face meeting is required, parents will be asked to book a time so that physical distancing can be planned.
Good hygiene practices are important to preventing the spread of COVID-19. All students and staff will be reminded to wash their hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand-sanitiser on arrival and regularly throughout the day, cough into their elbows or a tissue, place used tissues straight into the bin, avoid touching eyes, noses or mouths, not share food or drink, not use water fountains or bubblers directly, and ensure strict hygiene in the preparation of food. We also ask families not to provide cupcakes and food for other students for their children’s birthdays. This includes pre-wrapped food and gift bags as we want to minimise the risk of contamination from the handling of wrappings. Please send students to school with a drink bottle as bubblers remain closed. Students can refill their bottles at the designated water stations. Any students without a refillable drink bottle can collect one free of charge from the front office.
The Directorate will continue to supply us with hand sanitiser and soap. This includes hand sanitiser for every classroom and at accessible points throughout the school such as entrances.
Once again, we will not be holding assemblies and classes will continue to showcase their work through Seesaw and a new ‘Online Assembly’ piece in the school newsletter. We will limit cohort gatherings, excursions and will regularly assess risks of our existing school practices.
If we keep being diligent and follow the public health advice, we can continue to keep our schools, students and staff safe. I appreciate your part in keeping our school community a safe space to work, live and learn.
Bye for now,
Chris Shaddock
Principal
Library News
Book Week 2020!
Book Week is next week!!! Throughout the week, classes will be participating in a variety of book related activities, including reading the shortlisted books with buddy classes, craft activities, discussions, sharing and more. During lunch time, Krissy will be reading the shortlisted books and doing a craft in the library. Teachers will choose 5 students per day from their class to participate in these activities.
Book character dress up is always an exciting part of Book Week! This year our book week dress up day will be Friday 23 October, culminating with a ‘Book Character Parade’ at recess. Please note that the Red and Purple Preschool groups will dress up on the Tuesday. The parade will run a bit differently this year as we will not be able to invite families on school grounds to join us. Instead, we will film the parade and send it out via Seesaw. One student in each class will win a prize for the most creative costume. We strongly encourage children and parents to use bits and pieces found around the home or at Op shops as opposed to going out and buying expensive costumes.
Chief Minister's Reading Challenge 2020
Congratulations to the group of students from Preschool to Year 6 who completed the Chief Minister's Reading Challenge earlier this year! Certificates have been sent home to participants this week. I would like to acknowledge the following students who read and recorded 30 or more books over a six month period. Well done everyone!
Preschool- Thanushri. K
Kindergarten- Chelsea. M, Oliver. S, Lola. W, Seymin. J, Annabella. Z, Andrew. S, Daniel. R, Meghana. S, Ruhina. H, Sophie. L, Lilliana. K
Year 1- Taylor. C, Tom. M, Yifan. G, Adhrit. K, Abhigna .D, Reeve. C, Zoe. C, Liam. C, Mark. P, Drew. H, Marie. S, Annabel. N, Aaradhya. M, Asher. S, Nikola. M, Daivik. B, Henry. F
Year 2- Tomoki. H, Likith. D, Kushal. B
Year 3- Ava. C, Tobias. R, Shrestha. B, Erika. F, George. S, Tasnia. C
Year 4- Angus. J, Layla. A, Pinipa. L, Masaki. H, Sanul. R, Tharun. K
Year 5- Gahan. J, Ariella. R, Henry. S, Isabel. M, Locky. I, Charvi. G, Monty. P, Sadie. S, Zoe. B, Tyson. R, Peyton. G, Nathan. J, Jiya. P, Mikayla. C, Charlotte. J, Vivia. W, Alex. S, Jasper. D, Daniel. Q, Ivy. S, Acey. B, Kebin. C, Arlo. H, Amy. J, Kai. F
Year 6- Mehar. J
School Travel for 2021
2021 school travel applications are now open Applications for student travel in 2021 opened from Monday 12 October 2020. Students who require a School Opal card or travel pass for 2021 can now apply online. A new application should be submitted if a student is applying for a school travel pass for the first time or requesting an additional pass as a result of a new shared parental responsibility situation (e.g. joint custody). Students who have changed school/campus, changed address, repeated a year or received an expiry notification from Transport for NSW for their school travel entitlement should re-apply or update their details.
*Applications must be completed by the student's parent or legal guardian if the student is aged under 16 years. Students 16 years and over must complete the application form themselves.
Applications need to be submitted before 31 December 2020 to ensure that current student entitlements are updated and their current entitlement/card remains valid. If their application is submitted after 31 December 2020, the system will automatically cancel an entitlement/card and a new one will need to be issued.
Be COVID-safe when returning to school
As students return to school from school holidays, it is as important as ever to be COVID-safe, especially if you have travelled interstate.
If students begin to feel unwell, they should stay home from school and if they have even the mildest of COVID-19 symptoms, they should get tested just in case and self-isolate until they receive their results.
If you travelled interstate over the school holidays, monitor the COVID-19 website of the state or territory you visited for two weeks after returning to see if there are any new cases where you visited. Keep up to date and follow the website’s advice about testing and self-isolation, if required.
If you had interstate friends and family visit, ensure they keep you up to date if they are feeling unwell or if there are any new positive COVID cases reported in their area.
If we keep being diligent and follow the public health advice, we can continue to keep our schools, students and staff safe.
For more information about interstate areas that have had recent COVID-19 cases and what symptoms to monitor, visit www.covid19.act.gov.au
Heroes Corner
If you would like to have your child’s achievements acknowledged here, please email a short blurb to KaleenPSAdmin@ed.act.edu.au.
Community
Kaleen Connections
Do you have a business you would like to promote? Do you find yourself seeking trades and services and you would like to support local?
We would like to share KPS family business information in the form of a Yellow Pages section in our newsletters called “Kaleen Connections”.
If you would like your business to be included, email the following information to christina.mccombe@ed.act.edu.au.
Business name, Your name, A brief description of your services, Contact details, A small logo image (If you have one).
Kaleen Connections newest edition.pdfBuy-Nothing-flyer.pdf
Does your child like to run, jump or throw? Then Little Athletics is the summer sport for you.
Most Little Athletics Centres meet on Saturday morning at their local oval and competition commences on Saturday 17 October and goes all summer long! Each week consists of different athletics disciplines. There is a two week Come and Try to see if Little Athletics is the sport for you.
Register on-line at https://www.athleticsintheact.com.au/get-involved/register-here/ or head down to any Centre for their first competition for more information (https://www.athleticsintheact.com.au/get-involved/our-clubs-and-centres/).
Contact: Matthew Wade – Senior Participation and Development Officer – development@actlaa.org.au
