Newsletter Issue 8, 2020 - Be a Learner, Be Respectful, Be Safe Page 1 Issue 8 19 March 2020 INSIDE Diary 2 World Health Organisation Advice 2 1/2M Hand Hygiene Experiments 2 Exploring Early Childhood 2 CAPA Excursion 2 CHS Table Tennis 3 2/3O Unit on Measurement 3 Appointments Explained 3 Uniform Store 3 Kindergarten Having Fun Last Week 3 K-6 Awards 3 Careers Corner 3 Crankfest Postponed 4 Aruma Open Day Postponed 4 Mental Health First Aid Course 4 Creative Writing Competition 4 Parent Portal Login 4 How are you travelling? As a school, we’d like to say thank you to our families for the calm and sensible way in which they have responded to the concerns regarding the coronavirus. It’s very much been a supportive and “working with us” approach from everyone. This is really appreciated. We continue to be greeted by smiles and a relaxed, but aware, approach and realise that how we interact with each other rubs off. I’d like to take this opportunity to make you aware of what we are doing regarding containing the spread of the virus. Prior to the commencement of this week, we had already made adjustments to school routine in the following ways: Regular hand washing routines introduced into K-6 classes Monitoring of supply in soap dispensers throughout the school Ordered sanitiser to supply to each classroom For coughing and sneezing, tissues are provided in K-6 classrooms with subsequent hand washing required. We will move to provide to any 7-12 classrooms not currently providing tissues. Students must place the tissues in the bin and wash their hands after coughing or sneezing. The return visit to Italy for the 2019-20 Italian exchange group has been postponed from 17/4/20-7/5/20 to 2/10/20-22/10/20. For the 2020-21 exchange, discussions are being held amongst the schools regarding the visit by the Italians in September this year. Students and staff returning from overseas travel have been asked to respect the 14 day self-isolation period before returning to school, and if symptoms present, go and have a test. We have postponed indefinitely this year’s school Anzac assembly (originally scheduled for 7/4/20). All participation in PSSA and CHS Zone and Regional sport (including trials) has been postponed indefinitely Moving forward: Staff have been asked to ensure the Hygiene Advice described by WHO (displayed with this column) is abided. Staff have been asked to postpone indefinitely any events (including excursions) which expose students to group situations, ie. where the experience is made up of a group, or groups, of people from other locations. Staff have been asked to look ahead to the events they are organising and avoid bringing students together in student groups greater than class size (30 students). Staff have been asked to ensure classrooms are well ventilated and good airflow is permitted through having windows open We will move to hold class assemblies in K-6 and Year assemblies in 7 -12 until further notice, unless circumstances require a different arrangement. I am hoping the need to have larger group gatherings will be rare.
Transcript
Newsletter Issue 8, 2020 - Be a Learner, Be Respectful, Be Safe Page 1
Issue 8
19 March 2020
INSIDE
Diary 2
World Health Organisation Advice 2
1/2M Hand Hygiene Experiments 2
Exploring Early Childhood 2
CAPA Excursion 2
CHS Table Tennis 3
2/3O Unit on Measurement 3
Appointments Explained 3
Uniform Store 3
Kindergarten Having Fun Last Week 3
K-6 Awards 3
Careers Corner 3
Crankfest Postponed 4
Aruma Open Day Postponed 4
Mental Health First Aid Course 4
Creative Writing Competition 4
Parent Portal Login 4
How are you travelling? As a school, we’d like to say thank you to our families for the calm and
sensible way in which they have responded to the concerns regarding the
coronavirus. It’s very much been a supportive and “working with us” approach
from everyone. This is really appreciated. We continue to be greeted by
smiles and a relaxed, but aware, approach and realise that how we interact
with each other rubs off. I’d like to take this opportunity to make you aware of
what we are doing regarding containing the spread of the virus.
Prior to the commencement of this week, we had already made adjustments to school routine in the following ways:
Regular hand washing routines introduced into K-6 classes
Monitoring of supply in soap dispensers throughout the school
Ordered sanitiser to supply to each classroom
For coughing and sneezing, tissues are provided in K-6 classrooms
with subsequent hand washing required. We will move to provide to any 7-12 classrooms not currently providing tissues. Students must place the tissues in the bin and wash their hands after coughing or sneezing.
The return visit to Italy for the 2019-20 Italian exchange group has been
postponed from 17/4/20-7/5/20 to 2/10/20-22/10/20. For the 2020-21 exchange, discussions are being held amongst the schools regarding the visit by the Italians in September this year.
Students and staff returning from overseas travel have been asked to
respect the 14 day self-isolation period before returning to school, and if symptoms present, go and have a test.
We have postponed indefinitely this year’s school Anzac assembly
(originally scheduled for 7/4/20).
All participation in PSSA and CHS Zone and Regional sport (including
trials) has been postponed indefinitely Moving forward:
Staff have been asked to ensure the Hygiene Advice described by
WHO (displayed with this column) is abided.
Staff have been asked to postpone indefinitely any events (including
excursions) which expose students to group situations, ie. where the experience is made up of a group, or groups, of people from other locations.
Staff have been asked to look ahead to the events they are organising
and avoid bringing students together in student groups greater than class size (30 students).
Staff have been asked to ensure classrooms are well ventilated and
good airflow is permitted through having windows open
We will move to hold class assemblies in K-6 and Year assemblies in 7
-12 until further notice, unless circumstances require a different arrangement. I am hoping the need to have larger group gatherings will be rare.
Newsletter Issue 8, 2020 - Be a Learner, Be Respectful, Be Safe Page 2
Diary
Week 9 Term 1 - Week A
23-27 March Preliminary Exams
24 March Bill Turner Cup - CANCELLED
25 March CHS Open Netball Trials MNC - CANCELLED
27 March SRC Crazy Sock Day (K-6)
Week 10 Term 1 - Week B
30 March Yr 7-12 Parent / Teacher evening - CANCELLED
PSSA NC Football - CANCELLED
School Council Meeting 6:00-7:00pm
31 March CHS Regional Football - CANCELLED
1-3 April NSW CHS Swimming - CANCELLED
2 April CHS Open Rugby League Trials - CANCELLED
Cyberbullying Workshop Yr 7-8
Week 11 Term 1 - Week A
8 April Easter Hat Parade - CANCELLED
9 April School Cross Country (tentative)
Last day of Term 1
1/2M Hand Hygiene Experiments Mrs McKay’s class have been taking the
opportunity to do some experiments around
germs and hand hygiene.
They did an experiment
with pepper in water; the
pepper sticks to dirty
fingers, but once they are
cleaned with soap and
water, the pepper is
repelled. This was a good visual reminder for the
students on the importance of good handwashing.
Exploring Early Childhood On Monday our biggest kids had some fun with
our littlest kids! For an assessment task, Senior
Exploring Early Childhood created an activity for a
small group of kindergarten students to help
improve one area of their development (language,
socio-emotional, physical or cognitive). There was
a wide range of activities including learning
Bandjalang words for native animals, play dough
literacy and emoji emotions. All the students (big
and little) were very engaged and had lots of fun!
Thanks for having us Ms Wall and Kindergarten.
CAPA Excursion Students in Drama, Art and Music electives are
invited to attend a super-exciting artsy excursion
to Brisbane in Term 3. Mr Beck, Ms Simpson and
Ms Cannings will be accompanying the students
to see Bran Nue Dae the musical at QPAC, The
Happiest Prince at La Boite Theatre and to see
exhibitions at GOMA in Southbank. Each cultural
experience will involve a closer look such as a
Q&A or tour, giving CAPA students an insight into
Students who show symptoms of a cold or flu or are running a
temperature should be asked to stay at home. If they present at school with such symptoms they should be directed to sick bay where we will contact home to have the student collected.
Staff have been provided the following statements as a guide:
Minimise social contact
Abide safe hygiene practices (as described)
Maintain good ventilation in rooms and use outdoor areas where
suitable
If unsure, seek advice from government sources
I’m aware there are discussions about schools closing. While this remains an option for the future, schools will continue to operate with the above guidelines in place at this time. It is possible some pupil free days may be used at this time as well. This would be a government decision, not one for individual schools. If we were to have an instance of the virus at school, the school would likely become non-operational for a day or two to assess potential spread and to “deep clean” the site.
Rob Walker – Principal
World Health Organization advice for avoiding spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Hygiene advice
Clean hands frequently with soap and water, or alcohol-based hand rub.
Wash hands after coughing or sneezing; when caring for the sick; before; during and after food preparation; before eating; after using the toilet; when hands are visibly dirty; and after handling animals or waste.
Maintain at least 1 meter (3 feet) distance from anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Do not spit in public.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or bent elbow when coughing or sneezing. Discard the tissue immediately and clean your hands.
Medical advice
If you feel unwell (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) seek medical care early and call local health authorities in advance.
Stay up to date on COVID-19 developments issued by health authorities and follow their guidance.
Newsletter Issue 8, 2020 - Be a Learner, Be Respectful, Be Safe Page 3
the creative industries.
The excursion will include
an over night stay at
Brisbane YHA as well as
sightseeing and shopping
opportunities. Please
support this fantastic new initiative by getting your
deposit in by the end of week 10!
CHS Table Tennis Last week, the Far North Coast Table Tennis
Association hosted teams and individuals for a
gala day competition. Sam Foster, Sam Ticknor,
Kane Turner and Saxon Heath represented Evans
River K-12 in style. The boys played many
individual and double matches and ended up
coming in second place. Well done boys!
2/3O Unit on Measurement Miss O’Connor’s class enjoyed measuring
distances around the school with trundle wheels
recently.
Kindergarten Having Fun Last Week
Uniform Store
Every Friday 8:30am-9:30am, Performance Hall Payments can be made by cash or Eftpos.
K-6 AWARDS Term 1, Week 7
KW Adalyn Jones
Tristan O’Reilly
Leighton Paringatai
Sophia O’Connell
1C Van
Liddle
Zoe
Ison
Azari
Gordon
Kash Levett
1/2M Storm Novak
Rubyn Marks
Ellise Fuller
Brody Moore
2/3O Callum Yager
Yahburri Wilson
Caden Plowman
Owen Weir
3/4E Frankie Williams
Judah Heath
Hayden Fry
Sunny Mackinnon
4/5F Isabelle Preece
Tahlia
Ison
Ava Collingburn
Matilda Strong
5/6B Honey
Hodder-Bell Leo
Ellis
Sunny McLean
Caitlyn Sutton
6F Halle
Mayes Kaden
Levett
Dana Collingburn
Sophie Robinson
Dirrawong Awards
William Willows
Maya
Fields
Phoebe Fuller
Elke Blore-Jones
Tax File Numbers (TFN) For some time, students have had to apply
online to obtain a tax file number. All the
steps and required documentation can be
found on the careers website by going to the
drop-down menu under “Important
Information”, or by clicking here.
Once a student has received a TFN please stress to them the importance of
keeping it in a safe and secure location. It is a number they will need for the
rest of their working lives.
Mr Chris Hayward, Careers Adviser
School Careers Website: www.evansriverk12careers.com
