FRIDAY 5 JUNE 2020 Newsletter Week 7 Term 2 Toowoomba East State School Cnr Arthur & Mary Streets PO Box 2882 TOOWOOMBA QLD 4350 07 4637 5222 —————————————— Student Absences SMS 0427 064 253 Email: [email protected]www.toowoombaeastss.eq.edu.au FROM THE PRINCIPAL Welcome Back It was a pleasure last Monday to welcome back our students who had been learning from home. To balance the challenge of educang your child remotely with all of the complexies resulng from the COVID-19 pandemic is a massive undertaking. Thank you to all of our at-home teachers. We are so grateful for your support during this challenging me. Much of the work completed has been truly impressive! I’d like also to acknowledge the helpfulness and posivity of the students who were supervised on campus over the first five weeks of term. Your good manners and iniave made it easier for our staff to do such a wonderful job under the most unusual of circumstances. Semester One Report Cards Semester One Report Cards will be emailed home during the last week of term. This has been a semester like no other and our reporng processes will be a reflecon of this. Students will not be issued with a grade for Effort or Behaviour. Teachers will use a combinaon of evidence from the first part of Term One, the second part of Term Two, home learning packs and professional judgement to assign a grade from at least four Learning Areas. Other areas will be designated a rang of ‘N’, indicang that there is insufficient evidence to make a judgement. Comments will be more general in nature when compared to previous reports. It is our intent to return to normal reporng processes for Semester Two.
It was a pleasure last Monday to welcome back our students who had been learning from home. To
balance the challenge of educating your child remotely with all of the complexities resulting from
the COVID-19 pandemic is a massive undertaking. Thank you to all of our at-home teachers. We are
so grateful for your support during this challenging time. Much of the work completed has been
truly impressive!
I’d like also to acknowledge the helpfulness and positivity of the students who were supervised on
campus over the first five weeks of term. Your good manners and initiative made it easier for our
staff to do such a wonderful job under the most unusual of circumstances.
Semester One Report Cards
Semester One Report Cards will be emailed home during the last week of term. This has been a
semester like no other and our reporting processes will be a reflection of this. Students will not be
issued with a grade for Effort or Behaviour. Teachers will use a combination of evidence from the
first part of Term One, the second part of Term Two, home learning packs and professional
judgement to assign a grade from at least four Learning Areas. Other areas will be designated a
rating of ‘N’, indicating that there is insufficient evidence to make a judgement. Comments will be
more general in nature when compared to previous reports. It is our intent to return to normal
reporting processes for Semester Two.
Page 2 Toowoomba East State School
COVID-19 Precautions
This week, the Premier announced a welcome reduction in restrictions due to a lower rate of COVID-19
infections. While there is every reason for optimism, it is important that we remain diligent when it
comes to hygiene at school. Mr Wong has installed four additional outdoor hand-washing stations for
the use of students and staff. Regular hand washing has become part of our everyday routine, with every
classroom having access to its own station. In addition, liquid hand sanitiser is available in every
classroom as well as common areas such as the library and staffroom.
Our cleaners continue to pay particular attention to high touch surfaces. Taps, handrails, light switches
and playgrounds are disinfected a number of times each day. Student desks and chairs are disinfected
daily.
To reduce the number of adults inside the school grounds, drop-off zones on Mary Street and student
collection areas on both the Nev Cooke Oval and the basketball courts will remain in place for the coming
weeks.
In keeping with COVID-19 government regulations, the parent/caregiver of any child who is sick will be
contacted and asked to collect their child from school.
Thank you for your support and flexibility as we strive to put into place school-based measures aimed at
keeping all of our students, staff and parents safe and well. Your kind words and understanding are truly
appreciated.
Amenities Blocks / Staggered Breaks
Work on our amenities blocks is nearing completion. Over the next few weeks, we will continue with
staggered breaks. Students in Prep and Year 1 will have morning tea between 10:30am – 11:00am and
lunch from 12:30pm until 1:30pm. Students in Years 2 – 6 will continue to take an early lunch between
11:00am – 12:00pm and then afternoon tea between 1:30pm and 2:00pm. This reduces the number of
students using the demountable, temporary toilet blocks at the same time. Once our new amenities
blocks are in use, staggered break times will cease.
Supervised Crossings
At school assembly, we regularly remind students about the importance of using the supervised school
crossings on Mary Street, Arthur Street and Lindsay Street and crossing at the lights on Margaret Street.
Due to COVID-19, we are currently unable to hold school assemblies. We ask that parents/caregivers
remind their children to use these facilities. In addition, we ask that all adults set an example by using
the crossings themselves.
Winter Uniforms
As the cold weather begins, students will require school jumpers and long pants. A range of winter
uniform items is available from the Uniform Shop (open 8:00am – 9:30am Monday, Wednesday and
Friday). Parents may, however, choose to purchase items in the appropriate colour from another source.
Jumpers and tracksuit pants must be navy blue. Navy blue or black tights may be worn under a uniform.
A plain navy blue or black skivvy may also be worn under a school uniform for additional warmth. If you
have any questions or are experiencing any difficulty in relation to school uniforms, please contact Mr
Gibson at school.
Page 3 Toowoomba East State School
PE News
Over the next few weeks, students in years three to six will be completing an Athletics unit as part of the Health and Physical Education curriculum. Some of the lessons in this unit will be undertaken at the Toowoomba Sports Ground adjacent to the school grounds. Students will be supervised at all times when transitioning to and from these lessons. Students will also be participating in lessons on discus, it is now a requirement to have a permission form signed by parents to participate and these will be sent home in the coming weeks.
If you have any questions regarding this, please contact the school on 46375222.
Library News
We are delighted to have all of the children back at school with us and most importantly, borrowing books! Many students borrowed several books to last them for the home schooling weeks and we encourage them to return those items as soon as possible.
Thank you to all who completed the home library tasks. We have been excited to receive emails from children who have shared their finished projects with us.
Remember that your child does not have to wait for their library lesson each week to borrow. We love to have visitors in the mornings before school who exchange their books…some every single day!
Bookweek 2020 has been postponed due to COVID–19 and will now take place the very first week back in Term 4. Stay tuned for more information about our special activities that week. For those who like to plan ahead this year’s theme is “Curious Creatures, Wild Minds.”
Also in the planning stage is a Parent Library where you will be able to borrow books on a range of topics that may interest you.
There are some lovely displays of children’s work in the Library at the moment, so please drop in and have a look around.
Enjoy the last few weeks of this term and keep on reading with your children!
Lyn Brinnand & Jo Resetti
Support for Anxious Children
Follow the link to find an interesting article about how you may be able to support your children
in their transition back to school-based learning.
Page 8 Toowoomba East State School Page 8 Toowoomba East State School
Toowoomba East Office Hours 8:00am to 3:15pm Change of Details Please ensure you let the Office know if your address, contact details, family circumstances, emergency contacts or email addresses change. Please see the office staff or phone 4637 5220 or 4637 5230 to update your details.
Student Absences and Late Arrival
If your child is absent or will be arriving late to school,
Please SMS 0427 064 253 on the Student SMS Absence Number.
EG. TEXT—MARY SMITH, 3G,
SICK/HOLIDAY/FAMILY REASONS/DOCTOR’S APPOINTMENT/ARRIVING LATE AT 10AM,
FROM MOTHER
School Tuckshop The school Tuckshop operates Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:15am to 1:50pm. It is not open on Mondays. All orders must be placed online — go to www.flexischools.com.au and click “Register Now”, then place orders. If you have any questions contact the FlexiSchools help desk on 1300 361 769. Volunteers are always needed and greatly appreciated. Please drop in and see us at the Tuckshop if you would like to help.
Payments BPOINT Online Card Payment is the Education Department’s preferred method of payment. Payment Methods BPOINT Online Card Payment—Details for BPOINT payments are on Student Invoices In person at the Toowoomba East Administration Office —Via EFTPOS (no payments less than $10.00) No late payments will be accepted
Uniform Shop Hours Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 8:00am to 9:30am. School uniforms may also be ordered online via FlexiSchools— go to www.flexischools.com.au.
