Principal's Report
Dear Parents, Teachers and Students,
Welcome Back for Term 3
I would like to extend a very warm welcome back for Term 3 to all students, families and staff. I trust that the two-week break provided an opportunity to refresh and unwind, and that all are now ready to take on the challenges of a new term. It’s been lovely catching up with students on the playground and hearing about their holiday break.
COVID-19 Update
Following the school holidays, when many in our community have travelled, it is very important that COVID-19 guidelines be carefully followed. A letter detailing ongoing precautions was sent to families via SZapp on Saturday; it is attached to this newsletter for your information.
Playgroup
At this stage, the COVID restrictions do not prevent us from continuing playgroup, so it will be on as usual between 9am and 11am tomorrow. All visitors to the school must sign in using the Service NSW QR code.
Mt Carmel Day
This Friday 16 July is Mt Carmel Day, and it is a rare opportunity to celebrate our Feast Day on its actual date — the day normally falls during the school holidays. Unfortunately, due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, we have to modify our plans somewhat: instead of a whole-school Mass we will be holding a prayer service in the PAC and parents cannot be invited to attend; we will not be moving around the school en-masse for rotation activities but we will still be having mixed year buddy-groupings in each classroom; because we can’t invite parent-helpers we will not be able to have a sausage-sizzle lunch, but there will be a special treat for everyone at recess.
NCCD
Attached to this newsletter is information about the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the NCCD. The process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about support provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019). The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.
Guess who Ducked in for a Visit?
The Front Office can be can be an unpredictable place – on any given day you never know waddle happen. Mrs Cassidy and Mrs McEvoy were surprised and concerned about some unusual noises coming from the old, boarded-up fireplace in the Front Office yesterday… but there was no fowl play, just a feathered friend who ducked down the chimney, probably looking for nice hollow to nest in. It’s a good thing he came at the end of the school holidays rather than the start — a very lucky duck, indeed!
Michael Green
Principal