Newsletter – Term 4, Week 1, 2021

Covid has continued to impact the world – and in turn the community at Bellaire PS. Covid fatigue is real, it has been impacting everyone, including our students.

It has been fantastic to have our Prep – 2 students back on site. Our year 3 – 6 students and teachers are still undertaking Remote Learning. Our teachers are working hard, offering and undertaking individual and group support to different students and families and trying to ensure our students are not only continuing with their learning but also ensuring they are focusing on the students well – being.

Next week we welcome back the Year 3 and Year 4 students on Tuesday and Wednesday and our Year 5 and 6 students on Thursday and Friday. A big thank you to all staff, students, and families in ensuring that our students have continued to learn and develop through the most challenging of times. We anticipate some uncertainty, trepidation, and excitement in our return to school and feel prepared to support students with this transition. The term ahead will again be one full of challenges but also opportunities with our clear focus being supporting the wellbeing and learning of every student.

It will be exciting for our students to be able to be back with friends and teachers and reconnect in ways that haven’t always been possible over the last 18 months. The current climate has taught us the importance and critical role that the school plays connecting our community for students, staff, parents, carers, and families.

We would like to encourage students to use the front and back gates. We ask that parents socially distance while waiting for their child / children and not linger once their child / children have arrived at the end of the day or when they are dropped off in the morning.

The Department is delivering air purifiers to schools for higher risk areas and in the meantime, we are ensuring adequate ventilation of all buildings. Our COVID Safe cleaning is also continuing for all of Term 4 for inside buildings, high touch areas and playground equipment.

We are continuing to encourage and promote physical distancing, regular hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer to ensure the safety of all students and staff.

The Department of Education has been communicating regularly with school Principals about the ever changing landscape of learning during Term 4. As per 2020, we will need to continue to communicate with families the best we can. In regards to transition, graduation, School Concert and other events we may need to make decisions regarding these events at short notice. We will continue to inform families about changes when we have the information.

There are a lot of things happening in term 4 –

• Prep – 2 Sports Day
• Grade 5 Funtastic Fair
• Colour Run
• School Concert
• Mango Drive
• Year 6 Graduation
• Transition Sessions (Prep 2022, Year 6, whole school)
• and more…. (hopefully!)

We will also be looking at organising our staffing for 2022 and also the classes. More information about this will be in the next newsletter.

Mosquito spraying took place over the school holidays.  We are hopeful this will help control them.

We put in a variance with the Department of Education and are very excited to announce it has been approved. This means that in the week of Geelong Cup our Year 3 and Year 4 students will be ON SITE on Monday and Tuesday (in stead of Tuesday and then the Wednesday being Geelong Cup). The teachers are extremely excited that they will be able to see the students on site for two days that week.

Principal

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