Newsletter – Term 2, Week 3, 2022

The weeks are flying by in Term 3, we are already at the end of Week 3 and the weather is starting to get colder and wetter. In saying that, it is wonderful to have the students at school each day. After the uncertainty of the last two years, it is wonderful that school and school life has returned to the new ‘normal’.

Just a reminder to all families that our school grounds are not supervised before 8.45am. We are having students arrive earlier and earlier and it is a concern that they are unsupervised. We ask that you please utilise our Before and After School Care service if required.

We are very excited that our Year 3-6 sports will be taking place at Landy Field on Wednesday! Parents are welcome to attend the event. At this stage, the weather is looking good.

This week our Year 3 and Year 5 students sat their NAPLAN tests. This year NAPLAN was undertaken online. It is the first time it has been online for everyone. We have found that our students have adapted to performing the tests online well. They have had experience with this in school previously with other online sites such as Essential Assessment and I believe a lot of the students felt quite comfortable undertaking the test in this way.

NAPLAN is an important part of data gathering for the Department of Education however, it is one test and one day of the student’s schooling year and does not define who the child is. There are so many different aspects to being a successful person and here at Bellaire we focus on all of those aspects, academic excellence being just one of them.

We are so proud of how our Year 3 and Year 5 students have worked this week.

To ensure that we are able to accommodate all students who wish to enrol at Bellaire Primary School we ask that parents return enrolment forms to the office as soon as possible. Enrolment forms can be found on our website https://bellaireps.vic.edu.au/enrolments/#school-enrolments or be collected from our front office.

With borders opening and the arrival of colder weather, cases of influenza (the flu) are increasing throughout Victoria.

Our community is at risk of higher rates of students and staff affected by the flu or COVID-19 this season and we have seen a rise in the number of children suffering symptoms over the last week here at school.

What to do if your child gets sick
To help keep your child and our school community safe, please take the following steps if your child has any cold or flu-like symptoms:

1. take a COVID-19 test and follow the current Department of Health isolation requirements if a positive result is shown
2. keep your child at home until their symptoms pass
3. common flu-like symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, loss of appetite, body aches and feeling extremely weak and tired
4. diagnosis of the flu can only be confirmed by a doctor after a nose or throat swab
5. encourage your child to wash their hands regularly and ask them to cover their nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing.

COVID-19 vaccination
COVID-19 vaccines are available free of charge to everyone aged 5 years and over in Australia.
It is important that children and young people have the best possible protection against the flu and COVID-19 by getting vaccinated.
Ensuring your children are protected against serious illness helps to protect everyone in our community, including older family members who may be at higher risk, along with younger children who can’t receive vaccinations yet.
You can book COVID-19 vaccinations through the COVID-19 hotline on 1800 675 398 or at a participating GP, pharmacy, or community health service.

Some local schools are also holding walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinics on school grounds. Vaccination settings can be found at the Vaccine Clinic Finder.

Flu vaccination
Flu vaccination is recommended for everyone aged 6 months and over.
Some people are more at risk of complications from the flu and are eligible for free vaccination under the National Immunisation Program including:

1. anyone aged 65 years and older
2. pregnant women (at any stage of pregnancy)
3. all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged from 6 months and over
4. people 6 months or older with:
   • heart disease
   • chronic lung disease (including people with severe asthma who require frequent hospital visits)
   • chronic neurological conditions
   • impaired immunity
   • haemoglobinopathies (blood disorders caused by genetic changes)
   • diabetes
   • kidney disease
5. children on long-term aspirin therapy from 6 months to 10 years
6. children aged from 6 months to under 5 years.

Flu vaccinations can be booked through GPs and pharmacies, many of which can also provide COVID-19 vaccinations. If you would like more information about the flu vaccination, visit the Better Health Channel.

Please do contact us if you have questions and once again appreciate the support of all families in keeping all students safe and well.

As stated in information sent home to families earlier this week the Department of Education have instructed all schools to hold a Student Free Day this term as part of the Victorian Schools Agreement. After consulting with the School Council FRIDAY 3^rd JUNE will be a Student Free Day. Our OSHC service is available for those who require it.

Our School Council meeting will be held on Monday night. We will send out any information required for our community from the meeting next week.

Seesaw have made some changes to the ‘look’ of Seesaw. Today an information poster was sent home via Seesaw to explain the changes.

We have amazing Education Support Staff here at Bellaire Primary School. They are the unsung heroes who support students, teachers and leadership throughout the school. They work in our office, in the classroom with different students and throughout our OSHC service. We couldn’t do it without them! Monday is the day we celebrate our Education Support Staff with a special morning tea.

If you see these people around the school on Monday, please give them a special THANK YOU!

Principal

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The Bellaire Athletics Carnival will be held at Landy Field next Wednesday, 18^th of May. Students will need to wear their house colours on the day and also bring along a safety pin to attach their scorecard. Students will also need to bring along their snack, lunch and plenty of water. There will be no food to purchase at Landy Field. Please also ensure no year 3-6 students order a lunch order next Wednesday, as students will be returning to Bellaire at around 3:00pm.

Buses will be leaving school at 9:05am, so students are asked to be on time for a quick departure. The note is on QKR and permission and payment need to be made before the day.

I am also on the hunt for a few more hands to help the day run smoothly. If you are available, I would love your help! Please send me an email or pop past the PE office.

Mr Canny