22 July 2021

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Just having completed another week of online learning it is great to see that most of the students can access some if not all the learning experiences provided for them by their teachers. Please do what you can when you can, as we know that home learning is very difficult for all parents especially when they’re trying to juggle their own work commitments.

We have had some great zoom meetings this week with classes becoming very efficient at connecting through this online platform. Most stages are using Google classroom for their work and by now most students who have required technology have managed to pick it up from the office. Please email the school if you are requiring a device and we will endeavour to get it ready for you as soon as possible.

Work for this week will be sent to Class Coordinators on Friday afternoon. Hard copies are available for K-4 students in the office on Monday mornings.

Kindergarten Online Learning

Year 1 Online Learning

Year 2 Online Learning

Increased Restrictions

As circulated last week via email we are now on increased restrictions at school. There are only 7 staff on site, supervision of students is now being done in stage groups. We are combining the K-2 students and the 3-6 students at some stages throughout the day.

Be Kind to Yourselves

Some parents are finding the home learning difficult including the teachers, who are trying to run classrooms offline, mark and give feedback to students, zoom students in the class and home school their own children at home. Please be kind to yourselves. Socialisation and wellbeing are the two main areas of focus for everyone. Teachers are trained for 4 years to differentiate and structure activities to cater for every student and their learning styles, as a parent you are not required to do this. You are all doing a great job and there will be time to catch up work missed. Try and do some schoolwork through the week but then focus on connecting with each other through walks, bike rides, cooking together and playing board games. Children need to learn to amuse themselves too, dress ups, building cubby houses, and imaginary play are all beneficial activities to enhance academic learning. Keeping a diary daily is a way to introduce a “Sentence a Day”, to our reluctant writers.

Be kind to yourselves as parents and carers. We need to just focus on keeping all our community and family members safe. Limited supervision at school is available every day for those who need to leave the house for work. Call or email the school if you need to talk to the class teacher or Mrs Oscroft or Mrs Lee. We are here to support you all.

Please always wear a mask when coming into the office and be sure to QR code upon entry.

Mathletics, Reading Eggs and Wushka Licence

The school subsidises these licences for all students at Manly Vale Public School. These licences are a great source of online learning for students of all grades and stages. Please make use of your child’s log in and access to these online learning experiences, as they are differentiated and able to be assessed and accessed by the class teacher. Currently the take up rate for these programs is very low and it is a shame not to access or use these resources in this home-learning time.

K-2 students could be using the Reading Eggs and Wushka sites daily to assist with reading, spelling and phonics.

P & C Meeting - Tuesday 20 July

Thank you to all parents who attended the P & C meeting last Tuesday night via zoom. It was great to connect with everybody again and discuss the current school organisation. We celebrated the achievements of last term with our K-2 Dance concert, Pie day, Year 6 fundraiser ‘Challenge to Be Fit” obstacle course (on the last day of school), along with all the wonderful activities that we were able to participate in including the Multicultural Public Speaking Competition, debating workshops, auditions for drama, sport gala days and successes, CARES Bike Safety and Band concerts.

It seems like a long time ago, but it was only a matter of weeks ago that the children were climbing through inflatable obstacles and having so much fun to finish our term. As we move forward with P & C fundraising the plans are now into the Department of Education, for the replacement of the playground equipment. The final choice made by the students is below. We now await department approval so we can go ahead with construction.

P & C Executive Positions for 2022

At the end of this year we will lose our current P & C president James Fewtrell and our Treasurer Tony Sherlock. Both parents have their youngest children Kate and Isaac graduating Year 6 at the end of the year. We would like to invite more parents to come along and become a part of P & C meetings this year as a lot of our current committee will be moving on next year. If you can spare some time on a Tuesday evening (once a month) please come and attend a meeting between now and the end of the year.

Café Owl - Thank You

A big thank you to Bec Lloyd, Chris Nicholls, Cathy Weatherston and their team of volunteers for the successful opening of Café Owl last term. It was wonderful to have the Friday morning get together again. I hope it can reopen soon.

Challenge to be Fit - Inflatable Obstacle Course

On the last day of term every student had the opportunity to participate in the year 6 fundraising activity “Challenge to be Fit Obstacle Course.” It was a great way to wind up a very busy term and all the students were completely exhausted after participating in this outdoor activity. We decided to do the obstacle course instead of our usual disco and all the students really enjoyed the day. Thank you to Mrs Blackband and the Year 6 students for organising such a wonderful experience for all.

Support for Families

Some helpful links below:

Provides free, reliable, up-to-date and independent information to help families grow and thrive together. Contains information on COVID-19 and how to help your family cope.

Information on how to stay safe online during the COVID –19 pandemic

1300 130 052

Provides telephone counselling, information and referral service for parents and carers of children ages 0 to 18 who live in New South Wales

1800 066 757

Brings together families, support services and community resources so that our children and young people are safe and well

1800 512 358

Information, advice and strategies to help you manage your wellbeing and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Resources for parents and carers to best support their children and reduce worry and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tina Lee – Principal

Dates for your Diary

School Information