St Augustine's Primary School Creswick eNewsletter

From the Principal's Desk

Most of us would be aware that the lockdown will be extended until 11.59 pm Tuesday 27th July. Remote learning and onsite supervision for students of essential workers will continue until all students are back at school. A huge thank you to everyone in the school community for the way you have embraced learning from home once again. Your support and understanding in this matter are greatly appreciated. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the staff here at St Augustine's who enacted their remote learning plans on Friday morning with minimal notice. The students are always at the forefront of every decision made, and their dedication and commitment and passion for their job are unquestionable.

Covid Update

An update of what is expected when entering our school:

Masks are to be worn indoors and outdoors if you are unable to create a 1.5-metre buffer
Would you please ensure you sign in using the QR code placed at the entry
If you need to meet, please phone ahead to make an appointment
We encourage hand sanitisation when entering our school. Sanitiser is available at check-in.

Tuck Shop

Over the last month, I have had several conversations with parents expressing a desire to make some changes to the school tuck-shop with the idea of expanding the offerings. Leadership met to discuss the idea at the end of Term 2. We are happy to meet with parents to hear their views and make a plan for the future. At the moment school personnel are coordinating the tuck-shop, this would cease if we were to add more to the menu. There would be an expectation that a committee would be formed (3 members) to meet regularly with school leadership and coordinate the tuck-shop's running. Please feel free to contact me to discuss this idea.

At this stage we expect the tuck-shop to resume next Friday 30th July (assuming the lockdown ends on Tuesday 27th July). All orders previously paid for/placed for Friday 16th July, will be carried over to Friday 30th July. We now seek volunteers for the following dates:

Friday 30th July - 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th August - 10th & 17th September (Friday 3rd Sept is covered)

We require 2 volunteers each Friday for approximately 1 hour (10:45 - 11:45 am). Should you be free and willing, please email Mandy with the date you are avaialble as soon as possible, and you will be placed on the Term 3 roster. Thank you!

Parent / Teacher Meetings

Parent/Teacher Meetings that were to be held early this term will have to wait until things return to normal. When teachers return to teaching back at school, we will select the dates and get that information out.

Camps Sports & Excursions Fund

Please note that the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund application deadline has been extended. We now have until Friday 13th August to submit CSEF applications. If you hold a healthcare card, and have not made a claim for 2021 as yet, you may be eligible to claim. If you feel you may qualify, please speak with Mandy. For further information, please view the attached flyer.

School Master Plan

We have reached a very exciting time in the history of our school. It is now time to consider drafting an expansion plan. Our numbers have been steadily growing over the last ten years to the point last year, where we were able to set our school up as a single stream learning model. With this in mind and knowing absolutely nothing about building or expanding a twenty-first-century learning space, it was time to call in the experts. I have a fair idea of what the area should contain, but the construction logistics are outside my comfort zone. Late last term, after receiving some advice from personnel from Catholic Education Ballarat, I met with Scott Alterator from Innovation Design Education.

He outlined his plan going forward:

Meet with myself and CEB representatives to set strategic directions and priorities.
Get to know a little bit about us, student makeup, catchment etc. Some questions he asked centred around wellbeing, teaching and learning and ways to support colleagues. He asked one interesting question- What could the new facilities do that is not currently happening?
Strategic leadership – St Augustine's as a community leader or beacon. The role of future leadership in education and the community. Our position as a community connector.
He met with leadership to get their thoughts on where to go and what the project might look like.
He plans to meet with all staff to involve them in the planning.
He also plans to meet with parents and carers to provide them with the opportunity to shape the decision.
Finally, he hopes to meet with the broader community to give them a voice as well.

NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC Week Celebrations were held across Australia in early July to acknowledge the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by all Australians from all walks of life.

The Indigenous voice of this country is over 65,000 plus years old. They are the first words spoken on this continent. Languages that passed down lore, culture and knowledge for over millennia. They are precious to our nation. It's that Indigenous voice that includes know-how, practices, skills and innovations - found in a wide variety of contexts, such as agricultural, scientific, technical, ecological and medicinal fields, as well as biodiversity-related knowledge. They are words connecting us to the country, an understanding of the country, and people who are the oldest continuing culture on the planet.