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AN IMPORTANT COVID UPDATE FOR ALL ST ITA’S PARENTS AND CARERS
Welcome back to all our families for Term 4. I hope you’ve all had a restful break and fingers crossed, we get back to normal day to day schooling on Monday 25th October.
During the school holidays there were reports of Tier 1 COVID-19 sites both in and around the Baw Baw Shire. Upon return to school today, several families have alerted me that they have been to a Tier 1 site and they are currently in isolation.
Tier 1 represents exposure sites where people attending are at greatest risk of catching the virus and passing the infection onto others. As such, people who have visited a Tier 1 site during a time specified must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days — regardless of their result.
From a school perspective, I am appreciative to the families who have alerted us to the fact that they need to isolate as it helps us to maintain a safe workspace for our children and teaching staff.
Last Friday we sent out the current COVID-19 roadmap out to all families in our school community (see below). Please be aware that this roadmap could change if the COVID-19 virus forces the Baw Baw Shire to enter a snap lockdown.
ONSITE REMOTE LEARNING
Remote Learning will continue for all students and onsite remote learning will resume for only Category A and Category B students.
CATEGORY A
Students where both parents, guardians and/or carers are considered authorised workers who cannot work from home, work for an authorised provider and where no other supervision Arrangements can be made:
- Where there are two parents/guardians/carers, both must be authorised workers, working outside the home in order for their children to be eligible for on-site provision.
- For single parents/guardians/carers, the authorised worker must be working outside the home in order for their children to be eligible for on-site provision.
- Please complete the onsite intentions form
CATEGORY B
Students experiencing vulnerability, including:
- in out-of-home care
- deemed vulnerable by a government agency, funded family or family violence service, and assessed as requiring education and care outside the family home
- identified by a school or early childhood service as vulnerable, (including via referral from a government agency, or funded family or family violence service, homeless or youth justice service or mental health or other health service)
- where a parent/carer indicates that a student with a disability is vulnerable because they cannot learn from home, and/or informs the school the student is vulnerable due to family stress, the school must provide on-site supervision for that student.
If your child is in grade 3-6 and does not fall into either of these categories, they must complete remote learning from home.
We thank you for your efforts, patience and the ongoing support and encouragement that you’ve given during these really testing times. Keep positive and roll on Monday 25th October.
ONSITE RESTRICTIONS
PRIMARY SCHOOL NURSING PROGRAM
All students in Foundation will have brought home a Primary School Health Assessment Questionnaire.
The information in this questionnaire is confidential and helps the Primary School Nurse understand any concerns you may have about your child's health and development and the impact this may have on their learning. This information is important in providing support for you and your child.
Primary School Health Assessment Questionnaire's should be returned to Admin as soon as possible.
COVID-19 FINANCIAL SUPPORT
- SCHOOL FEE CONCESSIONS
STUDENTS ATTENDING ONSITE REMOTE LEARNING WITH COLD OR FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS.
If your child is displaying cold or flu like symptoms, please do not send them to Onsite Remote Learning. In the interest of everyone’s health and safety, if your child has cold or flu symptoms please keep them at home until their symptoms have cleared.
I have instructed all staff managing onsite remote learning to contact parents if their children have cold or flu like symptoms and they will need to be collected from school.
CAR LINE DROP OFF AND PICK UP
As of the start of Term 4 our school drop off and pick up will revert back to what we had in place before the last Covid lockdown.
Families whose surnames are A-K can use School Admin for drop off and pick up and Families with surnames L- Z can use Drouin Rec Reserve for drop off and pick up.
Children will be supervised by staff to exit vehicles however independent children can exit on their own accord.
SCHOOL BUSES ARE RUNNING
All Drouin school buses will run at normal times daily during Covid transition back to school.
2022 ENROLMENTS NOW OPEN
We strongly advise families to return application forms for their 2022 Foundation students to guarantee enrolment for next year, our places are filling quickly.
If you require an interview and school tour with your child, please contact our school Admin on (03) 5623 7222 as soon as possible to book a time (COVID-19 Dependent).
All parents will be required to complete a student questionnaire prior to the commencement of your interview (this takes a couple of minutes and you will receive it on arrival). You will also receive an enrolment pack with an enrolment form enclosed.
SCHOOL FEES & FEE CONCESSION
School Fees for 2021 are all due and payable by December 2021.
BPay details are available on your school fee statement. School fees are due by the 4th week of each term and must be paid in full by the end of the school year they are due, December 2021.
If any families would like to pay off their fees either weekly, fortnightly or monthly, please set up a direct debit schedule by completing a Direct Debit Form and returning to the school office at your earliest convenience. Please calculate the total fees payable by the number of weeks/payments required for your fees to be paid by December 2021. For any assistance please contact the school Admin office via email on: admin@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au
For any families that have recently received a Government means-tested Health Care Concession Card and have not already advised the school office, please forward a copy of your card to the office to check your eligibility, as a fee concession may apply. The card must be in the name of the parent/fee payer for a fee concession to apply with the student details listed on the card. A CSEF (Camp, Sport & Excursion Fund) form must also be completed. Application forms must be completed each year.
If your current Health Care Concession Card has expired, or is due to expire and your card is re-issued or any details have changed, please send a copy of your new card details to the office as soon as possible for the concession to be checked and applied to your fees.
LIBRARY NEWS
by Mrs Catherine McKenna, Library Teacher
Email: cmckenna@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au
Recording of the Performance Last Term
At the end of last term, as part of our Book Week celebration we had a livestream incursion by Perform Education. The performance was called Bigger, Better, Brighter and was based on some of the 2021 Book Week books. If your child missed the show, they can watch the recording, just click the link below. Your child might even like to re-watch it ?
13/09/2021 10:00 AM SENIOR VERSION: Click here
13/09/2021 11:40 AM JUNIOR VERSION: Click here
Story Box Library
St Ita’s has a subscription to Story Box library. You are welcome to use this at home. There is a letter attached with further details.
SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB - ISSUE 7
Book Club Issue 7 - CLICK HERE
Orders close Tuesday 26th October for free delivery back to school.
You also have the home delivery option with an addition fee of $7.50
SPORTS STAR OF THE WEEK!
Noah Hatswell recently won Neerim South Football Club's Best & Fairest Player Award. Noah is a pocket rocket on the field and reads the play really well. His left and right skills on both sides of his body are lethal!
ONLINE PARENT COURSE – NO SCAREDY CATS™
Anxiety in children is at an all-time high.
Parentshop® has developed No Scaredy Cats™, a parent-led program to give parents the tools to help their anxious children to become more resilient.
At this time, when it is difficult to get support, Parentshop® are delivering an online parent version of No Scaredy Cats™, presented by the course author, Michael Hawton MAPS.
CLICK HERE for dates and to sign up for the webinar
ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COMMUNITY NEWS
October 2021 Newsletter
PARISH NEWS
THAT ALL BE SAVED
Jesus affirms in today’s Gospel that salvation is impossible for men “but not for God: because everything is possible for God.” (Mk 10:17-30) This is the great hope of us all! Even the best of humankind, who might have given away everything including their lives for God, still cannot “earn” salvation. No amount of points we can score or medals win which can force God to admit us to eternal life. We are generously offered that out of love for each of us, in spite of, not because of, our flawed selves. Of course we do have it in our power to reject the offer of salvation; that is our free will.
Each of us recognises the plight of the rich young man in today’s story, because we have all been there ourselves. Most of us want to do good, to be good, but we find ourselves repeatedly falling short of perfection. We do try, but like the young man, our circumstances, our worldly possessions and interests retard us. Rightly we are sad; how are we to be saved?
From earliest days the Church has taught the possibility that all people are saved and, echoing today’s gospel, the Catechism (CC 1058, 1821) reminds us that, “The Church prays that no one should be lost”. Pope Saint John Paul II often taught the doctrine of universal salvation, expressing the hope that all will be saved. If it is true that no one can save himself, it is also true that God 'desires all men to be saved' (1 Tim 2:4), and that “everything is possible for God.” (Mk 10:27). Joyfully we recall God’s awesome mercy and fathomless love for us. Against all the odds, our efforts are good enough for God. We struggle as best we can, and in so doing, we are assured, not that we will earn salvation, but that it will be given to us.
Deacon Mark Kelly
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 2021
If your child is in Grade 4, or above, is baptised, has received the Sacrament of Reconciliation and is ready to receive First Holy Communion please come along to our parent only information meeting on Wednesday 27th October at St Ita’s Church, Drouin 7pm OR Thursday 28th October at St Joseph’s Church, Warragul. 7pm. We are sending a letter of invitation home with more details via your school. Please keep an eye out within the next day or two. If your child is in Grade 4 and you don’t receive the invitation for some reason please email me. We are looking forward to sharing this very important next step in your child’s faith journey.
Due to the current situation, dates are subject to COVID-19 restrictions. We may need to conduct the above meetings online via Zoom, so we are asking interested parents to please send their preferred email address for receiving the Zoom link if need be. Please send your email address to the following email address.
Email: Warragul.sacraments@cdsale.org.au
For further inquiries please contact Thérèse on M: 0499 116 428