Dear Parents and Friends,
It has felt very strange to have so few students at school. The staff have enjoyed the presence of those in attendance each day but we miss welcoming all of our children on a daily basis and seeing their beautiful smiles. We hope and pray that those who are at home are well and happy and making the most of their time with their families and engaging with the home learning frameworks.
On Tuesday this week, I emailed all parents a letter from the Director of Catholic Schools in our Archdiocese regarding arrangements for our system schools next week. Essentially, the Director is asking that parents keep their children at home unless they do not have the capacity to do this. This will limit the number of students at school so that we can maximise the number of staff attending the professional learning. Staff will be engaging in very intensive training in the use of Microsoft Teams so that there is a common platform across the Archdiocese for upload of materials to support remote learning if we need to transition to that form of teaching and learning next term.
I request that parents notify me via email if supervision is needed at school next week for your children. I will require this information by 5pm this afternoon so that I can ensure teacher coverage for supervision of students during the final week of this term.
I take this opportunity to thank parents for the wonderful messages of support for the staff and for the integral part you are playing in managing home learning for your children. I hope you have enjoyed some wonderful opportunities to spend quality time together and engage in some fun activities. As an attachment to this newsletter I have included 10 tips for parents from Catholic Schools NSW to help your child learning at home which I hope will be helpful to you.
I know that Easter is going to look very different this year but I encourage you to enjoy some special Easter related activities with your children and to attend Mass online and pray together as a family.
Cyber Safety
With the holidays upon us and in the realm of remote learning, it is timely to think about cyber safety for your children. Parents need to be aware that ‘facebook’ and other social networking sites recommend that users be over the age of 13 years placing users in the secondary age group or older. Do you know if your child is on ‘facebook’ (or part of some other internet group) or has been invited to be a member of someone else’s facebook site? There is the potential for online sites to promote bullying and create child protection issues if used inappropriately and without adult supervision. I strongly recommend you speak with your child if they are in Year 4 or above to find out what they are ‘up to’ in the digital world. Students should never give their name, address, age, photo or personal details to anyone online and should not accept invitations to join online sites without your knowledge. More information can be accessed at www.staysmartonline.gov.au
In a home schooling situation, it is essential that parents monitor their child’s interactions using digital media. Please speak with your child about respectful behaviours at all times whether they are interacting in the real or the digital world. Please also ensure that your child is in an open area of the household when using digital applications. Below is a link to an online safety link for parents and carers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a lengthy link but well worth the look!
https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/blog/covid-19-online-safety-kit-parents-and-carers?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=COVID-19%20resources%20for%20educators&utm_content=COVID-19%20resources%20for%20educators+CID_99365d3823dd46ec37b151c888cc373b&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=parents%20or%20carers
Thought for the Week:
“There is nothing more important than ‘OUR’ children - belonging to home and school.”
Philippa Billington
As this is the final newsletter published this term, I take the opportunity to sincerely wish everyone a safe, healthy and holy Easter break and time to count our blessings …… one of which is chocolate!
“Do not abandon yourselves to despair.
We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”
Pope John Paul II
REPEAT NOTICE:
Catholic Schools Enrolment Period For All Catholic Schools
The Catholic Schools Enrolment Period is from Monday 4 May – Friday 22 May (Weeks 2 – 4 inclusive, Term 2) for students commencing in 2021. If you know of anyone outside of our school community who has a child at a Pre-school or Early Learning Centre, please notify them of the opportunity to enrol at Rosary Primary School during the above period. Enrolment forms can be found online via the school website.
Vicky van der Sanden