Dear CSPS parents and carers,
I think I could hear the collective sigh of relief from teachers and parents this morning when the announcement about students returning to school was finally made by the Premier. I’m very aware of the emotional tension that has been rising amongst our parents and teachers as we’ve waited expectantly for this announcement. The unknown is very difficult to manage and impacts on everyone’s wellbeing. We have of course, been thinking about what this might look like for all of us and now we have some certainty, we will continue to do the problem-solving required work out details. We will send out further details and information as soon as possible.
I am very relieved that a decision has now been made. This has clearly been an incredibly difficult decision to make and I’m grateful it was not mine to make!
I have been extremely grateful to our whole community for the way in which this difficult time has been managed for such an extended period. I encourage everyone to take a big breath and hold the resolve that this will take from us all, in order to return to school successfully.
I want to assure our community that we are most mindful of safety and wellbeing as the highest priority.
Following advice from the Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government has advised that schools can begin a phased return to on-site schooling.
In the first stage, students in Prep, Grade 1 and Grade 2 will return to school from Tuesday 26 May.
To support all school staff to prepare for this transition, Monday 25 May will be a pupil-free day.
In the second stage of our return to on-site schooling, all other year levels will return to school from Tuesday 9 June.
For those students who cannot be supervised at home and vulnerable children, the existing model of on-site schooling will remain in place during the two-week period from Tuesday 26 May to Tuesday 9 June. The current process that we are using to enable parents and carers to indicate the days or part-days for which on-site schooling is required will continue for this two-week period.
All other students in these grades and year levels will continue learning from home until Tuesday 9 June.
Once a year level has returned, all students will be expected to attend school as normal. This means that if you choose to keep your child/children home after their year level has returned to on-site schooling, we can no longer support their learning from home.
This does not apply to children who need to be absent for health or medical reasons. For those families, please contact us so we can make an appropriate plan.
This same approach is being taken by all government schools in Victoria.
To support the health and wellbeing of all our students and staff, our school will continue an enhanced cleaning routine and will encourage frequent hand washing.
If your child is ill or is feeling unwell, they must not attend school. They must remain home and seek medical advice.
While the Chief Health Officer has advised that students will not be required to maintain physical distancing at school, there will be a number of important changes to our school operations, consistent with health advice. This will apply until further notice. I will provide more detail about our local school context as soon as possible, but it is important to note that changes may include:
- adjusted arrangements for drop off and pick up, including staggered school start and finish times;
- restrictions on access to the school site for anyone other than immediate school staff and students;
- the way we conduct parent-teacher meetings and interviews
We understand that some families may feel anxious about this move back to classroom teaching and learning. I can assure you that this decision has been taken on the basis of the best health advice available to our State.
More information about the return to school and coronavirus (COVID-19) can be found on the Department’s website, which will continue to be updated:
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/department/Pages/coronavirus.aspx
I thank our magnificent staff and school community for your continued support and patience during this time. We certainly look forward to welcoming our students and staff back into our CSPS classrooms! I look forward to the day our parents will again be able to congregate on our school grounds but for the moment, it will be children and staff and that will be something we will all appreciate, I’m sure. There will be further communication in the coming days. Thank you all.
Warmest regards,
Gayle Yardley
Principal