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Westmead Public School

Westmead Public School

Celebrating Excellence in Learning

Telephone02 9635 7793

Emailwestmead-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Returning to face-to-face learning at Westmead Public School

returning to school

  

A guide to returning to face-to-face learning at Westmead Public School

This guide is for parents of Westmead Public School students and has been adapted from the NSW Department of Education’s parent guide. It is up-to-date information as at 20 May 2020.

Schools are safe and open for full time face-to-face learning

All schools are returning to full on-campus learning from Monday 25 May. All school activities and operations will be in line with Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and NSW Health guidelines as applicable. School students do not need to follow physical distancing guidelines, but should follow good hygiene practices like:

•  Regularly washing hands

•  Avoiding sharing drinks or food

•  Coughing or sneezing into your elbow, or a tissue which should be discarded immediately

As students are expected to be at school, there will be no continuation of our online learning approach as of Monday May 25th.

School Attendance

All students should be at school unless:

•  They have a medical certificate which states that they are unable to return to school due to an ongoing medical condition

•  They are currently unwell.

If your child is unwell, do not send them to school. If they are unwell at school you or your nominated emergency contact will need to collect them immediately. Please make sure your contact details are up to date via our SchoolStream app. If a student is absent without a medical reason for more than three days, this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence and followed up by the school.

Students who have a medical certificate to stay at home for an extended period of time will be supported to learn from home in line with regular procedures if they are able to. These regular procedures are different to what was offered during the learning from home period. If you require work to be provided to your child whilst they are at home due to an underlying health condition, you should contact the school for assistance. Please note, students who live with a family member in one of the categories identified as being at increased risk by the AHPPC, should attend school unless a medical practitioner advises otherwise in writing.

If you need any support to get your child back to school, please contact the school.

Reporting and Assessment

Your child has been assessed during the learning from home period and will receive additional assessment on their return to school. You will receive your child’s semester 1 report before the end of August (Week 6, Term 3). At Westmead we are aiming to send reports home Week 1 of Term 3. This will be a simplified version of the report you normally receive and based on the guidelines provided to us by the Department of Education.

School Activities

Teachers will continue to follow the same school curriculum with the exception of some activities that can’t go ahead for now.

What children can do:

•  Engage in non-contact sporting activities

What students can’t do:

•  School assemblies (unless for critical information)

•  School incursions and excursions including camps

•  Inter-school activities (debating, inter-school sport)

•  In-school activities requiring parent or other volunteers

•  Drink from a water bubbler – bring a water bottle instead

We also ask that all students K-6 bring their own supplies to school rather than using shared supplies at school as was previously common in K-2. This includes students having their own pencil case and the stationery they require for school.

School Cleaning and Hygiene Supplies

Our school has received additional cleaning in line with the AHPPC guidelines and advice from NSW Health. Targeted areas include high-touch areas and other hard surfaces, door handles, lockers, light switches and handrails in stairways and movement areas. There will also be additional cleaning of toilets and bubblers and topping up of supplies like soap. We have received supplies of soap, hand sanitiser, toilet paper, paper towels, disinfectant wipes and personal protective equipment. The school is able to order more as needed.

If students are bringing their own soap or hand-sanitiser, which you are welcome to do, we ask that you only send in supplies which are in their original packaging, with ingredients listed, for safety reasons.

School Grounds

●     There should be no visitors to school sites unless they are essential.

●     Wherever possible, P&C and parent/carer/teacher meetings should be conducted virtually.

●     Out of school hours care can continue to operate.

●     Community use of school facilities will recommence only for uses that are necessary for continuation of education and with principal’s approval.

Pick up and Drop Off Procedures:

In order to avoid congestion at the gates we are staggering pick up and drop off times. No grade will be disadvantaged with less teaching time. Supervision will still commence at 8.30am so that families who have students in different grades are able to drop off at the same time.

To further assist with social distancing and to avoid adult contact at the gates there will be a teacher outside the gates on Moree Ave so that parents who are driving do not need to get out of the car and walk their child to the gate instead you can just drop your child and continue on.

In the afternoon each grade will continue to use their designated pick up points. Please make sure that you safely leave the school grounds as soon as you have collected your child.

Responding to COVID-19 Cases

There is a clear plan in place for schools to respond to any suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our schools. We are working closely with NSW Health and will communicate with parents if a situation was to arise.

Uniform Shop

The school uniform shop remains closed to comply with physical distancing and reducing parent activity at the school. We have arranged for a local uniform shop to provide our uniform for the remainder of Term 2, 2020.

Merrylands West School & Workwear Centre 455/457 Merrylands Road, Merrylands

Ph: 9637 4502

For shop opening times call or visit the website https://mlwuniform.com.au/

 

 

I would like to state once again my appreciation of your flexibility, understanding and support during the changing and challenging times of the past weeks. We look forward to seeing students returning full-time next week and thank you in advance for adhering to the guidelines above.

Kind regards,

David Jenkins

Principal