Dear families,
I hope you have remained well and enjoyed the Summer holiday break. Thank you for your patience as we have worked through details regarding our delayed return to school in 2022. I know many of you will be eager to lock in your own family arrangements, so I hope this correspondence answers your questions and gives you a clearer picture of what the coming weeks may look like. I encourage you to read this email in full. For some families, further action may be required by way of completing an attendance survey for your child.
As you would be aware from recent media reports, the Queensland Government has announced a delayed return for all schools in 2022. The new official starting date for all students is now Monday, 7 February 2022, two weeks later than originally planned. I know this change is going to require an additional juggle for many of our families, and certainly appreciate it puts some in a very difficult position. As per the indication of health and government departments, it is our preference that as many children as possible remain at home during this extra two weeks of school holidays in order to get vaccinated and prepare to return to school in a safe way. However, as per the Department of Education's advice, schools will open across these two weeks for children of essential workers.
As such, our school will be open for children of essential workers only from Monday 24 January – Friday 4 February. Please note, while students will be supervised, there will be no formal learning during this period. Students will not be placed with their new class teacher, or be in their 2022 classroom. Year levels may also be combined, depending on numbers, as we’ve been instructed to have the minimum teaching staff on site during this period as is possible. The hope is that reducing teaching staff on site during these two weeks is the best plan to allow your child’s teacher to start the school year healthy and well, so they can be present on the first official day of school.
We have created an essential worker attendance survey on the Qkr! app. This survey should only be completed by families who WILL need care for their child/children on one or more days between Monday 24 January – Friday 4 February.
Please carefully consider your need to send your child to school, as we will base our staffing levels on the student numbers reported to us. It is crucial this survey is completed by 4pm Monday 17 January. If you do not indicate your child’s attendance and turn up on any of these days, we may not have sufficient staff to supervise additional children who turn up to site. If you do not intend on sending your child to school during this period, no action needs to be taken. If your circumstances change at any point, please email myself at ahawk19@eq.edu.au as soon as possible.
Below you’ll find some useful FAQs which should help answer any additional questions regarding this period prior to the official return to school, including service delivery by OSHC, tuckshop, the uniform shop, and extracurricular providers.
What is the definition of an essential worker?
An essential worker is someone who provides essential services and who is unable to work from home. This includes but is not limited to doctors, nurses and other front-line medical staff, retail workers, haulage drivers, education staff, and police officers.
What will my child be doing at school if I am an essential worker?
Your child will be supervised by staff (a combination of non-teaching and teaching staff), and will participate in activities such as craft, project-based tasks, app-based learning through Reading Eggs and Mathletics, outdoor play, and the occasional movie.
If my child is attending school, what are the drop off and collection arrangements?
All students should be dropped off to the New Hall as close to 8.45am as possible. There will be no supervision in the quadrangle of a morning. If you require an earlier drop off time, please make contact with our OSHC. The pick-up zone will be supervised by staff from 3pm as usual, however parents of Prep or other younger students should collect their child from the New Hall between 2.30 and 3pm each day they are with us.
What can I do to support my child at home during this extended holiday period?
To assist parents further, we will place photocopies of various activities available to students at school on a table at the front office deck from Monday 24 January. If you feel these ‘extra tasks’ will help keep minds and hands busy across the extended two weeks, you can do a contactless pick-up on any given day. The Department of Education continues to recommend visiting the Learning@Home website for useful resources.
Will OSHC operate during this time?
There will be no vacation care, however before and after school care will continue to operate as normal, unless OSHC advises families otherwise (eg. the service may be impacted by staff absence).
Will tuckshop and the uniform shop operate as usual?
The Tuckshop will not operate across these two extra weeks, and will officially open for the first day of Term 1 learning on Monday 7 February.
The Uniform Shop are delaying their back to school opening hours by one week, so instead of trading on Monday 17 January, they will start on Monday 24 January. They will still operate the hours as advertised, except Wednesday, which is a public holiday:
Monday 24/1 8am - 1pm
Tuesday 25/1 2pm - 5:30pm
Wednesday Closed
Thursday 27/1 9am - 1pm
Friday 28/1 9am - 12pm
Will before and after school activities be running during the fortnight?
Please contact your activity provider directly for more information about their service delivery prior to school officially returning, as we have left the decision to them as to whether they will operate during this time.
When will my child’s new teacher be in touch?
All teachers will contact families during the week of 17 – 24 January. Please keep an eye on your inbox during this time as teachers will introduce themselves and provide any additional information your child may need to know before the first day back.
Who can attend school grounds in 2022 and who needs to be vaccinated?
There is no limitation on parents attending their child’s school, and you are not required to be vaccinated or provide proof of vaccination to be on school grounds. There is also no requirement for children to be vaccinated in order to attend school.
However, anyone who works on school grounds or volunteers in a school needs to be fully vaccinated. This includes teachers, teacher aides, educators, tuckshop and classroom volunteers and all support staff.
As all schools are considered a high-risk site, our office team MUST sight your green vaccination tick on arrival to school grounds if performing any work or official volunteer duties prior to you starting.
Will students need to wear masks at school?
All students under 12 years are not required to wear a face mask, however are welcome to do so if they wish. Please note students will be expected to supply their own face masks as the school only has a very limited supply for staff.
Thank you, as always, for your support of our school as we have navigated the evolving ‘new normal’ over the past two years. We appreciate the extra effort required by all parties to make this next few weeks run smoothly and acknowledge there will inevitably be a few speed bumps and adjustments along the way. We look forward to officially welcoming you back on Monday 7 February, and providing a stable, consistent, and supportive learning environment for your child.
Remember, we’ve got this, and we’ve got you.
Amanda Hawkswell
Principal