Happy New Year
Welcome back. We are excited and looking forward to commencing 2021. We would like to especially welcome a number of new families to our school, please help us to make them feel welcome. I have listed a few of our operating systems below for your information to provide clarity and a successful start to the year for your family.
The department has produced this short
video on welcoming parents safely back to school.
The first days of the school year are significant and meaningful ones for students. Giving parents and carers the opportunity to share this special time with their children sets the foundation for a long and positive engagement with their education and the school community.
School Entry
Parents are welcome to come into the school.
All visitors entering the school are required to sign in and out at the office and need to adhere to COVID school visitor and sign-in arrangements.
All volunteers (including parents) are required to complete our Volunteers annual induction (Face to face workshop on Thursday Feb 11 at 9:00) or read and complete hard copy Volunteer Guidelines and induction information booklet before they are eligible to volunteer in the school. All volunteers are required to sign in and out at the office each visit.
Blue Card – parents/legal guardians do not require a blue card everyone else does including grandparents. You can apply for a Blue Card by going to www.bluecard.qld.gov.au
Be on Time:
School Commences at 8:50am it is important students be at school at least 5 minutes before this time to enable students to settle into the school day routine. Students who are late miss vital information and crucial learning, we also find they can be quite unsettled for the day. We ask that students do not come before 8:30am as there is no organised supervision provided before this time.
Adults that are required to enter the school as parents, guests, volunteers or contractors must still abide by:
1. Social distancing of 1.5m distance with other adults.
2. Ensure they are in good health and stay away if unwell.
3. Practise good hygiene.
School Pick Up Times
We will continue to have a year level staged exit to reduce the gathering of large crowds, assist adults to physical distance themselves from others and make our exit from school more orderly.
Safety
Please use the patrolled zebra crossing and model this behaviour to your children. If you duck across the road between cars and buses so will your kids when you are not with them.
Dogs are not permitted inside the school grounds.
Car park area is out of bounds for all, except staff, please do not walk through these areas.
End of Day Procedures
Note: This is not a time for students to play or run around, playgrounds and surrounding areas are out of bounds. We respectfully ask that parents keep their children close to them and monitor their behaviour after school, inside the school grounds and around our neighbouring businesses.
Preps will be collected from the Prep area by parents at 2:00pm for the first 2 weeks, this will extend to 2:45 pm from week 3.
Year 5 and 6 will be escorted by their teachers to the front gate near the office at the end of each day before other classes are released 2:45pm.
Year 1, students will be collected from under the year one building at 2:50pm.
Year 2 students will be escorted by teachers to exit through the Zebra Crossing Gate immediately on the bell 2:50pm.
Year 3 and 4 will be escorted by teachers to the footpath on the 2:50 bell to exit through the office gate.
Students required to collect younger siblings will still be able to do so as normal and leave via the most appropriate exit. Teachers will need to work the best solution here for those students that have younger siblings.
Parking:
Please be aware there is limited parking available and police do patrol especially at the beginning of the year. If you park in the few parks outside the school (school side) near the crossing please remain in your car these are Drop and Go/Quick Pick up areas. Be aware of bus areas. Note there is no access to the school for parking.
Running Late
If parents are late to collect, students must return to the office where they will be supervised and parents contacted.
Bus
Bus students will continue to follow the same process as always. Teacher Aides will escort/wait with Prep and Year 1 students putting them on the bus. Students will sit and wait quietly for Goodstart or second buses. Students catching our second set of buses will wait supervised under ‘B’ Block.
Phones:
Students do not need phones at school.
Students bringing phones to school will turn them to silent and leave them in their bags from the time they enter the grounds to the time they leave. Students using phones will have them confiscated and they will need to be collected by their parents. This will save office staff handling them, reduce office crowds and save office time. Students bring phones to school at their own risk.
Uniforms:
Please ensure your child has the correct uniform on and is ‘Proud and Proper’ each day. This includes a school hat, black runner shoes, white socks and correct school or plain navy jumper.
Tuckshop:
Our tuckshop will be open on Thursday of the first week.
Tuckshop days are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Sign up to Flexischools to enable you to order on line. Yes we desperately need more volunteers, please see Gunnar (Convenor) at the tuckshop or call the office.
The preferred method for placing orders is via the online payment system Flexischools. Go to https://flexischools.com.au to sign up and follow the instructions.
Swimming
Swimming for All classes will commence in Week 2, please ensure students have a Sun Safe shirt and a change of clothes for this activity. Prompt payment for this activity is appreciated, notes will be sent home in the first week. Students will not be able to participate until their permission form is signed and returned to their class teacher.
Booklists:
• 2021 Prep Requirements List (* plus 2 x My School Writing Scrapbooks)
• 2021 Year 1 Requirements List (* plus 1 x My School Writing Scrapbook)
• 2021 Year 2 Requirements List
• 2021 Year 3 Requirements List
• 2021 Year 4 Requirements List
• 2021 Year 5 Requirements List
• 2021 Year 6 Requirements List
* My School Writing Scrapbooks can be purchased directly from the school office for $5.50 each.
Assembly
Assemblies will be held every 2 weeks in the Hall on a Wednesday at 2:15pm commencing in Week 2 and concluding at 2:45pm.
Parents are welcome but must social distance and not attend if unwell. Visitors must sign in at the office.
Prep students will attend their first assembly in week 4.
Prep students will be collected from the Hall by their parents/guardians at the conclusion of assembly. (It takes too long for them to return to their classroom. ) All other classes will be dismissed by their teachers in the normal procedure once they have returned to their eating areas to collect their bags.
Prep and Year 1 students (only year 1 students who are catching the bus) will bring their bags to assembly and will be escorted to the bus by staff.
Digital Survey Permission form for using 3rd party educational websites coming soon.
In previous years, classes wishing to utilise a valuable external educational service (e.g. Study Ladder) had to send home a paper form for the collection of parent/ guardian permission to use these non-departmental supplied education services. This year for the first time, a new permission request is being sent via a secure online-personalised form to seek parent/ guardian permission for student use of 3rd party services.
After review and departmental security checks, Maleny State School has decided on a few services that may be used for educational purposes across the school. Please ensure that you have the correct and up-to-date email address as your main contact at the office. This will ensure that when the online survey is sent out it reaches you straight away. The online forms (one for each child enrolled) will only take a couple of minutes to read and complete. Once submitted these are electronically returned to school for collection, greatly speeding up the process.
Parents wanting to know more or need any assistance with the online form can contact Mr Adrian Greig at the Innovation Centre (E: ajgre2@eq.edu.au or P: 5499 8333).
Voluntary School Levy
We do not have school fees as a State School but we do ask that parents contribute to our voluntary levy scheme that allows us to ensure we provide students with the most up to date resources each year. The Contribution for 2021 is $50 per child or $40 per child for families with three or more children enrolled at our school. An information note will be sent home soon in relation to this.
Looking forward to welcoming your children to 2021, catching up yourself, and saying hello very soon.
John Byrne
Principal