Dear parents and carers,

Our second week of learning for this term has flowed smoothly.  The wet weather on Monday was enjoyed by all.  I trust that you received just the right amount of rain at your house.

All classes have been busy this week working on new learning for this term.  Staff have been working to include a wide variety of learning experiences while meeting current guidelines in place due to the current circumstances.

Some of the children have also been working on some mobile garden beds during recess and lunch breaks, and we hope to have these in operation in the coming days.

As we are continuing to see and hear, the pandemic continues to be a challenge for all.  Should there be any changes to this regular routine of school, information will be forwarded on to you as soon as possible.

At this stage, we can participate in day excursions/field trips, within our region.

We are continuing to maintain hygiene processes implemented last term.

However, we are required to limit the number of visitors/volunteers who are on site at school.

We can continue with maintenance work/repairs as required, with contractors required to observe hygiene practices.

School Photos – our school photos will be taken on Monday August 3.  Thank you to those families who have already returned their order forms.  Please return any further forms as soon as possible. 

Be aware that the children should be in their full winter uniform for this year’s school photos.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at their very best on Monday.  Those with long hair are reminded that it should be tied back as normal.  All ribbons should be in the school colours.

Compass – our new roll marking system is now working well. Please remember, it is important that all late arrivals report to the office so that school attendance can be marked accurately.  We know that there are some days when people are running late, we ask that you simply check in at the office to let us know that your children have arrived safely to school.

For some of our families, this is a routine that you already observe, and thank you for choosing to do so.  Please make it your custom to check in at the office if your children are running late to school – we appreciate your efforts to do this.

Changes to routine - Thank you to those families who are keeping us informed when children are absent from school, or there are changes to the regular routine. 

School Counsellor – our next school counsellor visit is set down for Wednesday August 5, when our new counsellor begins working with us.  We look forward to welcoming Rebecca to Grenfell.

Mufti Day - Please be aware that our first Mufti Day in Term 3 is set down for tomorrow – our theme for the day will be superheroes, so start thinking about which superhero that you’d like to come along as…and remember to bring along your gold coin donation.

As discussed earlier this week a superhero can be characters from the big screen such as superman or spiderman and so on, AND we also have superheroes in our local communities including doctors, nurses, health workers, fire fighters and so on.  There are many different superheroes that you could choose to dress up as.

We will also be participating in Jeans for Genes Day on Friday August 7.  Children wear their regular winter uniform on top and may wear jeans on the bottom.  For those participating, bring a gold coin donation on the day.

In terms of our behaviour management, we are focusing on how we choose to playing fair – including taking turns and making turns and playing by the rules.  This involves being a good sport and making a choice to keep a game moving along, rather than disputing all decisions.  This also involves ensuring that everyone is included and that we all get to have a turn, sometimes the smallest invitation to join a game can mean so very much to someone.

A big challenge related to this is caring for our equipment and knowing where equipment is and how to use it appropriately, remembering to return it so that someone else can find and use it…

Kinder 2021 – many families are already beginning to plan for 2021. 

If you know of a family who would like more information about St Joseph’s, please invite them to contact us at school.

Book Club – flyers were sent home this week, please finalise your orders by Friday, 7 August 2020.

Take care and stay safe,