Head of Preparatory School - Edition 4 - 2022

What a great morning it was

It was a celebration of fun, sport and community spirit when all the children from our Early Learning Centre through to Year 2 gathered recently for the first of our three Sports Days. The weather was absolutely perfect and the ground staff had once again excelled by preparing an oval that was immaculate.

The students were delighted with the many, many parents and grandparents who came along to enjoy a perfect morning of activity and collegiality.

The students were involved in a whole range of activities that challenged and delighted them. Even the flat race set some children a challenge as their feet often failed to keep up with the rest of their body. The age of mobile cameras also seemed to be a distraction for some, where smiling for the camera took precedence over getting to the finish line.

There were water challenges, accuracy throws, obstacle races and all manner of other activities for the children as they moved around the tabloid course.

It was an impressive team effort:

• The Year 6 students who managed the range of tasks wonderfully are to be congratulated.
• The Health and PE team who managed to coordinate the wide range of activities.
• The Property Services staff who prepared a perfect setting and our tech team from the Michael Murray Centre who made sure all announcements could be heard.
• The class teachers who steered the kids in the right direction, both athletically and behaviourally.

We are greatly indebted to our Parents' Club volunteers who gave up their morning to nourish the attendees. It was a great morning and we will do it all again soon with our Year 3 to 6 students. On the afternoon of Thursday 31 March we will have the field events component of our athletic carnival and then all day on Friday 1 April the traditional Sports Day will take place – both held on the Senior School Western Oval.

We need your help - Would you like to be involved?

Each year we look for a parent representative for each class. The aim of this role is to assist the School by being a link between that group of parents and the School. Some also choose to organise a social function from time to time for either the students or the parents. The class reps from each class in the year level usually work as a team to coordinate activities. If you are interested in taking on this role for your class, please let your child’s class teacher know. We have several classes seeking a Parent Rep for this important role.

The classes that still do not have a parent liaison/representative are: Rec M, 4J, 4M, 4S, 5G, 5D, 5H and 6S

Up & Running

Our Running Club is a fitness group for all members of the School Community. This includes students from Reception to Year 12, staff, parents and even Old Scholars. As COVID-19 restrictions ease, I am pleased to report that Junior Primary students and parents can now return to sessions.

No previous running experience is required and programs are designed to cater for all ability levels. The only prerequisites are effort and punctuality. These qualities will maximise the physical, social and emotional benefits of the program.

For Junior Primary students, they are required to have a parent/guardian in attendance and involved in the session.

Sessions take place all year round on Monday and Friday mornings at 7.30 am on the Senior School Oval. Students do not have to come to both sessions but should commit to attending at least one every week to receive the full benefit of the sessions.

If you have any further questions, please get in touch with Adam Thompson or Jon Dyer.

Cancellation of Term 1 Events

Following on from SA Health Dept modelling that suggests an increase in COVID-19 cases over the coming weeks, schools have been asked to minimise situations that unnecessarily bring students together outside of their normal year group. Unfortunately, this means we have had to rethink some of our larger events planned before the end of Term 1 - the Autumn Gala Music concert, the Gather community picnic and Tenebrae. There will be more information released from various areas of the School in relation to these changes. We know how disappointing these updates are for students and families, as well as staff but will do our best to reschedule or modify them to suit.

Close Contacts and Teaching Staff

Under very strict conditions involving testing, masking and overall wellbeing, we have been able to secure SA Health exemptions for some staff classified as close contacts but deemed to be critical workers. This has meant they could return to School for teaching and then return home at the end of the school day to isolate for the required time. Following on from some student and parent enquiries, please note that this process of exemption only applies to staff and not students.

COVID-19 Reporting

As from Monday 28 March, we will no longer send individual emails to all students and families considered to be classroom contacts. Instead, we will place an update report in SEQTA notices around lunchtime each school day, which will show from ELC to Year 12 the number of new cases across year levels we have recorded in a day. With a steady number of cases being recorded, the ‘golden rule’ is if a student does not feel well, please do not come to School and take a test (RAT or PCR).

Classroom Contacts

SA Health has advised that if the cases in a particular class or cohort reach five, they would like families to take their child in that class/cohort for a PCR test. Again under advice, there will most likely then a circuit breaker where that class will stay away for a few days to reduce the risk of case numbers escalating within that class. We have had to do this already in the Preparatory School where students tend to stay in their classes but it hasn’t been required yet in the Senior School, where students are spread across many different cohorts determined by their timetables. Should this arise again, we will continue to handle our communication directly with the students and families impacted.

Concrete Pour

As a heads-up, on Thursday 31 March, it is planned that the concrete will be poured for the Michael Murray Centre for Performing Arts foyer. This will mean that the Chapel Road will be closed from early hours until the pour is finished. At this stage, the pour is booked for most of the school day but the gates being re-opened will indicate when the compound roadway between the Chapel and Murray Centre is open for traffic. We strongly encourage you not to use the Main Gates roadway next Thursday but if you need to, then you will cross to the exit road via the paved Chapel roadway to make a right turn towards the Main Gates exit. If using Gate 4, please be mindful that there will be a number of cement mixers entering the School grounds via that road to wait in the construction site between the Murray Centre/Forder Centre and Main Oval.

Code Camp

As school holidays approach, students wanting to attend Code Camp at Westminster should look to book a place early to benefit from the Early Bird offer. More information can be found in the flyer below or at www.codecamp.com.au/westminster.

Diary Dates

• Year 3-6 Field Events – Thursday 31 March
  
• Year 3-6 Sports Day – Friday 1 April
• Reception Science Incursion - Monday 4 April
• End of Term 1 – Thursday 14 April finishing at 1.00 pm
• Code Camp – Tuesday 26 to Thursday 28 April

Grant Bock
Head of Preparatory School