Welcome to Term 3

Welcome to a different looking Term 3. Like you, we are hopeful that everyone is and keeps well during this challenging time. At this stage Learning from Home has only been stipulated for this week. At the time of writing this section I have not received an update on what the future looks like. I think we need to prepare for the current schooling situation to be extended.

A huge thank you to staff who spent the last week of the holidays preparing for this week’s learning. A mammoth effort in a short period of time. Thank you to all the parents that have reached out to the school to arrange collection of a laptop or hard copies of the work that has been set. It is imperative that you contact the school to arrange a pickup time to ensure we are being socially distant. Upon arrival you will need to visit the office and sign in using the QR code and ensure you are wearing a mask when onsite. Our office staff have been absolutely fabulous over the first two days of this term. The office has been frenetic with phone calls, emails and parents coming up on site to collect items. A huge thank you to them during this very busy period.

Under the current arrangements approximately 75% of staff are working from home. This is important to remember if you are ringing the school or coming onsite to collect the above-mentioned items.

The Zoom meetings that have been scheduled each day for students who are at home and their teacher, is based on feedback from the community form last year’s efforts. If your child is not able to make the Zoom meeting you can expect your child’s teacher to reach out via a phone call every few days. For those students of essential workers who are on site they will be seeing a teacher every day. However, please note that it may not be their teacher. The purpose of the Zoom meetings is to keep the students engaged with the school and their learning, as well as a wellbeing check in.

Our advice in regard to completing the work that has been set for this week is to simply do your best. We completely understand the challenges of working from home and trying to supervise children and their school work. Please do not allow it to become an issue in the family environment. If you or your child has questions about the learning please utilise the Zoom meetings. If they are in 3-6 they can use Google Classrooms and students in K-2 can send the school an email. We are here to support you the best we can as we all work through these times.

Throughout Term 3 and probably Term 4 all NSW schools will be working under one of the following four guidelines. Currently we are operating under Level 4 Guidelines, with regional NSW operating under Level 2 Guidelines to give you an indication of what to expect. We have been told to expect to move in and out of these guidelines depending on case numbers in and around our area.

I will continue to keep you updated about any changes based on the advice provied to me from the NSW Department of Education and Health NSW.

Sign-in Arrangements

All staff and visitors attending a school site must comply with school sign-in arrangements and check in using the applicable Service NSW QR code. Our QR Codes are located in the school’s offices.

Attending School

Staff and students must not attend work or school if unwell, even with mild symptoms of COVID-19. Any person with any COVID-19 symptoms must be sent home and not return to school unless:

• they have isolated for 10 days, when no medical certificate is available
• they have a negative COVID-19 test result which is provided to the school and are symptom free.

In circumstances where children or staff have other medical reasons for recurrent symptoms, a letter from their GP is sufficient to negate the requirement for a negative test.

If parents or carers believe that their child has a condition that means it’s not safe for them to return to school, they will need to provide a medical certificate.

Thank you to everyone that has been able to keep their children at home as requested by the Premier. We are all in this together.

Kind Regards

Mr Matt Pinchbeck
Principal

Welcome back

I hope you had a great break from school, we welcome you back even though it is not as we had hoped. Thank you for your patience and understanding during these difficult times. As you can imagine, teachers spent much of the school holidays preparing for this week, knowing it would be learning from home. Restrictions regarding the picking up of devices and hardcopy workbooks outlined that we needed a scheduled process. We understand this may have been frustrating for some families, please know that we are doing our best to support your child and continue to be safe and within the guidelines. Thank you for the many words of kindness expressed by some of our families, it does not go unnoticed.

If your child is having difficulty accessing the Learning from Home Packs, Zoom, Google Classroom or SeeSaw, the best process is to email the school and this will be forwarded to the class teacher if the question is unable to be answered during your child’s scheduled daily Zoom time. Our administrative staff are not trained to troubleshoot technical difficulties and we ask that you be patient while we navigate our way through this. The school email is – pennanthil-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Communicating With Families - SZapp

At PHPS we send electronic notifications out to parents to keep them informed on what is happening at school. If you require some assistance with how to download and install the app on your device, the link below is a detailed 'how to' guide. https://pennanthillsps.schoolzineplus.com/szapp

NAIDOC Week

Last week was NAIDOC Week with the theme ‘Heal Country’ which calls for stronger measures to recognise, protect and maintain all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and culture. You will see activities related to NAIDOC week in the Learning from Home packs. If you would like some additional resources;

https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/naidoc

https://iview.abc.net.au/collection/1969

https://www.abc.net.au/kidslisten/ - has some great podcasts like Little Yarns and Sound walks for the younger kids.

Additional websites and activities

Hopefully you are able to spend some quality time with your family, go for walks and be outdoors during this Learning from Home phase.

The Pennant Hills Park loop comes recommended - http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking-and-hiking-in-nsw/lane-cove-national-park/pennant-hills-park-loop-via-lane-cove-river.html

And the Deep Bay bushwalk – a hard one! - http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking-and-hiking-in-nsw/berowra-valley-regional-park/berowra-waters-to-cowan-station.html

The Blue Gum Walk - https://hillsdistrictmums.com.au/blue-gum-walk-hornsby/

Cumberland State Forest - https://hillsdistrictmums.com.au/cumberland-state-forest-west-pennant-hills-bush-walks-for-kids/

Online Puzzles - https://www.jigsawexplorer.com/

The digital lunchbreak website has collated many online resources to spark children’s interest - https://www.digitallunchbreak.nsw.gov.au

Arrival in Tokyo

Mr Clarke has arrived safely in Tokyo in preparation for his performance in the Olympics. I know we are all sending him positive vibes. Please see below for a photo of Mr Clarke in Tokyo with his mascot 'Penno'. Before he was Tokyo bound, Mr Clarke expressed his gratitude for all of the support he received from Pennant Hills and I know he will have you all in mind when he is jumping. Go Mr Clarke!      

Kind Regards

Mrs Kate Wasson

Deputy Principal

KB - Harriet E, Leroy I, Benji H, Claire L

KC - Jonathan L, Shernelle L, Teddy W, Ruby B, Vasu P

KD - Coralie A, Felicity N, Jasper S, Oliver F, Emma K, Nicholas A

KL - Maya V, Rasidhu H, Oliver R, Ciel Y, Blake W, Jayden W

1A - Morgan F, Noa S, Kaleiya S, Eric W

1E - Marlina T, Marnie H

1M - Lily B, Evie B, Richard M, Lexi M

1/2P - Esandu P, Isla B, Sam T, Spencer C

2A - Sid D, Kayden C

2B - Clara D, Ewan T, Emma L, Reyansh S

2W - April F, Henry H, Marcus T, Anamarie A

Computers - Maya V (KL), Oliver R (KL), Xavier D (1A), Grace G (1E), Jayden W (1/2P), Ewan T (2A)

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).

Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:

• year of schooling
• category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
• level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.

• This information assists schools to:

  • formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools
  • consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
  • develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.

  The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.

  The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-policy).

  Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au).

  If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact the school.

   

  Ms Melissa Schmidt

  Learning & Support Teacher

While we are all following orders and staying home wherever possible, the canteen will be closed until further notice.

We hope you are all keeping safe and well, and we look forward to seeing you soon. Hopefully!!

Heather Tyler

0425 274 681

canteenphps@gmail.com

THE UNIFORM SHOP IS CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR ALL SALES AND SERVICE.

The Uniform Shop is currently closed due to the current Covid-19 restrictions introduced during the school holidays.

Once the current lockdown restrictions have eased, we will advise you of the operating procedures that will be put in place for the remainder of Term 3.

Please note any outstanding Flexischools orders will be processed as soon as the shop reopens. 

Order forms are available on the Uniform Shop page of the school website or by using the below link:

https://pennanthil-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/p/pennanthil-p/about-our-school/uniform-shop/Order_Form_and_Price_List_Term_3_2021.pdf

Opening Hours are Currently Suspended

Monday and Tuesday 8:45am – 10:45am

Thursday 3.00pm - 4.00pm

Alison Parker

Uniform Shop Manager

phpsuniformshop@gmail.com

Hi Strings Parents,

I hope you all had a pleasant (even if restricted) break. As you know all non-core activities are cancelled for the period of lockdown and homeschooling. There will be no Strings lessons during this time. The committee members will be deciding over the next week what to do if the current restrictions last more than two weeks. I will keep you informed via email.

Thanks for your understanding and patience. Wishing you all the best.

PHPS String Ensemble

Website: http://www.phpspandc.org.au/string-ensemble/

Feedback: http://www.phpspandc.org.au/string-ensemble/contact-us/

Email: phpsstrings@gmail.com