Deputy Principal’s Report

Following the Phase 1 period of Year 11 & 12 student return we are now close to the return of the Year 7-10 students on the Mornington Junior Campus next Tuesday 9 June (Halleluiah!).

Cleaning

To support the health and wellbeing of all students and staff, our school will continue an enhanced cleaning routine and will encourage frequent handwashing. Hand sanitiser will be available in each classroom.

When students return next Tuesday, extra cleaning staff will be onsite from 10am-3pm at the Mornington Campus cleaning classrooms and office spaces. This will be in addition to the usual clean at the end of the day.

Preparations are underway at the Mornington Junior Campus to welcome back our students.

Uniform

All students are expected to attend school in full winter uniform. Please ensure that all other uniform requirements are correct such as hair, jewellery, nail polish, piercings, facial hair etc.
By following this policy, staff can focus on supporting your child in the return to face-to-face teaching and learning.

Timetables

Timetables have been altered as part of the return to school procedures and will be updated prior to Tuesday on SIMON. This is so as to create time for student movement and enhanced cleaning.

Social Distancing

Where possible, classroom furniture has been rearranged to provide maximum space between tables and seating arrangements have been changed to maximise distance between students. Fixed seating arrangements and/or exam style seating will also be considered where practical and appropriate.

I would ask that you talk to your children about the importance of maintaining appropriate distancing. While students will be pleased to see their friends on their return to school, they should not be congregating in large groups and should avoid close physical contact i.e. hugging.

Staff are being provided with guidelines around ensuring students are not gathering together in large groups during recess, lunch and before and after school. Student support of this is greatly appreciated.

Lockers

To minimise the volume of students and time spent in locker bays:
1. Please send your child (on their first day of return) with ONLY the books needed for that first day of classes. This will avoid all students spending half an hour in the locker bays reloading their lockers. Lockers can be refilled gradually over coming days.
2. Students are to go straight to their locker upon arrival at school, retrieve books and then move to the area outside their homeroom or other open area.

Transport/School Drop Off and Pick Up

Whilst parent pick up and drop off will remain as usual (not staggered), we request that parents and guardians do not get out of their car during this time. All school bus operations servicing the Mornington Campus are running as normal.

Canteen

Canteen services will be available at a reduced level. Lunch orders at lunch time only. No recess services will be available. Students will be able to order lunches online and will be collected from the canteen as per displayed signage. This will be a cashless service.

The College has partnered with Flexischools ( www.flexischools.com.au) to facilitate the online ordering process. Please take the time to review the instructions attached to the end of this letter. The menu will be limited and will comprise cold items such as rolls and wraps and all drinks will be available to order. Note the cut off time for all orders is 9am daily. Students will also be required to bring their own drink bottles. Water fountains at the campuses will be available for re-filling water bottles only.

Mobile Phones

As many students may have downloaded the COVID Safe App in order to assist with the tracking and tracing of the virus, when students return to school they will be permitted (not required) to carry their phones with them in their pockets (not visible). The College’s current restrictions around the use of mobile phones (and appropriate consequences) are still applicable and they are not to be used during the school day. If students are found to be using their phones they will continue to be confiscated.

Reminders

I remind all parents and guardians that if your child is ill or is feeling unwell, they must not attend school. They must remain home and seek medical advice.

The new conditions will apply until further notice. We will be guided by the directives and advice from the relevant educational and health authorities as to any changes to these prescribed restrictions.

Thank you for your continued support and patience during this time. We look forward to welcoming students back to the classroom.

While this has been at times a difficult journey, I hope that there have been genuine opportunities throughout lockdown for you and your family to connect, celebrate and grow.

God Bless,

Stephen Veneris
Deputy Principal | Head of 7-9 Campus Mornington

Rube Goldberg Machine Challenge

Our Year 9 STEAM students were recently challenged to step away from their devices and build a Rube Goldberg Machine with their families using resources from around their home.

A Rube Goldberg machine usually consists of a series of simple unrelated devices, where the action of each triggers the performance of the next, designed to perform a simple task in an indirect way.

The clock was ticking as students only had one period in which to complete the challenge! You can view some of their fantastic creations by clicking on this link.

Ange Phillips
STEAM - Learning Team Leader

'Share Light, Be Light' Project

Padua students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 12 are participating in the 'Share Light, Be Light' Project as part of their RE course this term. In this Year of Light at Padua College, it is an opportunity for our students to share the good news we find around us, hopefully counter-balancing the grim statistics and news reports we are taking in each day. And of course it is also an opportunity for students to be that good news, and to create their own light in our world at the moment. We are very proud of the way our students have embraced this project, and the many wonderful stories we have heard from our families and the wider community, which has indeed been a real light for us all in these trying times. Thank you to all the students who have shared their light!

Year 7 Frayne student, Poppy Westworth loves animals, and her project has been building a bird house. She's done a great job in caring for God’s creatures!

Val Hardie
Teacher | Maths

Year 7 Reflection

Life is...

Life is…. waking up to a new day with your Dad blaring old tunes through the speakers

Life is…. running onto the footy field in the freezing cold surrounded by your mates

Life is…. the first bite of the chocolate cake you made in lockdown

Life is…. the way my dog still gets excited to see me every single time I walk through the front door

Life is…. the feeling of catching that perfect wave and getting slapped in the face by salt water

Life is…. taking the skin off your elbow when you stack your skateboard but you landed the trick.

Life is…writing a letter and sending it to just say ‘hi’

Life is….getting a reply letter in the mail from your Nan

Life is…. seeing Nan & Pop when you haven’t seen them in months.

Life is…. picking up your bass guitar and belting out that tricky tune but it actually sounds pretty good

Life is….trying every day to be the best I can be

Life is…. Home

NCCD Information

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) counts the number of students who receive additional adjustments or “help” at school because of a disability. The NCCD helps governments plan for the needs of students with disability and schools are required to submit this annually.

For more information, please click on the link below to see the NCCD Information Sheet for Parents, Carers and Guardians.