Thursday January 30, 2020

Sue’s News Welcome Welcome to the 2020 school year at Hampton Primary. We have 674 students enrolled at the moment which includes 87 preps and 20 new students who joined our community. I hope that 2020 is a very happy and productive one for everyone. Term 1 is a short term, despite this we have plenty of highlights and special events scheduled. I encourage all families to become involved in school life; it is a great way to get to know people, make new friends and support our school. The first special event is the HPS welcome barbeque for all new families and community members generally. Our Dads’ Club, with excellent leadership from Mark Alexander, organises this event which is an informal get together to meet other parents in the school. The parents and children gather in between the main building and the BER building. Special activities and events include: Welcome barbeque for new families on Friday 7 February Public speaking for our Grade 5s and 6s Grades 2, 3, 4 & 5 dance program Grade 6 Project Rockit School Photos on Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 February House Swimming Sport Grade 3 yoga program The musical ‘Shrek’.

All grades will be immersed in ‘start up’ activities over the next few days. This program focuses on the teachers establishing a positive tone and classroom climate and ensuring that norms, expectations and responsibilities are made explicit to the children. We place great emphasis on building a happy and harmonious school environment at Hampton, to achieve this it is essential to have children growing in independence and resilience as they progress through school. 2020 Curriculum Days We have the following Curriculum Days scheduled for 2020 and there will be no school for children on these days: Term 1: Tuesday 28 January (First Aid, Data Analysis, School Strategic Plan goals) Term 2: Friday 24 April (Literacy) Term 3: Monday 13 July (Mathematics and 21st Century Learning) Term 4: Friday 11 December (Curriculum Planning for 2021)

Childcare will be available however bookings must be made through Team Kids.

The Coronavirus Thank you to those parents who have made enquiries about the coronavirus over the last couple of days. Our school has been in consultation with various sections of the Education Department and other health officials and we are strictly observing all of the protocols, advice and recommendations in relation to the management of this matter. I have attached the Department’s latest advice to schools on the management of the Coronavirus and a fact sheet to my report today and I encourage parents to read this material. I am happy to meet with parents or speak on the phone if you have any further queries.

Updated advice on Coronavirus

As you may be aware, the situation regarding the emerging outbreak of novel coronavirus has con-

tinued to evolve.

The Commonwealth’s Chief Medical Officer and Victoria’s Chief Health Officer have this afternoon

recommended a stronger precautionary approach to managing coronavirus for travellers returned

from Hubei province.

This recommendation is that parents/guardians/carers of students should ensure that any returning

student is isolated at home and should not attend school for 14 days: following exposure to any confirmed novel coronavirus case; or after leaving Hubei Province.

This same advice applies to any staff who have returned or are returning from Hubei province.

The Chief Health Officer’s current advice is that staff and students do not need to be isolated at

home if they have recently travelled in other parts of China or other countries and are not showing

any symptoms of the virus.

If you think a student or staff member is showing relevant symptoms, please ask the student’s par-

ents/guardians/carers or the staff member to call the Department of Health and Human Services

(DHHS) to discuss further actions on 1300 651 160.

Schools should inform their staff, students and families of this new advice by providing a copy of

the factsheet available here through your school’s communication channels with parents.

Translated versions of the factsheet will also be available shortly.

Additional advice and information on the steps to take can be found on the coronavirus web page

which also includes advice on:

continuity of learning for students who are not attending school

international students and families hosting

international travel

maintaining good health hygiene at school

health promotion posters and materials information, resources and contacts related to coronavirus.

This new advice is based on the latest expert recommendations of the Commonwealth’s Chief

Medical Officer and Victoria’s Chief Health Officer. Thank you for your cooperation in implementing

these recommendations.

Dr David Howes

Deputy Secretary

School and Regional Services

Staffing I welcome the following new staff to Hampton and wish them a very happy and productive start at our school: Jonathan Tulip who will join the Grade 6 team Cindi Kunaratnam who will join the Grade 5 team Andrew Herzfeld who will be teaching Mandarin on Tuesdays and Wednesdays Andrea Peteranna who will join the student support team. We also have Sim Paul and Bec McLaren who have returned from Family Leave, I am delighted to welcome them back into our community. Jane Alderman is working for Term 1 only this year and then taking an extended break for the remainder of the year. During Term 1, Jane will be sharing her considerable knowledge in literacy with staff, providing additional support and covering staff absence. Our teaching team for 2020 includes: Foundation: Dimi Beratis – Coordinator

Kylie Perara, Helen James, Rosie Alderman, Laura Shugg, Grade 1: Madi Grace – Coordinator and Learning Specialist (Literacy)

Michelle Fernandez, Katia Mance, Carolyn Platt, Bec McLaren and Melissa Fisher Grade 2: Emmanuel Le - Coordinator

Anita Sheppard, Louise Jones, Melissa Fisher Grade 3 Stuart Macdermid – Coordinator

Helen Patterson Farr, Dean Ross, Chris Gillies, Ruth Henwood, Alison Powell

Grade 4 Chris Berry – Coordinator and Learning Specialist (Mathematics) Liana Burns, Paul Coverdale, Deb Brayshaw, Anne Coburn and Jackson Moffitt

Grade 5: Tom Prendergast – Coordinator and Learning Specialist (Literacy) Alicia Blundell, Bec Watkins, Cindi Kunaratnam, Chris Seevers and Fallon Page Grade 6: Sharon Dowling - Coordinator

Jonathan Tulip, Max Attwood, Rob Giabardo, Fallon Levett

Art: Danni Peebles and Sarah Carnegie Music: Traci Cenedese (Leading Teacher) and Sarah Carnegie PE & Sport: Nick Fisher and Sim Paul Reading Rec: Judy Van Pelt Mandarin: Jeffic Ye and Andrew Herzfeld Library: Deidre Lewis Tech Support: Eshan Weeratunga Nurses: Susie Lohan and Jo Bergman * Bus Manager: Nicole St Leon Admin: Cathy McLorinan, Andrea Maglio and Kirsty Reynolds Student Support: Heli Bayley, MJ Young, Bec Dann, Andrea Peteranna, Luis Vivel, Shona Kirpatrick, Emily Lynch, * Susie will work on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and Jo will work on Wednesdays in the first aid room in the front office. We have a highly experienced and capable Leadership Team including: Madi Grace, Chris Berry, Tom Prendergast, Traci Cenedese, Nicole St Leon, Tim Bernau, John Painter and Sue Knight.

Buildings and Grounds Development During the holidays we had some significant work done on the southern boundary of the school to remove the existing retainer wall and fence and replacing both. This proved to be a substantial project which took over 3 weeks to complete with the contractor concluding the work just prior to school commencing. We are delighted with the outcome! In addition, we had some re shaping of one of the garden beds in the teachers’ carpark to permit easier access. Following the excessive rain which fell later in the holiday period, we found a couple of leaks in the main building. Using a specialist roof plumber, we now feel confident that these problems have been addressed. We had to remove one tree and heavily prune a number of trees and shrubs around the school. We have replaced all the furniture in our prep rooms over the holidays at a cost of $20,000; the new furniture looks terrific! The Buildings and Grounds Committee has another active year ahead, 2020 projects include: repainting of entrance areas in the main school building repainting various classrooms around the school installing new carpet in a number of classrooms and the library planting of trees around the oval the removal of the existing playground equipment at the front of the school and the

installation of new equipment and soft-fall (this project will be done during the Term 1 vacation period)

Our enthusiastic committee meets once a month on a Thursday night. If you are interested in joining this group, please contact John Painter at school. Additional members are most welcome.

Learning about Literacy and Numeracy in the Early Years Very shortly, a session for parents will be offered which will include approaches to assist in the

classroom and at home in literacy and numeracy. It will be conducted in 2 parts, the first on

literacy, the second on numeracy on the same night. Parents of children in Grades P – 2 are

warmly invited to attend. Specific details will be distributed shortly.

Payment of Voluntary Contributions and Fees Thank you to those parents who have already paid the fees, book requirements, voluntary contributions, building fund, and excursion levies etc for their children. The school does rely on the support provided by our community to provide the many stimulating programs and initiatives at Hampton. We have noticed that a few families have not paid the second section in Compass for excursions and sporting activities, many of which commence very shortly. I encourage parents to address this as soon as possible. We are happy to establish payment plans with parents as required. Please contact Nicole St Leon, the Business Manager or me if you require assistance. Sun Protection I remind all children and parents that children must have a sun smart hat for play and outside activities during from the start of the school year through to April 30 and from September 1 to the end of the school year. Many children have two hats, so there is a spare readily available at all times. Please ensure your child’s hat is clearly labelled. Children who do not have a suitable hat will be required to play in the rotunda or on the Alhambra Stage. School Assemblies Our whole school assemblies are conducted on Friday afternoons commencing at 2.50pm and concluding at 3.20pm. Weather permitting, the assemblies will be conducted in quadrangle in the main school building. We always have some musical performances and very often children sharing some of their classroom learning. Parents and interested community members are most welcome to attend. Sue Knight Principal

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