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VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS Yesterday was the maiden voyage for our virtual classrooms. As expected there are a few bugs that need to be ironed out, however we are confident that we will all get the hang of it soon – persistence, adaption and problem solving are our key messages in this period of time. This picture shows Mrs. Trustum online with her class showing the different features of Microsoft Teams and troubleshooting the teething problems of this new way of working. We thank you all for your support and patience.

The admin staff, Mr Rudolph and Mr Doswell have been busy assisting with your tech support. Please contact the school if you are having any issues and we can see if we are able to assist. Please remember that we are only learning as well, so if online is too difficult we recommend getting your child to complete the learning grids on paper or in a word document and save for later. All the online work with Teams is the same as in the Learning Grids – no one will be disadvantaged. We would prefer to reduce the stress in your household rather than add to it!

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

We would like to thank all parents and carers who have been able to follow Government advice by keeping their children at home. We realise and understand that this is not possible for all families as there are many 'essential' services needed and these services cannot be carried out at home. We also understand that some students really want to come to school - we miss your children as well, but we thank you for not allowing them to do so. We currently have 86% of our students learning from home and because of this we have also been able to have some staff working from home on a rotational basis. We thank you for allowing us to do this so that we can also keep healthy and safe. How should I talk to my child about COVID-19? You can help your child by remaining calm and reassuring them. Listen to your child and answer their questions as honestly as possible and correct any misunderstandings. This will help them feel informed and understand what is happening. Stay up to date with the facts from reliable sources so you can keep conversations calm,

The Westerly

100 Morton Street Queanbeyan 2620 T 02 6297 2020 W www.queanbeyaw-p.schools.nsw.edu.au E queanbeyaw-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

School Newsletter Queanbeyan West Public School

Issue 1 — Term 1 Week 10 31 March 2020

UPCOMING EVENTS

07 April School Photos Postponed

08 April School Cross Country

Postponed

09 April Easter Hat Parade Postponed

09 April Students last day

10 April Good Friday Public Holiday

28 April Students return to School

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considered and constructive. Provide information in words that are appropriate to the age of your child. Children can be distressed by hearing repeated stories so monitor how much your child is being exposed to television and social media and encourage them to talk to you about what they are seeing and hearing. Some practical advice Some practical advice for your child includes reminding them to cover their nose and mouth when they cough or sneeze (coughing into their elbow is a useful strategy), keep their hands clean by washing them regularly with soap and water, and avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth before washing their hands. These are easy habits for children to adopt, and should help them feel as though they're able to exert some control over their circumstances. It is recommended that you keep your children at home (unless this is not at all possible). If your child is at home, it is important for your child to maintain a healthy lifestyle including proper diet, sleep, and social contact at home and by email and phone with family and friends. Where can I get help? Contact the school if you are concerned about your child's wellbeing to discuss the most appropriate support. You can also: Call the National Coronavirus Health Information line (1800 020 080) Go to the NSW Health COVID-19 website for the latest information and advice Talk to your local GP or Community Health Centre. Additional support services include: Kids Helpline - 1800 55 1800 - kidshelpline.com.au Headspace - 1800 650 890 - headspace.org.au Parent Helpline - 1300 1300 52 Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636 Lifeline - 13 11 14. LEED PROJECT CESE (Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation) has invited Queanbeyan West Public School to participate in a Leading Evaluation, Evidence and Data (LEED) capability building project. This project will also include some schools from within the Queanbeyan Network. The project will support schools in the identification, refinement and implementation of evidence-informed practices for school improvement. The LEED project focuses on developing the capabilities of staff in the use of data, evidence and evaluation practices to support strategic school improvement. It will make explicit links

between the School Excellence Framework and the implementation of practices that promote improved student outcomes. Stay tuned next term as we will find out more about this project next term. NEW DEMOUNTABLE ARRIVING Even though most of the school population is not present, work is still being done to get our additional classroom. So far the data cabling channel has been dug and there is current work going on with the footings.

P&C REPORT On Tuesday 10 March a new P&C executive were elected at the AGM. Thank you to those who attended. Thank you also to the previous P&C Executive team for their time and all they achieved during their tenure. The P&C can still be contacted through the same email channel qwps.pc@gmail.com

Congratulations to our new team: President – Travis Masters Vice Presidents – Andrew Flahive and Elizabeth Barry Secretary – Heidi Gregson Treasurer – Anthony Eldridge From the President First and for most I would like to thank Belinda Jamieson and her tireless team, who have given nothing but their all to make sure that all children have been given the opportunity to continue with their education. The speed that all of the structures have been put into place whether it be online or the countless number of take home packs that have been made by the school for those children that do not have access to the online portal, we say thank you.

With the current situation confronting us all it has been decided to suspend all P&C meetings

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until the 10th June, which will be reassessed closer to this date. The P&C is all about contributing to help make a better school for our children, parents, teachers, staff and the surrounding community to be proud of. When things return to normal and you would like to be involved more in the school community and bring your thoughts to the P&C table you are more than welcome to come along.

Did you know QWPS has a Story Box Library subscription? Fantastic stories read and told by a wide range of well known

Australians can be found at http://www.storyboxlibrary.com.au using this log in and password:

Username: QWPS4127 Viewer Password: QWPSstories

School Values Focus For the next two weeks our whole school PBL focus is:

Over the next two weeks students will be explicitly taught how to stay safe by using the ‘No, Go, Tell’ strategy. Students will be reminded they can use this strategy both within the school and community environments:

NO

Confidently tell the person:

‘NO I don’t like it or NO to STOP!’

Use words not hands!

GO

Walk away from the unsafe situation!

Walk towards an adult or teacher.

TELL

Tell an adult or teacher about the problem!

They will help you solve the problem.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING (PBL)

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT

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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT