Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome back to Term 3 and I hope that all students had a restful and enjoyable break. I am sure that they are eager to begin the amazing activities and units of work that have been planned for all students. Teaching and learning is our core business and the school takes this very seriously. The curriculum is delivered through inquiry and is aligned to the Australian Curriculum. The commitment to developing literate, numerate and curious learners echoes in the priorities for the year:

• Assessment for learning to deepen the inquiry stance in inquiry,
  
  writing and maths and 
• Creating a Connected Community 

Teachers work with curriculum leaders to develop locally relevant and engaging work that promote investigations and inquiry. They engage in data conversations to ensure that the tasks and strategies are appropriately geared for the students and have a positive impact on learning.

We continue to balance the needs of teaching with that of the safety and wellbeing of all students. As per the letter sent on Friday 10 July, measures have been put in place for the first week to ensure this safety. You may be aware of some media stories in our community over the past few days, I want to reassure you that the priority for all staff at Yeronga SS is for the safety and wellbeing of all children. I have been working closely with the Department of Education to ensure we have good practices and procedures in place so that our staff and children can get back to their normal school routines and focus on the children’s learning and development.

It is a timely reminder that all volunteers and visitors in school grounds must sign in at the office. This is a requirement of The Department of Education.

We continue to manage the operations of the school in line with the COVID-19 Roadmap. We request that adults remain 1.5m apart and not enter buildings. Avoid gathering at gates or stairs nears classrooms. Parades will begin this term but only for students and staff. The update sent prior to the school holidays remains current.

Our school review

Our school is scheduled for a review in Week 3 of Term 3- 27/28/29 July. The Department of Education regularly reviews the teaching and learning practices of Queensland state schools. The reviews are conducted by the department’s School Improvement Unit. The reviews do not rate or compare schools, but provide us with independent feedback so we can continue to improve learning outcomes for students. The information that they gather and the recommendations made, will assist the school develop the next quadrennial plan.

All schools have a review at least once every four years. Key findings from the review will be made available to parents and the community on our school website. The review team like to hear from the school community and I encourage anyone who is interested to have their say. Your feedback is important and will help us continue to deliver a great education for students. Feedback can be provided to the review team by phone or in person. All feedback remains confidential. Please contact the school office closer to the date if you are interested in speaking to a reviewer.

More information about the review process is available from the department’s website at www.schoolreviews.eq.edu.au.

School Opinion Survey

Parents and Caregivers are invited to participate in this year’s School Opinion Survey and have a say about schooling during the COVID-19 lockdown.  You are also given the opportunity to provide feedback about our school more generally.

Participation in the survey is anonymous and you are encouraged to take this opportunity to have your say.  The survey form has been designed so that it can easily be completed on a computer or smartphone. The online survey will be available until Friday, 17 July 2020, and should take less than five minutes to complete.

To access the survey, please click on the link below or copy and paste it into your web browser:

Parent survey – https://survey.qed.qld.gov.au/form/Parents-HaveYourSay.

Please contact the school if you have any questions about the survey.

Elyse Griffiths - Grey Wolf Award

Elyse Griffiths, a Cub Scout at Kurilpa Scout Group, has earned the Grey Wolf Award.

To attain the top award in each of the five Sections in Scouting reflects initiative
in tackling this challenge, sustained effort over many months and years, plus
self-discipline, teamwork, and leadership.

Only a small percentage reach this level. These are the top achievers among Scouting's 47 million members globally.

The youth members are well supported by their volunteer Leaders, their families, and often their teachers, but ultimately the decision to strive to be among the few who reach this level in Scouting is a personal choice, and often an indicator of future success.

Welcome Cathy Hegarty

The school would like to welcome Cathy Hegarty, the new Spanish teacher for the upper school. Cathy comes to us with much experience in the teaching of both Spanish and Japanese.

COVID-19 travel restrictions

In accordance with Stage 3 of Queensland’s Roadmap to easing COVID-19 restrictions, any person travelling to Queensland from Victoria must quarantine in a hotel at their own expense for at least 14 days.

Any staff member who elects to travel to Victoria will be required to access recreation or long service leave to cover the 14-day quarantine period on their return to Queensland. Where no leave is available Special Leave No Pay will be recorded. Staff should review the Leave Guide on the OnePortal COVID-19 pages for more information.

People travelling from other states may enter Queensland after completing and signing a border declaration.

Michelle D’Netto