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From the Principal
Last week I was honoured to be offered the ongoing role as Principal of Casey Grammar School. Thank you to all the parents, students and staff who have offered me their best wishes over the past week. I have been overwhelmed by the support of the school community. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to lead this wonderful school and I look forward to working with you, and for you, into the future.
Over the past two weeks, we have been very busy preparing the school for the return of our students. We are very excited to be moving back to on-site learning. By now you should have received the FAQ sheet for parents and students which outlines the protocols we have put in place to ensure the health and safety of our school community. Please ensure you have read and understood the new procedures and guidelines. The school looks a little different with some staff in new offices, some classes moved into new rooms, new wall mounted hand sanitizers in every room and lots and lots of signs directing and reminding people of the new protocols. The way we work together at school will be different. It will take a little time to become accustomed to the new norms of social interaction at school, but it is imperative that we do for the health and wellbeing of all.
We are acutely aware of the concerns regarding drop off and pick up of children each day. Current social distancing rules for adults means we cannot allow parents to walk their children into school, nor gather together in social groups as their children play. Parents are asked to stay in their cars or to keep within 1.5m of their car at drop off and pick up times. We ask that you endeavor to keep the traffic moving in and out of the Kiss and Drop zone as quickly and as safely as possible. We have staggered drop off times for Junior School students to try to keep traffic flowing. We have created pick up zones according to year level in the afternoon. We have rostered many more staff in the PAC car park to supervise and assist the children. We are confident that the pick up and drop off procedures we have put in place will work smoothly as long as everyone works cooperatively and are patient and courteous towards others. Parents of older children (Upper Junior and Senior School) are asked to drop their children in the Basketball Stadium car park where there is more space and the students can safely walk across the road and into the school with the assistance of the traffic supervisors. We will be reviewing the processes we have in place on a regular basis and are prepared to make changes quickly if required.
Like many workplaces, we have some medically vulnerable staff who will continue to teach remotely when school resumes. We have employed teachers to supervise their students each lesson as the regular teacher continues to teach them from their home.
The survey completed two weeks ago on the Remote Learning Program indicated that most people were keen to return to on-site learning, however, I am aware that there are some students who enjoyed learning remotely and for them, returning to school can be quite daunting. If your child is worried about coming back to school, please contact the relevant Wellbeing staff to assist you in reassuring and preparing your child for their return. I also recommend the hints provided by Child Psychologist Andrew Fuller in his article 7 things for a smooth transition back to school-based learning. Click on the link below;
We look forward to seeing our students return on Tuesday, 26 May and 9 June. School has been too quiet without you!
Mrs Fiona Williams
Principal
Click here to view a message from the Principal, regarding the return to school.
