Hello Friends
A sincere and warm welcome to 2020. I hope you had a connecting and restful holiday period and it provided your family with a chance to connect and relax. I love summer and day light saving. Being able to eat outside and enjoy warm nights is great. I hope this New Year and decade provides you and your family with health and happiness.
It has been tremendous to see our students return with vigour and zeal for the new school year. Our students have settled back in to the routine of school adjusting to their new class structures and routines.
Please remember to send your child to school with an application of sunscreen which will be reapplied during the day, a bottle with water in it and a labelled school hat. Remember to ensure all items of clothing and equipment that is brought to school, is clearly labelled with your child’s name. Supervision begins on the school oval at 8.20am and the first school bell to move to class sounds at 8.45am. The school day officially commences at 8.50am children are set up for a successful day of learning when they are able to arrive at school on time and ready for the day ahead.
Parking Restriction, Traffic Monitors and School Gates
Once again in 2020 I ask motorists to please be mindful of parking restrictions around our school. It is common place for council inspectors to frequent the school at pick up and drop off times. Council do monitor and fine those motorists parked illegally or who have expired their time in parking spaces. Please remember that it is illegal to park across driveways. Please be aware of the legal distance required to park away from driveways. We would like our school to continue to be a respectful neighbour to our nearby residents. This includes our school driveways, in case of emergency vehicles need to gain access to school grounds. I also remind our families and friends that our traffic monitors have been trained by SAPOL and have been instructed when to stop traffic to allow pedestrians to cross. Sometimes there is a short wait for them to find a safe break in the traffic to raise the ‘stop’ signs and allow pedestrians to cross. I also remind motorists that Foord Avenue, that runs adjacent to the Church can only be accessed from Marlborough St. This means that entry into Foord Avenue is from Marlborough St only and motorists need to exit the Church car park on to Seaview Rd. Access from Foord Ave to Military Rd is for private residents only.
Another important point to remember is the need to keep the traffic ‘flowing’ on Military Road and Seaview Roads. If you cannot access the ‘collection areas’, then you will need to go around the school block and attempt to join the queue again. Motorists caught obstructing traffic on Military Road and Seaview Rd can be fined by SAPOL. Thanks for your continued cooperation. Students need to access vehicles quickly and safely and independence in this action is appreciated. This means that children should be able to open the door of the vehicle, enter the vehicle and use the seatbelt independently. Please pass on this information to family and friends who may drop off or collect students from our school. Our traffic monitors will be on duty in the morning from 8.30am to 8.45am and in the afternoons from 2.50pm to 3.15pm. We value the work that our senior students perform on crossing duty and appreciate your cooperation with them when using the crossings as a motorist or a pedestrian. School gates will be open from 8.20am and again at 2.40pm allowing for easier entering and exiting of the school at peak times and decreasing traffic congestion in the corridors. Students will need to be collected by 3.25pm on Seaview and Military Road pick up points. After this time, students will be directed to OSHC. After school pick up is another busy time and I ask for courtesy and vigilance in ensuring the safety of your child and the safety of others. Please use the pick-up lane if on Military Rd and Seaview Rd if there is room to do so, please DO NOT park on the yellow clearway lines or leave your car unattended. There may be times when you may have to drive around the block to queue again. Please feel free to use the Church car park and walk to the school, using the crossing on Malborough St to meet your child on the school grounds. SAPOL often patrol the area and fine parents so I advise you to always exercise caution and obey the signs. I thank you for your understanding.
Communication at School
I encourage you to remain in communication with your child’s class teacher. Email is a convenient way to maintain communication, particularly if you are unable to frequent the school. Our school teachers remain vigilant in keeping up with the volume of emails that they receive on a daily basis and so teachers will respond to your email within a 24 hour time frame in a school week. Please send emails at a respectful hour.
Wishing you a fabulous Term 1.
“Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.” – Eileen Caddy
Thanks and Blessings
Matt