Requirements from Monday 12th October 2020  

Students only are to enter the school via designated House Colour Gates.  

Staff members will be supporting families to ensure that drop off and pick up times happen in a calm and organised manner.

We ask that you are patient and supportive as we implement the changes required for the return of all year levels, during these unprecedented times.

A mandatory requirement from the Victorian Government is that parents and carers are to wear face masks whenever they leave the house, including for school drop-off and pick-up.

Based on the advice of the Acting Deputy Chief Health Officer, given the current levels of community transmission in Victoria, mandatory temperature testing of all students on arrival to schools will not be required in Term 4. 

What staff observed that worked well when students returned to school the last time:

• Parents knowing which gate their child will enter and exit
• Parents arriving at the designated time to pick up their child
• Students being confident to walk through the gates on their own and to make their way to the classroom
• Parents remaining in their cars until they see their child arriving at the gates and then standing at the front of their car to collect them
• Parents organising their child to look out for you and to head straight to where you are standing (away from the gate and near your car)
• Parents being conscious of social distancing and staying a safe distance away from other adults (1.5 metres social distancing)
• Parents leaving the school promptly after collecting their child so that other parents can access a car space
• Parents not congregating around the gates, which has made it easier for students to locate their parent

Entry and Exit Gates

The gates will be sign posted and are listed below. The school gates will open at 8:40am each day, please note that the gates are opening 10 minutes later to reduce the time spent in the school yard prior to the commencement of lessons and will close at 3:20pm.

Gate 1 (Deutgam St) All students riding bikes and scooters (Main Office gate)

Gate 2 (Deutgam St) Blue House Students (next to Year 6 Wedge Building)

Gate 4 (Pyke St) Green House Students and Camp Australia (Camp Australia prior to 8.30am & after 3.30pm)

Gate 5 (Pyke St) Red House Students (between Room 12 & Learning Gallery)

Gate 6 (Werribee St) Yellow House Students (between Rooms 6 & 7)

Entering the School

8:40 onwards – all gates will close at 9.00am (late arrivals will need to enter via Gate 1)

Students are to enter the school and head straight to their classrooms, where their classroom teacher will be waiting for them.

Exiting the School

To reduce the family traffic of everyone arriving at the same time to collect students we will be having staggered `After School Pick Up’ times. It has been organised this way so that siblings can leave together.

• Students in F-2 will be taken to the House Gates by their teachers and Years 3-6 students will make their way to their House Gate to either exit the school or wait for their siblings.
• We ask that these times be adhered to and that parents vacate the area as quickly as possible, so that the next group of parents can access the parking spaces.

Dismissal Times

• 2:55pm - Green House (Gate 4) & Yellow House (Gate 6)
• 3:05pm - Red House (Gate 5) & Blue House (Gate 2)
• Camp Australia students to make their way to the Learning Gallery at their House dismissal time.
• Bike and scooters riders are to exit the school via Gate 1 at their House dismissal time.

Keeping our Students and Staff Safe

Keeping everyone at school safe is our number one priority, so as a staff we will ensure that the guidelines from the Department of Education and the Victorian Government are implemented:

• Hand Hygiene – Use of sanitisers and hand washing will be encouraged throughout the day. Also, before using play equipment and when returning to the classroom after recess and lunch play.
• Students to bring their own water bottle from home which they will be able to fill up during the day. School drinking taps will not be available for student use.
• Increased cleaning will occur throughout the day in high traffic areas
• Social distancing will be maintained by staff when applicable
• Designated outdoor play areas will be established for Year Levels
• Any student or staff member who is unwell will be required to stay home
• Keeping doors and windows open to allow for air ventilation
• Limiting visitors to the school – only for essential reasons
• Staff to wear masks when interacting with adults or whilst on yard duty

We thank you for your continued understanding and support.

Werribee Primary School Staff

Dear Parents and Carers,

On behalf of Werribee Primary School, I want to say a big thank you to all our students, parents and carers for your continued resilience and support throughout this year.

I know remote and flexible learning has not always been easy, but through our collective efforts, our students have continued to make valuable progress in their learning. You can be confident that our school will support any student who has fallen behind to catch up.

Term 4 is important for every Victorian student, and our teachers will strive to deliver high-quality learning for everyone. Whether we’re teaching remotely or face-to-face, our focus for Term 4 is on making sure that every student is supported in their wellbeing, learning and transition needs.

The Victorian Government has outlined the staged return to on-site schooling for all students as part of its gradual roadmap towards reopening.

Term 4 on-site schooling arrangements for students

Following advice of the Victorian Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government has released a staged approach for students to return to on-site schooling.

The purpose of the plan is to get students back in the classroom as soon and as safely as possible without putting at risk all that has been achieved through the period of restrictions to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

For our school, the following arrangements apply:

From 12 October (second week of Term 4)

• students in Foundation to Year 6 will return to on-site schooling. The existing remote learning program will not continue.

Health and safety measures

The Term 3 remote and flexible learning arrangements were put in place to significantly reduce the movement of more than one million students and their families across Victoria, to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Thanks to you and your family for contributing to this on behalf of our school community.

As on-site schooling resumes, we will continue to have in place strong measures to protect the health and safety of students, staff, families and the community. This includes staggering start and finish times, restricting parent access to school grounds and continued emphasis on hand hygiene and physical distancing where possible.

Please give particular attention to reducing the risks associated with congregation at school gates and taking steps to contribute to physical distancing within the school.

Please be assured we will be focused on three key priorities in Term 4:

Mental health and wellbeing

Our highest priority will be the wellbeing, particularly the mental health, of every student and member of staff. This means effectively mobilising all available resources to support our most vulnerable students and enabling staff to access the relevant support services.

Learning and excellence

Some of our students have thrived in the remote and flexible learning environment, others have maintained their learning progress, and some have fallen behind, despite their best efforts and those of their families and teachers. Our priority will be supporting both those who need it to catch up and those who have progressed to continue to extend their learning.

Transitions

We will make every effort to ensure successful transitions for children moving from kindergarten into Foundation and the Year 6s moving into Year 7.

We know some families are worried that their child may have to repeat a year due to the disruptions of coronavirus (COVID-19). There is little evidence to support the benefits of repeating a year to catch up. Instead, schools will use teaching strategies that draw on the best evidence available to help students meet their learning needs. 

Parents, families and carers can be confident that the best option for almost every child is to stay with their peer group, whether that is moving from kindergarten into Foundation or moving from Year 6 into Year 7 at secondary school, or students moving up any year level in between.

Our school, working with you, has shown it can be flexible and adaptable in responding to the challenges of coronavirus (COVID-19) and will continue to meet student needs as we look towards the end of the 2020 school year and ahead to 2021.

If you have any messages or concerns about your child please email their class teacher via the school’s email address Werribee.ps@education.vic.gov.au or contact the school on 9742 6659 to leave your child’s teacher a voice message.

Please find attached the arrangements for Entering and Exiting the School Safely and the steps we are taking to keep students and staff safe whilst at school.

Kind regards,

David Quinn

Principal
Werribee Primary School

We would love to invite parents and caregivers to join us for the Webinar:

"Transition Back to Primary School" 

Hosted by our Family Practitioners; this engaging webinar will entail a 30 minute interview with a primary school teacher followed by 15 minutes of question time. 

Date/Time: Thursday October 15 @ 7:00PM. 

To register for the event please email Sinem at Sinem.Celep@ds.org.au or follow the steps on our website www.ds.org.au

Pupil Free Days

The Department of Education and Training (DET) allows all government schools to hold four curriculum days per year. Curriculum days are pupil free days which allow the staff to work together on planning and professional development activities.  The first day of Term 1 is a student-free day in all government schools to allow for appropriate planning to take place for the arrival of students. School Council has approved the following dates for 2025 as curriculum days:

Staff Professional Practice Day

The Department of Education and Training (DET) allows all government schools to hold a common professional practice day on the same day for all staff.  This is to enable the most effective and efficient use of this day.  We have scheduled our professional practice day on the following day.  Students will not be required to attend school on this day:

Monday 21st July 2025 (first day of Term 3)

Think UV not heat  

UV levels are starting to rise  

It's time to dust off those sun hats, check the sunscreen expiry date and get your SunSmart app ready.   

UV can't be seen or felt. It's the part of the sun that can damage the skin and eyes and lead to skin cancer.   

The good news is, most skin cancer can be prevented if we protect from UV.
In Victoria UV levels start to rise from mid-August. To be sure you are using sun protection when you need to, check the sun protection times on the SunSmart app, add the SunSmart widget to your website or make SunSmart one of your web favourites so you can check the UV levels and sun protection times for your area each day. 

Regardless of the weather, remember to SLIP, SLOP, SLAP, SEEK and SLIDE whenever UV levels reach three or more.

1. To help create a barrier between your skin and the sun's UV, SLIPon clothing that covers as much skin as possible.
2. For any skin you can't cover with clothing, SLOPon SPF30 (or higher) broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen. Apply 20 minutes before going outside and reapply every two hours.
3. Protect the delicate areas of the head and face and SLAPon a sun protective hat. Make sure it has a wide brim that provides good shade to all areas. Caps do not provide enough UV protection so are not a suitable alternative.
4. Consider built, natural and temporary UV protection and encourage children to SEEKshade whenever possible. Set up activities in shaded areas.

5. If appropriate for your situation, SLIDE on wrap-around sunglasses labelled AS1067 to help protect the eyes from UV.

Don't wait until term four. Please have your SunSmart app and widget ready so you’ll be all set to know when to use sun protection.

The sun protection times are a forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology for the time of day UV levels are forecast to reach 3 or higher in your location. At these levels, sun protection (hat, clothing, sunscreen, shade and, if practical, sunglasses) is recommended for all skin types.




For more information for families please click here

We will regularly share resources available through our membership with you, including Insight Articles and Webinars. You can also access your resources at any time using the below URL (unique to our school) and password.

URL & PASSWORD

https://schools.happyfamilies.com.au/login/wps

PASSWORD: happywps

We recommend bookmarking this link. You should only need to put the password in once and the site will remember you.

The latest Insights articles are listed below:

Term 3 2024
The quest for independence and identity
Gettting along with siblings
Parenting with Influence, Not Control
The Power of Perspective
Stop, look and listen to your kids
Parenting on the same page

Term 2 2024
The best way to say 'No!' to your kids
Making Family Life Fun
Teaching children that mistakes are okay
Every Day Counts
Technology Giants and Our Kids
Family Goal Setting
Managing fatigue as a parent
The Power of Habit

View webinars     View Articles

INSIGHTS ARTICLES 

A new Insights article is released weekly during the term and we will include these with the school newsletter. Insights articles are written by Dr Justin Coulson and other leading experts and provide parenting education and support for a wide variety of traditional and contemporary parenting challenges. You can also access 300+ previous Insights articles on our school’s URL.

Each week Justin will be answering a question from the school community.  click here to watch video.

PARENT WEBINARS

You have access to 4 live webinars a year (one per term). We will announce upcoming webinar details in the Insights articles. You’ll have access to the recording via our school’s URL but as the webinars are live, we recommend you watch them in real time so that you can ask Dr Justin and / or the guest presenter any questions you may have.

We hope you enjoy the Insights and webinars!