Curtin Primary School Newsletter

We at Curtin Primary acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, past, present and future.

We would like to thank the traditional custodians for nurturing this precious land where we live, learn and play.

We promise to protect plants, animals, earth, water and sky and care for everyone in our community.

This week, our year level teaching teams are engaged in collaborative planning days. They will be investigating the concepts that support each unit of inquiry to plan rich experiences based on the enduring understandings and Australian Curriculum Achievement Standards.

Across the school, teachers have prepared, and sent via SkoolBag and email, the year level Parent Information webinars.  Teachers are also holding Learning Aspiration Interviews this week and next.

The Robotics incursion continues this week and student and teacher feedback has been positive.

Next Wednesday, 26 February, Amanda Beresford has arranged for the former Olympian Matthew D’Aquino (Judo) to speak to our senior school students (years 3-6). Matthew is Canberra born and represented Australia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Matthew is also an author of two bestselling books: Hard fought Lessons by an Olympic Judoka and Effective Goal Setting so you can Win in Life. Matthew will be sharing his passion, drive and commitment to sport and we are sure he will be an inspirational speaker for our students.

This Thursday afternoon the CPS Cultural Integrity team will be meeting with Richie Allan the Cultural Director at the Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation Kinnections (TOACK). He will guide us through the cultural awareness and Ngunnawal protocols in order to create a ‘sense of place’ in the senior courtyard, providing valuable local understanding and appreciation of the Ngunnawal land on which we all live, work and play on.

Passion Projects begin this Friday afternoon and in order to maximise the time, our Friday lunch playtime is shorter, so the students can be engaged for the entire afternoon session. Lunch eating will be 1.00pm until 1.10pm and play time will finish at 1.40pm. Many thanks to our families who returned the notes on time so the huge task of sorting our students into their preferred project was able to start on time. Due to the Swimming Carnival (year 2-6), Assemblies and Good Friday, Passion Projects will only be held this Friday and weeks 6, 7 and 8.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the P&C Welcome Barbecue which will be held this Friday from 5:30pm -7:00pm. It is a great opportunity to meet and socialise with your child’s new class parents.

Enjoy your week,

Deborah

Just a reminder for the start of the school year that student safety is a priority at Curtin Primary School.

We ask that you follow the below rules. Please share with any carers eg. friends, relatives, nannies.

Access

• Access gates to the playgrounds will be open from 8am to 9.30am and from 2.30pm to 3.30pm each day. Outside of these hours the gates will be locked and access to the school will be through the front office only. The back carpark will remain locked throughout the day.
• The playgrounds are supervised from 8.30am in the morning. Children are not to be left unsupervised before this time.
• After 3pm the playgrounds are not supervised. Students should not be waiting for pickup by playing unsupervised in the playground. They should be waiting near the front office so when you arrive you don’t have to search for them. This also ensures all students safety as we do not have staff on duty after school.
• If children are supervised, families are still able to play in the junior playground after school. Exit from this area after 3:30pm will be via the front gates as all other gates will be locked.
• When collecting students from the Junior After School Care access is through the front of the school only.
• Access after 3:30pm is through the front doors of the school only – for security reasons do not exit any other door.

Parking

• When dropping your children at school in the morning please be mindful of other cars in the front carpark. The front driveway is a No Parking - Pick up/Set own Zone only and is not for parking your car.
• The school has developed a safer and more structured way to deal with afternoon pick ups in the front driveway. Please read the below document.
• The back carpark is for staff only. Children are not to be dropped off in the back carpark at any time. Large trucks also use this entrance for deliveries and pickup garbage. It is not safe for children to be there at any time.
• The South Preschool carpark is for preschool parents only. Do not park there at any time unless picking up preschool children.
• Please be mindful of our neighbours and do not park in driveways, nature strips or on footpaths.

Events may be viewed and added to your personal calendar on the Skoolbag app

 Notes may be downloaded from links found below

Thank you to those families who have completed the 2020 medical forms. If you have not yet completed the forms can you please do as a priority. There are copies available at the front office if required.

Kindergarten and Preschool have already completed this form. 

It is your responsibility to advise the school if  any there are any changes to your child's medical records.

Every student needs to have a Medical Information and Consent Form completed annually as a snapshot of medical needs and for parents/carers to consent to first aid treatment for their child/ren in line with the Directorate’s First Aid Policy and First Aid General Procedures.

Additionally, if you identify any specialist medical condition marked with an asterisk (*) or condition that will require action plans, you need to complete a Known Medical Condition Response Plan (attached) signed by the student’s qualified health professional and student’s parents/carers.

Where the treatment/management of a known medical condition requires the administration of medication for a period of more than one school week (regular ongoing medication) a Medication Authorisation Administration Record must also be completed by the student’s parent/carer and submitted with the Known Medical Condition Response Plan.

In Summary, all students must return:

Medical Information and Consent Form (annual form) 

Students with a known medical condition which does not require medication must return:

Medical Information and Consent Form

Known Medical Condition Response Plan 

Students with a known medical condition not listed below who require medication must return:

Medical Information and Consent Form

Known Medical Condition Response Plan

Medication Authorisation and Administration Record 

Students with Asthma must return:

Medical Information and Consent Form

Known Medical Condition Response Plan

Asthma Management Plan (from your medical practitioner)

Medication Authorisation and Administration Record 

Students with Anaphylaxis must return:

Medical Information and Consent Form

Known Medical Condition Response Plan

Anaphylaxis Management Plan (from your medical practitioner)

Medication Authorisation and Administration Record 

Students with Diabetes must return:

Medical Information and Consent Form

Known Medical Condition Response Plan

Diabetes Management Plan (from your medical practitioner)

Medication Authorisation and Administration Record 

Students with Epilepsy must return:

Medical Information and Consent Form

Known Medical Condition Response Plan

Epilepsy Management Plan (from your medical practitioner)

Medication Authorisation and Administration Record 

Short term medications to be administered at school (non-ongoing medical issue e.g. antibiotics for a period of 10 days) must be authorised by written agreement from the student’s parent/carer, via the Medication Authorisation and Administration Record, and qualified health professional (a medical prescription is adequate).

For more information, please visit the Education website at https://www.education.act.gov.au/publications_and_policies/School-and-Corporate-Policies/wellbeing/health/first-aid/First-Aid-Policy or contact the school for further clarification.

The first P&C meeting of the year and our AGM will be held this Thursday evening in the staff room. At this meeting we will be finalising our calendar of events and discussing new activities and assets to fund over the coming year. All parents and carers are welcome to attend so please come along, meet new parents and the P&C team and contribute to the discussion. Light refreshments from 6.30pm, meeting start from 7pm.

If you can lend a hand doing a shift on the Welcome BBQ, please get in touch with Bruce Driver: bld@netspeed.com.au.

The P&C coordinates Class Parent Representatives across the preschool and school to provide a vital information and engagement link between the school, parents and the P&C. 

The key responsibilities for class parent reps are to:

• pass on information from the class teacher;
• gather email addresses of class parents (with help from the teacher) for a class contact list; 
• pass on information from the P&C;
• encourage interaction between parents by holding a class picnic/bbq, organising a trivia night table etc;
• organise or find a delegate to run a stall at the Twilight Fair.

If you would be willing to take on the Class Parent Rep role for your child’s class in 2020, please contact your class teacher or P&C Parent Rep Coordinator Sally - sallyjoyhawkins@gmail.com.

Your help is very much appreciated.

The canteen is open from 8.45am until 1.45pm. If you have any canteen queries, Lizzy can be contacted on 6142 2581 during these hours.

The uniform shop is located opposite the canteen and is open from 8.30am until 9.30am each Wednesday. 

The recent bush fire smoke that has affected us here in Canberra has highlighted the importance of good asthma management. We are writing to you to let you know about the free Canberra Health Services Children’s Asthma Education Service that is available to your students who have asthma. Attached is our service poster for inclusion in your school newsletter.

Asthma education for children and adolescents improves their ability to be fully engaged with activities and reduces absenteeism from school. Students with asthma have been found to be generally less active than their non-asthmatic peers and have an increase in school absenteeism.

Registered Nurse Asthma Educators provide children, young people and their families with support to manage their asthma. The service is available to all children in the ACT and surrounds up to the age of 18.

This includes:

• Advice on asthma, asthma first aid, how asthma medications work, and when to use them.

• Helping families manage wheezing in the first years of life.

• Symptom recognition for primary school aged children, aiming to support increasing independence.

• Support for teenagers to self-manage their condition and device options.

If you feel you would benefit from receiving asthma education, please call the Community Health Intake line on 5124 9977 to make an appointment.

If you would like any further information about the service, please visit: https://www.health.act.gov.au/services-and-programs/women-youth-and-children/children-and-youth/childrens-asthma-education