At last - School Arrangements                                                        11 October 2021

Thank you to the 166 families who responded to our LFH Pulse Check survey. As a result, we will continue to use the current 'new' format and, for those families who prefer the other 3 or 5 day formats, we hope there are only a few weeks to go! We intend that this new format will make the combination of LFH and On-site Learning manageable during the staggered return to school.

                             

Thank you also to parents who completed Prep - Year 2 Google forms in preparation for Parents@Webex sessions for those year levels.

This week, we will advise parents and carers about essential information regarding the arrangements when school resumes. Although it will be wonderful to welcome students and staff back, school is still going to be quite some way from the 'normal school' we last saw in March 2020. This eNews addresses some of the new additions to our COVIDSafe plan and we hope it assures parents that we intend to again follow the advice of the Chief Health Officer as closely as possible.

These arrangements reflect the latest DET Operations Guide, and some areas are reproduced in italics below. It's likely that this Guide may be further updated before your child resumes school, so please read each eNews. 

Only essential staff will be at school during the period of staggered returns, so these arrangements consider the staffing available on any one day for on-site learning, and approved on-site learning for children of authorised workers, whilst other staff remain working remotely. 

Masks* and eating

All staff must continue to wear masks. Any approved visitors must wear masks.

As announced last week, all Year 3 - 6 students are required to wear masks at all times when indoors.

It is strongly recommended by the Chief Health Officer that Years Prep - 2 also wear masks. This is a simple safety measure that we urge children to use. Thank you to those authorised workers whose masked children have been on-site. There has been no issue whatsoever with masks and those children.

We plan that students will be eating lunch and snacks outdoors, supervised by teachers. 

Please teach your child how to wear, remove and put on their mask, ensuring it covers the nose and mouth fully.

* More about masks can be found in LFH eNews #37.

Outdoor Learning

• Schools are encouraged to maximise the use of outdoor learning areas and environments.
• Prefer the use of an outdoor space over an indoor space as much as practicable.

School start and finish times

We plan for all students to enter the schoolgrounds from 8:45 a.m. They will need to go straight to their classrooms, stay there and be ready to start learning at 9:00 a.m. We can only manage this if families are mindful that the gates open at that time, when supervision begins, and we need to avoid children gathering at gates before then.

School will finish at staggered times due to the larger number of adults involved in picking up children:

• Students with surnames starting with A - L will be in the yard from 3:10 p.m. and ready for dismissal at 3:15 p.m.
• Students with surnames starting with M - Z will be in the yard from 3:25 pm and ready for dismissal at 3:30 p.m.
• Siblings should meet each other near their exit gate.
• If you need to collect your child, please ensure only one adult attends.
• Parents should again drop off or pick up their child from outside the school gates and avoid congregating in groups.

In order to avoid the need for more staggered arrangements when Years 3 - 6 return, please follow these requirements.

Exit and Entry gates

Years Prep - 2 students can enter and exit the school via Pakenham St, Janet St and Blacks Walk. Please ensure that your child knows which gate they are exiting from to avoid confusion. Reminding them of this each morning will aid in their recollection of this important detail.

Play areas

Students will play in 'Year level areas' of the playground on their return, so as to limit mixing of students. This will be similar to 2020 arrangements.

Classroom Ventilation

As we've done since Lockdown 1.0, classroom windows and doors need to remain open. Ceiling fans can be used under certain conditions. Please provide your child with layers of clothing. 

As 'air recirculation should be eliminated or minimised by setting air conditioning units to use external air rather than recycling', most of the school's new-style air conditioners cannot be used unless absolutely essential. 

'Turn on mechanical ventilation during school hours including when rooms are unoccupied, and if possible ideally two hours before and after the use of a space'.

Air Purifiers

The Department is delivering air purifier units to schools. We do not know when to expect these, or how many are allocated to LPS, yet.

'Air purifiers are advised to be prioritised for higher risk areas. These areas include where high levels of mixing of staff and reduced mask use when eating, higher levels of exertion and increased aerosol projection, and areas of lower ventilation and possible exposure to illness. For example, sick bays, staff rooms, canteens, school receptions and student centres, gymnasiums and music rooms.'

Visitors

Only essential visitors can enter the school and we expect announcements about visitor vaccination requirements, and an update to the QR system, soon.

Until further information is communicated, parents are asked to remain outside the school grounds and phone or email the office, rather than visit in person. The only exception to this is for pick up or drop off from OSHClub, when parents should please remember to stay outside the buildings and wear a mask.

Use of the School Grounds

There are no changes yet to current arrangements. As signage indicates, families or the public cannot use the grounds on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., when on-site schooling and OSHClub are operating.

Please ensure your children understand this, as we have needed to ask many students to leave in the last few weeks.

Of course, we will continue to follow our COVIDSafe protocols and more about these will follow.

LFH Online Art Gallery

Thanks to everyone who has shared their beautiful LFH art work. Our 2021 Online Gallery has been updated, and is also accessible from the website home page. 

ICAS tests

Thank you for your patience in regards to the ICAS Assessments this year. As Learning from Home continues throughout the testing window, the ICAS Assessments team has given our school the opportunity to run the tests remotely from home. These are exceptional circumstances and we are very grateful for your support to complete the ICAS assessments.

For those LPS students who previously enrolled by 23 July 2021, the tests will be conducted through special Webex sessions on the following dates:

• English ICAS test – Tuesday 19 October, 12:30pm
• Science ICAS test – Thursday 21 October, 12:30pm
• Maths ICAS test – Monday 25 October, 12:30pm
  
  

Please allow up to an hour and a half for each session, as supporting the students remotely before we begin the test may take some time.

Laburnum teaching staff will supervise and support those students online via Webex during the test.

If your child is enrolled in ICAS, please expect to receive more details about this, via email.

Stay safe,

Kim