PRINCIPAL’S REPORT - 13th March, 2021

I am pleased to inform you that our students have made a great start to the year. There are always challenges at the beginning of the school year as students make the transition to new classrooms and new departments within the school.

It has been great to observe the resilience demonstrated by our students with these changes. Personalised strategies have been employed for those students particularly challenged by these changes and it has been pleasing to observe these interventions having success.

The Coronavirus (Covid 19) has continued to escalate its status as a worldwide health issue. Our first priority at Frankston SDS is the health and safety of our school community. I can assure you that we are treating this issue with the upmost importance. The Department of Education and Training (DET) is regularly issuing updates to school with the latest information from Australian and Victorian Chief Medical Officers and we are acting on this information as we receive it. It is essential that our school community assists us with the management of this issue.

I request that you contact myself or Kris Baker immediately if you or your child falls into one of the two below categories.

• You are a confirmed case of COVID-19
• You are a close contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past 14 days.
• ‘Close contact’ is defined as someone who has had at least 15 minutes of face-to-face contact with a confirmed case, or shared a closed space with someone for more than two hours with a confirmed case.

The focus of all work at Frankston SDS this term and beyond will be the teaching and maintenance of sound personal hygiene practices. We will be working with our students to teach and support them to practise healthy routines including thoroughly washing their hands with soap and water each time they enter and exit their classrooms.

I understand Coronavirus is an ever changing issue. We will continue to be guided by the advice of experts and I will keep you informed of any changes as they occur. If you believe that your child is unwell and is presenting with cold like symptoms I request that you keep them home until you have sought medical advice.

In light of this news it is with sadness that I must inform you that we are postponing our family fun night on Thursday March 26. Our Parents and Friends Association have worked extremely hard to raise money to fund this event and it is really disappointing that we have to reschedule. Safety must be our priority. The current advice from DET is that schools should not be hosting any non-essential gatherings. Unfortunately it would appear this event would fall in this category. I look forward to a time soon when we can safely host this event.

Please take care and keep safe.