22 May 2020
Dear Families,
As a school we are delighted to be welcoming your child back to school next week. Students are the life and soul of any school, bringing energy and vitality. This has been sadly missed throughout the remote learning period.
Return to Face to Face Teaching
- Students return to school full time on Monday 25th May.
- We are transitioning back to normal face-to-face teaching.
- Remote learning will cease from Friday 22nd May.
- Students will follow their timetable, observing normal start and finish times.
Attendance
All students are expected to attend school each day unless they are;
- At home because they are unwell.
- At home because they have a medical certificate which states that they are unable to return to school due to an ongoing medical condition.
Rolls will be marked each day.
Social Distancing
Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and NSW Health have deemed that students do not need to follow physical distancing guidelines. School organisation will return to normal, including class sizes and learning spaces. Students can expect to be taught by their regular classroom teacher. The canteen and playground areas will return to regular operation.
Measures have been put in place to assist staff in observing social distancing, in line with AHPPC guidelines.
Hygiene Practices
All students and staff should follow good hygiene practices, including:
- Regular hand washing, with soap.
- Sneezing and coughing into elbows.
- Use of hand sanitiser (provided by teachers) when entering classrooms.
- Not sharing food, drinks and equipment.
Students are encouraged to bring their own sanitiser and wipes.
Cleaning
Additional cleaning services are now provided during the school day to;
- Wipe down touch points – door handles, railings, surfaces.
- Provide additional cleaning of toilets and bubblers.
- Ensure soap and paper towel is refilled.
Uniform
As proud students of Greystanes High School and in upholding the school values of Respect, Responsibility and Active Learning all students are required to be in school uniform each day, including black leather shoes. Sport uniform should be worn on Wednesdays only.
The Uniform Shop operates out of the school hall:
- Monday 7.30am to 10.30am
- Tuesday 1.00pm to 4.00pm
Transport
Where possible, students are encouraged to safely walk or ride to school.
To assist in alleviating the anticipated increased congestion on Beresford Road, if possible, please drop your child in a nearby street such as Bathurst Street.
Transport for NSW continues to support physical distancing where possible. This will not apply to dedicated school services as no student will be turned away.
Equipment
In returning to school, students need to bring;
- A charged device and charger.
- Exercise book.
- Pens and writing equipment.
- Hand sanitiser and wipes.
- Refillable water bottle.
Visitors and Parents
In keeping with the Department of Education guidelines, all non- essential visits to school should be avoided. If you have questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact the school on 9631 9144.
Technology
Mandatory BYOD for Year 7 and 11 has been in place since the beginning of the year. In returning to school, students across all Years are encouraged to continue bringing their device and charger each day.
Families who have borrowed a laptop for remote learning are asked to return the device and charger to the library before school on Monday.
Sport
Years 11 and 12
Years 11 and 12 will not be required to participate in sport at this time and will be dismissed at 12.30pm, which is the beginning of lunch. The expectation is for students to go directly home. This represents a slight change to the Wednesday bell times.
Years 7 - 10
With local sporting grounds remaining closed and limits placed on the types of sporting activities, regular sport will not operate. Each Year group will participate in a Wednesday afternoon sporting activity on a weekly rotational basis.
Year 7 – Week 5
Year 8 – Week 6
Year 9 – Week 7
Year 10 – Week 8
These arrangements are subject to change. Once the local sporting grounds are open, we expect all Year groups to enjoy sport on a Wednesday afternoon. We will notify you of any changes.
Year groups not participating in sport will engage in wellbeing activities and be dismissed at 2.30pm.
Reports
Additional information regarding the structure and timeline for Semester 1 reports and parent teacher interviews will provided in the coming week.
We value the support and understanding provided by our community in recent months. We are grateful for your acts of generosity and kindness.
Yours Sincerely
Grant Sparke
Principal
21 May 2020