I’m happy to say that children are mostly warding off colds at this stage and our attendance rate remains good. We have had two cases of chicken pox, however, and I know there have been more cases at East Fremantle PS, so please be on the lookout for symptoms. We have also had an outbreak of nits in a couple of classrooms. I’d really appreciate you religiously tying your child’s hair up if it is below their collar to stop the spread. This applies equally to boys and girls. Thank you!
A concern recently has been the spate of bike thefts around the Town of East Fremantle. This seems rife and is well documented on the East Fremantle Community Chat group. Four children have had their bikes stolen from school – all parked near the Windsor Road fence and all unfortunately left unlocked. We have liaised with the police. I have been reminding riders to use their bike locks and to fasten their bikes to the racks. They are unlikely to be taken if they are locked up. We were able to recover one bike this week. I really encourage parents to ensure children have bikes locks and know how to use them, and to make a police report in the event of a theft.
We will all be ready to celebrate our centenary when next year comes around. I have set up a website page with contact details for anyone who is interested in contributing. Please spread the word to anyone you know who is involved with fairs – runs stalls or who can offer their services, and email rpsschoolfair2020@gmail.com for more information. Also follow the fair on Facebook at Richmond Primary Spring Fair
As I said in my last update, semester 1 reports will be sent home via Connect on Wednesday July 1. There will be no grades. Instead teachers will comment on behaviour, attitude and effort as well as progress. This is a really good opportunity to focus on these areas, which are so important and which set children up for life. I encourage everyone to talk to their children about the importance of these affective domains, rather than just focussing on grades.
The school will break up for a much needed rest on Thursday 2 July, and we have a student free day on Friday 3 July.
I am sure that many of you will agree that this has been a very difficult six months on many levels.
All businesses have been affected in some way by COVID-19, and the school is no different. It is certainly the most complicated semester I have had running Richmond. With just eleven school days until the mid-year holidays, we are still very much feeling the effects of the disruption. This week a third of my teachers have been sick, finally succumbing to coughs and colds. Staffing continues to be very difficult.
We have to take heart however that compared to many schools around the world, our children are very fortunate. Schools here in WA are open, children are learning and, for the most part, things are moving steadily towards normal operations.
I am hopeful that in semester 2, we will be able to restart more activities. At the moment we are still limited by the 100 person gathering restriction and the social distancing rules. Our virtual assemblies are going well, the online canteen is doing brilliantly – thank you, and scheduled meetings have taken the place of ad hoc chats.
Thank you for your support,
Lisa Dentith