Dear Parents & Carers, January 30, 2020

Welcome back to school for the start of the new year for 2020. I hope that you all have had a wonderful

break and spent some quality family time together. The beginning of the year is always an exciting time for

everyone and it was great to see the students arriving with so much excitement and enthusiasm. Our Prep

students already seem settled with not too many tears (from their parents!). Congratulations on a wonderful

start to the school year by all our students, particularly with the extreme hot weather conditions this week.

Welcome back to our current students and families and a special welcome to our new Prep families and

those who have joined us in other year levels. We also welcome our new staff to Our Lady’s community:

Miss Tahlia Cassar (5C), Mr David Nolan (5N), Mr Michael Walsh (3W) and Mrs Rita Audish (Learning Support

Officer).

Over the school holidays, numerous works have taken place throughout the school; the main one being the

refurbishment of our main office space. Our temporary office is situated just in front of our school library.

As the front part of the school is officially a building site, this will require some adjustment to school routines

regarding student, parent and staff movement throughout the school. I ask for your understanding in

adhering to the entry and exit points of the school in ensuring the safety of all.

We will be gathering to celebrate our beginning of the year school Mass on Friday at 9.15am and I invite all

families to come along.

Our parent ‘Meet and Greet’ night will be held over two nights. Tuesday 11th February and Thursday 13th

February from 3.50-6.00pm. This is an opportunity for you to meet your child’s teacher and for our teachers

to meet our families. Bookings will open via COMPASS next week.

Our Before and After School Care provider, Camp Australia, is up and running from our school gymnasium.

Bookings for the program are to be done online. In supporting our families with enrolments we have also set

up a computer in our school office for parents to register their child/ren. To make it easier for parents to

drop off and pick up their children, parents are asked to enter via the Bridgewater Road gate.

Birthday wishes to all of the children who celebrated their birthday during the school

holidays and also this week: Olivia 3N, Nana 2S, Niya 6C, Harleen 5H, Oriyana 5C, Jared 2L, Leah

Prep C, Santa Prep D, Clara Prep D, Mia 4C, Eloise 2S.

Please see below updated information received from Catholic Education Melbourne regarding the

Caronavirus.

We look forward to an exciting year ahead and working together to provide our students with positive

learning experiences.

Warm Regards

Cinzia Mancuso

Acting Principal

The safety and care of your children is paramount to me and our school community.

Following is new advice from the Australian and Victorian Governments regarding the Novel Coronavirus.

All children who have travelled to Hubei Province of China, are advised to stay at home and avoid public

settings, including attendance at schools and early learning centres, until 14 days after last being in Hubei

province, China. This applies to any and all students even if they do not show any symptoms of the virus.

Children who are well and have travelled to other provinces in China, or any other areas where there have

been reported cases, are NOT recommended to be excluded from schools unless the following applies:

• The person is a confirmed case of novel coronavirus

• The person is a close contact with a confirmed case of novel coronavirus in the past 14 days

If you think your child is showing any relevant symptoms of the novel corona virus, please call the

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to discuss further actions on 1300 651 160.

This advice is also being provided to teachers and other school staff to ensure we mitigate any risks

associated with the spread of the virus.

Below is information provided by the Victorian Government providing advice and information about the

Novel Coronavirus, including what actions to take if your child is feeling unwell following travel to the Hubei

province, and practical steps to avoid the spread of the virus.

You can also access further information and updates from the following websites:

• For Victorian updates to the current incident, go to: https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/novelcoronavirus

• For national updates: https://www.health.gov.au/news/latest-information-about-novel-coronavirus

• For international updates: https://www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/novel-coronavirus

• WHO resources https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

In circumstances like these, there can understandably be a lot of concern and uncertainty about the safety

of your child. Please know that I am available to discuss your concerns with you, and will provide any revised

advice to you as soon as it becomes available.

Sat 7th March/Sun 8th March First Reconciliation Sign up Weekend

Tuesday 10th March Parent/Child Workshop 7:00pm

Friday 27th March End of Term 1

Monday 14th April Term 2 Commences

Friday 26th June End of Term 2