By Pete Hanratty
I’m happy to report that we have enjoyed a seamless transition back to school for all of our students over the past two weeks concluding on Tuesday with our Junior and Middle School students returning to onsite learning. It has been fantastic to have them all back and we feel some normality of routine and familiarity returning to our school environment. I have enjoyed walking through a once again busy Campus and seeing all of our students happy and energetic faces.
To ensure the on-going safety of our school community we would appreciate if families could continue to keep any student who has a cold or flu-like symptoms at home. If your child, or any member of your household, is tested for COVID-19 it is necessary that you keep your child home until the outcome of the test has been communicated. We would also appreciate notification of testing as soon as it is practical to ensure that we can minimise the risk of transmission here at school. Our teaching staff are well aware of how important it is to keep students home and they are ready to support our students who are absent for this reason.
We also appreciate the continued support of our families, which has certainly contributed to the calm and positive attitude that was evident in our students upon their return.
By Ms C Bamberg, Mr. Duyal and Mr. Uwins
Early Dismissal – Friday 26th June 2020 (Final day of Term 2)
The students will be dismissed at 2.30 pm on Friday 26th June 2020.
School Photographs
The student photos ordered by families will be distributed to the students next week.
Uniform Requirements Update
Fountain Gate Secondary College is a uniform College that has been set out by the College School Council. It is a requirement that all students wear the full school uniform, including school shoes, to and from school.
When timetabled for Physical Education or Sport Education classes, all students are required to wear the full Physical Education uniform for Physical Education in Years 7 – 10 and for Sport Education in Years 7 & 8.
On the days when the students do not have Physical Education and Sport Education, they must wear their full school uniform. Students are not permitted to wear the tracksuit pants with their normal school uniform.
The official supplier is PSW Hampton Park, Unit 2/10-12 South Link Dandenong South. Phone: 9768-0343.
Girls School Uniform
Choose from:
Boys School Uniform
Choose from:
Unisex Fountain Gate Physical Education Uniform
Choose from:
Students must be in full school uniform:
The student’s uniform must be clean, neat and tidy at all times, and worn as intended. Buttons, zips, buckles, laces etc. must be done up and shirts, other than polo shirts must be tucked in. If students are not in the correct uniform, they may be sent home after parents have been contacted, and students may not be permitted to participate in excursions if not in full school uniform. If uniform is not required (eg. Free Dress Days), parents/guardians will be notified in writing.
SHOES
School shoes - Traditional black, lace-up leather, polishable school shoes are required. Black runners are not acceptable. Girls may wear T Bar sandals which have a solid sole and leather uppers, shoes which are flimsy and similar to ballet slippers will not be permitted. Girls are required to have the buckles secured. If they are broken they must be repaired or replaced. We have a number of areas which require feet to be fully covered e.g. Science Laboratory, Technology Rooms, Home Economics Kitchens for safety reasons. Note: Casual shoes such as Vans which are sold as school shoes do NOT meet our School Uniform Policy.
Note: Hoodies are NOT to be worn at school.
Note: There will be cleaners working during the day to ensure a high level of cleanliness. They will clean high-touch points like toilets, door handles and shared equipment.
It’s really important you are responsible for your own hygiene. We must work together and ensure:
At the end of this guide is a reminder of the best way to clean your hands and maintain hygiene practices.
Students
The risk of transmission to and between students remains very small, however, we need to protect each other as much as possible, including teachers and staff who are at a higher risk than you. Therefore, to reduce congestion in the yard:
The Chief Health Officer makes it clear that it’s okay to have 26 students in each classroom, as long as you practise good hygiene.
Unfortunately, we have to cancel some events in order to protect the school community. This includes:
Some of our Staff have shared their thoughts and reflections about remote learning and what they are excited about returning to onsite learning for (mainly our awesome students!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8TrG153d5g
'Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said great progress had been made in Victoria slowing the spread of coronavirus, thanks to Victorians playing their part, staying at home and getting tested.
“Our low rate of community transmission means we have been able to ease some restrictions in time for the long weekend, but it’s still important to stay safe,” Professor Sutton said.
“Although it’s tempting to rush out or have your friends over or head out to a cafe, it is important that we all still use common sense.
“That means continuing to maintain physical distance from others, practice good hygiene - wash your hands regularly and cough and sneeze into a tissue or your elbow, avoid crowds, be cautious and if you’re unwell stay home and get tested.
We request all families who have borrowed a laptop from the College during Distance Learning to please return the laptop ASAP if it has not already been collected.
The College's Homework Club will be resuming this week on Thursday (11/6) from 3:30 until 4:30 in G4.
Our Year 7 and 8 students enjoying some delicious 'Welcome Back' cookies from Ms Craig and the Junior Sub School on Tuesday!
With the return to school, our academy students are lucky enough to be able to resume rugby trainings in class and continue developing their core rugby skills and fitness. It has been excellent to see our students returning with the same commitment to the sport and to our academy!
During distance learning the students had time to work on their Sport and Recreation Certificates, and individual training of their choice. Also during our time away from school, we managed to drop off 25 of the schools old and spare rugby balls to the students that indicated they didn’t have one, so they could all have the opportunity to practice their skills and to use while still at home. These are now theirs to keep and to use when at home or down at the park.
Unfortunately due to the current circumstances, there is a lot of uncertainty around the return to play for school rugby and gala days/competitions next term, and we are awaiting news from Rugby Vic on how the rest of the year may look. The good news is that community and club rugby is returning for the students involved with teams outside of school, and they will be back out on the rugby pitch playing very soon. We wish to see all of the rugby academy players excelling in the sport and standing out in their age grades. mr Ritani also looks forward to catching our students down at their club games and seeing them play.
The College Pre-Academy for our Year 7 and 8 students has been put on hold for the remainder of the term, but more information will be put out for the potential start-up for that in Term 3.
As an Academy we strive to keep our standards high, and continue to maintain these standards throughout the year no matter the disruptions we face!
This time can be overwhelming; it’s normal to feel anxious, worried and uncertain. We recommend you speak to someone you trust about this, whether that a member of your family, sub school or a teacher. If these feelings start impacting on your daily life, we will recommend you speak to a professional, whether that’s at school or through your GP.
Staying mindful when you’re at school
Throughout the day, if you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, try to engage in activities that promote a sense of calm, reduce those feelings of anxiety and help you to feel grounded. There are many ways we can do this and when we do, it can help our brain to work better. There are many different meditating techniques you can embed into your daily routine. Essentially, meditating is where you try and focus on one thing and tune out what’s happening around you. There are many techniques you could try such as:
Staying mindful when you’re at home
Other services and supports available
Immediate assistance – emergency situations
Emergency services (police/fire/ambulance) – 000
Hospitals
Hospitals Have an Emergency Department, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Medical Clinics & General Practitioners (Doctors)
Emergency Housing
Information and Resources
Telephone counselling and support
Counselling and Health Services (Ages 12 – 25 years)
Information provided in the Fountain Gate Secondary College Newsletter may contain content from various resources used to educate and inform our community on a range of topics. These sources being the Internet, DET, Headspace, Educational Websites, Community News, Articles and Magazines. The College takes no credit or claim to have written these articles.