Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to term 3 at Silkwood!

After a very complicated term 2, the school team and students were able to use the break to reset, refocus and refresh for the upcoming semester.  

At the start of each term, it is good practice to refamiliarise yourself with the drop-off and pick-up procedures and I draw your attention to the drop-off and pick-up areas for Prep to Year 2 will be at the Primary School as a significant change. A considerable amount of thought and planning has gone into our driveway schedule for term 3, given the challenges we were faced with in term 2. You will find full details of the schedule included in this newsletter. I request that we all adhere to this time schedule to aid traffic flow, particularly in the afternoons.

You will also find included in this issue, a link to our updated COVID-19 plan for term 3. We have made sure to highlight the key information throughout this newsletter. One of the key updates included in the plan is that we have decided to cancel our school camp program for the remainder of the year. Details of this are outlined below. We are very much aware that our camping program creates moments that matter, and it forms an important part of our Essential Learning Program through experiential and discovery learning. Over the next term, the Learning Leaders and I will work to reimagine this program, given that some operators have ceased business and others have altered the way that camps can be held. Considering Queensland’s record in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic remains at such a positive level, I look forward to our school camp program return in 2021.

We have a very busy term ahead with a number of events resuming, such as school photos, Parent Information Courses and the return of many activities for our After School Program. 

There is still a requirement that we contact-trace all adults who enter our school grounds, and therefore, it is mandatory that any person (students and team members excluded) who walks onto the school site sign in and identify that they have done so by wearing a visitors sticker. This can be done at various entry points to the school, more details provided further in this newsletter.

Restrictions Easing to Stage 3

In accordance with Stage 3 of Queensland’s Roadmap to easing restrictions, we are excited to return to some form of 'normality' in term 3.

Silkwood School officially re-opened to all students on Monday 25 May, providing some flexibility to those who chose to continue learning from home. Term 3 will see a return school-based learning for all students, except those who are medically vulnerable or living with someone who is.

The government considers those students who do not fit into the vulnerable category and have not returned to school in Term 3 as being home-schooled. This means they can no longer be enrolled at physical school, they will be required to enrol in an accredited distance learning or home-schooling program.

We congratulate our school community for your dedication & commitment to your child's Silkwood learning journey, and for playing your part in helping Queensland to move forward to Stage 3.

This COVID-19 Safety Plan for the school site remains in place and can be viewed on our website at any time by clicking the button below.

School Camps for 2020

In light of the current climate, with many schools in the same situation, we have made the tough decision to cancel school camps for the remainder of the 2020 school year. For those year levels that have not gone on camp so far this year, parent fees will be credited against school fee accounts.

In making this decision we considered many of our families financial situations, expectations on our Team, flights, distance from home and the fact that some of our camps have already shut up shop. We know these are wonderful moments for our students but, in the current situation, we felt it was the best decision to make. 

Camps will resume for 2021 which means Advisor planning can begin. We will make some changes to our camp program as we are going to focus on supporting camps in our location region for sustainability reasons. Firstly, our local economy needs support in recovering from COVID-19 and secondly, we believe it is important to minimise our ecological footprint where we can by keeping travel close by. Flying and long-distance travel are needed for some of the unique experiences however some of the experiences can be achieved without the need for distance. 

Rest assured our camp program will remain rich in experience and deeply connected to empowering young people. We will publish the overview of this program later in the year. 

In the meantime, our Finance Team is busy working on processing the credits to school fee accounts. This is a lengthy process and will take several weeks to work through. We aim to have all credits applied to accounts by the end of term 3 (at the very latest). We appreciate your patience and understanding as we do this. We ask that all queries regarding school camp credits are to be emailed to our Finance Team: schoolfees@silkwood.qld.edu.au

All camp dates will be removed from the school calendar before the start of term 3.

We are excited to welcome some new and returning team members in term 3. We know our community will make them feel welcome as they settle (back) in to their Silkwood journey.

Welcome back to......

Welcome back ladies, we've missed you!

Team Movements...….

New Team Members....Welcome!

Term 3 brings changes to our yearly calendar of events with cautionary measures in place as the 'new normal' to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

As you will see below, due to ongoing restrictions, many large-scale events have been cancelled including school camps, interschool sport and athletics, choral evenings and the Gold Coast Eisteddfod. 

We will see some events and celebrations reintroduced under social-distancing conditions, and in the interest of contact tracing, all visitors will be required to register at one of our sign-in booths when coming on-site. 

We very much look forward to seeing these events take place and will share further communications closer to the relevant dates listed below. 

Our school photos will be held in Week 5, on Tuesday 11 August and Wednesday 12 August, with music groups and catch-up photos scheduled for either Tuesday 18 or Thursday 20 August. Our annual Dreaming Festival celebration is scheduled to go ahead on Thursday 17 September, the last day of term 3.

The SCCA and members of the Silkwood School Team will resume SCCA meetings at the end of July. There are two meetings scheduled for Term 3, please refer to the below table for dates and times. 

COVID-19 provisions are in place to ensure meetings and some events can resume safely. Our SCCA meeting numbers will be restricted to 12 people to ensure we adhere to the 4sqm rule.

We are very much looking forward to seeing our community come together in Term 3, to take the SCCA’s Vision, Mission and Aims throughout 2020 and beyond. 

To RSVP to the dates below please email:

Cara Campbell - SCCA Secretary and Treasurer: ccampbell@mtatravel.com.au

Due to the current COVID situation, there is a delay in the publishing of school reports. We aim to have these published to the Parent Portal no later than Friday 24 July.

Morning Driveway Drop-Off Schedule

Please note: The Prep area (and gate) will be supervised from 8.00 am for those wishing to drop their Prep child from this time. We would love to see families encouraging their little people to walk from the set-down area to the Prep gate unassisted. This helps build confidence and sets their mindset to help them feel empowered when they arrive at school each day.

Afternoon Driveway Pick-Up Schedule

PLEASE DO NOT ARRIVE BEFORE YOUR PICK-UP TIME AS YOUR CHILD MAY NOT BE READY FOR COLLECTION

At the end of the school day, we move a lot of traffic in a short space of time. To assist with the smooth operation of our afternoon schedule, we have a few guidelines we ask you to follow: 

1. To eliminate car park congestion, please do not arrive earlier than the times below to pick-up your child. 
2. If you arrive early, you will be asked to re-circulate the driveway until your child arrives.
3. If you arrive on time, use the drive-through pick-up system and refrain from parking if possible. 
4. If your child is not looking out for their car, or they do not respond to their name being called, you will be asked to circulate the driveway until they make their way to the pick-up area. 
5. If someone other than a parent or guardian is collecting your child, please let the school know in advance.
6. Please ensure your child’s name and year level is clearly visible on your passenger-side car visor.
7. When pulling up to collect your child, please ensure you stop the vehicle as far to the front as possible so that we can assist multiple families. In the Primary School, there are three vehicle spaces marked on the road to help you see where you need to stop. Our volunteers will ask you to move forward if you have stopped with a vacant bay in front of you, please respect their direction, they are there to help every child get to their vehicle safely and promptly.

Families with siblings use their youngest child's pick-up zone and the latest designated pick-up time for that zone.

For example.

• Siblings of Prep-Year 2 students go to the Primary School pick-up zone. 
• Families with students only in Years 3-12 go to the High School pick-up zone.

PRIMARY SCHOOL PICK-UP SCHEDULE (Prep Car Park)

The latest pick-up time for this location is 3.20 pm, students not collected by this time are taken to OHSC, charges apply.

Students with large musical instruments may be dropped off and collected from the Prep car park on their assigned music days.

HIGH SCHOOL PICK-UP SCHEDULE

The latest pick-up time for this location is 3.30 pm.

On Monday 29 June 2020 an email was sent to families with an updated bus schedule and information regarding the use of TransportMe across the school bus fleet in Term 3. 

We are excited to commence use of TransportMe in the first week of term. The TransportMe passenger tracking app will be made available by Friday 10 July 2020, please download and follow the prompts to register within the app if you have booked to use the bus service in Term 3.

Through the app, families will be able to: 

• Receive live alerts and track where the bus is, in real-time;
• Receive notifications if the bus is on-time or delayed;
• Receive live alerts when your child embarks and disembarks the bus.

For more information, please click the button below or email: schoolbus@silkwood.qld.edu.au

It is with great excitement that we welcome everyone to another musical term here at Silkwood. We are looking forward to diving right back into group rehearsals and to see how our students have progressed over the break!

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Choral Evening and Gold Coast Eisteddfod events have been cancelled for Term 3. Whilst we were truly looking forward to these celebrations, we hope the release of our annual Silkwood CD will create a fond memory for our families to connect with in place of these events being cancelled.  

All of our rehearsals and class sessions will resume with COVID-19 considerations and hygiene practices in place, therefore, there will be no sharing of resources and no lending of instruments. We ask families to be mindful of our COVID-19 Plan and ensure your child/ren remember their instruments on the day/s they are needed.

Students with large instruments may be dropped and collected from the Prep car park on their assigned music days.

Our annual Silkwood CD will be recorded this term with a recording day scheduled for Thursday 3 September. This is a wonderful opportunity for our music groups to come together in harmony and celebration of making beautiful music and the moments that matter along their Silkwood journey.

All orchestras and choirs will be recorded in the music room over three sessions, at this stage, the day will run as follows:

• Morning Session: ALL Choirs
• Middle Session: Intermediate Orchestra and Senior Orchestra
• Afternoon Session: Year 3 Strings Orchestra

Please keep an eye out for the exact schedule and more information which will be sent out closer to the day.

Welcome to a new choral chapter in Term 3! We are thrilled to say all choirs will commence in Week 1 and will continue weekly. Below are our rehearsal times:

We are excited to announce that our Year 3 strings program will resume as usual in term 3!

After the success of last year’s pioneering new format for this exciting journey, we will be continuing a full beginner’s string program including all the Orchestral String Instruments (double bass, cello, viola and violin) and continuing to enrich and develop our fabulous ‘Junior Orchestra’.

As in term 1, each group will have 1 weekly 30min lesson and an additional ‘Junior Orchestra’ session for 60mins where all the students will come together to practice what they have learned in their lessons. This will occur all on the one day (Thursday) and daily home practice schedules will need to be set up to support the student’s enrichment and instrumental learning. 

Please ensure your Year 3 child brings his or her instrument each Thursday, beginning in week 1 of term 3.

Full rehearsals are back for Term 3 with all sessions kicking off in Week 1!

Afterschool rehearsal resumes on Tuesday 14 July with an hour-long session running 3.15 pm – 4.15 pm for both our Lower Strings and Upper Strings students.

Each section (ALL violins, violas and combined cello/bass) will continue to be supported with a weekly 20-minute tutorial in the afternoon session between 1.45 pm – 3.05 pm, held on the same day as orchestra rehearsal.

Don’t forget, daily home practice routines are required for membership to this group.

Senior Strings weekly afterschool rehearsals resume in Week 1 on Thursday 16 July for an hour-long session running 3.15 pm – 4.15 pm.

A reminder that Senior Orchestra students are required to maintain daily home practice schedules, as well as some students having additional private lessons which can be included as a part of their PLP’s – Personal Learning Plans.

Helping Hands Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) is available before and after school in Term 3. Bookings can be made via the iParent Portal once your child/ren are enrolled with Helping Hands through the online enrolment form. Learn more about Helping Hands and how to register for their services here. 

Vacation Care Reflections

Over the holidays, many of our students had a fun-filled vacation care experience at Helping Hands! From walking among the surrounding wildlife exploring bush trails, to storybook character dress ups, colourful science experiments and nature-inspired craft creations, the Helping Hands Leaders did a wonderful job of tailoring each experience to an engaging mix of learning outcomes and interests for the children.

It is with absolute joy we welcome our cherished Silkwood Playgroup back in Term 3! We are thoroughly looking forward to seeing our families reconnect and rediscover their journey to early childhood education, and kindly ask that if you will be attending these sessions, please become familiar with our COVID-19 measures that are in place. For all staff and visitors on-site, this is the ‘new normal’ to ensure we maintain a safe environment for everyone in the community.

Silkwood Playgroup will commence on: Tuesday 14 July at 9.00am

Our Tuckshop is here to help ease the weekly lunch menu for families with a great selection of wholesome lunch and snack options to choose from. Available Monday to Friday, orders are to be placed before 8.30 am.

We encourage families to follow the ‘Wipe Out Waste – Nude Food’ Guidelines and promote lunch foods without excess packaging. This reduces the amount of rubbish that needs to go in the bin to then be sent to landfill. Durable and reusable containers are a great way to bring food, as they may last from pre-school through to high school and beyond, providing long term cost savings and environmental benefits.

Reduce the amount of material sent to landfill to benefit the environment by packing:

• Snacks/food in reusable containers;
• Water in a reusable stainless-steel bottle;
• Reusable utensils when needed;
• A reusable lunchbox.

Tips for packing Nude Food lunches:

• Help children to make nutritious, waste-less lunches and let them make their own lunches. Try packing lunches the night before and storing them in the fridge overnight.
• Discuss with your child what they like to eat and how much. Be mindful of what comes home in your child’s lunchbox.
• Cut up fruit and vegetables and pack them in reusable containers so that children can eat some and save the rest for later.

As the weather gets cooler students may choose to wear their Silkwood jumper, scarf and beanie. All uniform items are to be clearly labelled so that if your child misplaces something we can easily identify and return the item to the lost property box outside their classroom.

A reminder that our school uniform assists in creating an atmosphere of consistency, pride, loyalty and equity. All students enter the class as equals as far as image and dress are concerned; their individuality comes from their attitude, character, spirit and involvement. We encourage students to wear their uniform proudly and well, realising that when they are in school uniform, they are ambassadors for Silkwood School.

We are excited to report that our After School Activities Program will resume in Term 3 with COVID-19 considerations in place. 

Unfortunately Wolfpack will not be returning for the rest of 2020, however, we do look forward to seeing them back in 2021!

A full schedule of this program will be published to our website during the first week of term 3. Below you will find individual details of activities on offer. Be sure to book early to avoid disappointment!

We love to see our community carpooling as it helps many students safely get to and from school, and it helps reduce the congestion around the school during drop-off and pick-up time. We encourage you to join our carpooling page if you're after help getting your child/ren to and from school, or if you are available to assist other families with carpooling.

We have seen such great community spirit through this page and thank all families involved for their kind offers of assistance throughout recent months.