Hello Swan Reach,

Congratulations to our returning and elected 2021 Governing Councillors:

• Chair and Treasurer – Mardi Le Brun
• Deputy Chair – Mrs Joke Wenske
• Secretary – Mrs Tash Wightman
• Councillors – Mrs Kristy Castle, Mr Troy Haby, Mrs Katie O’Shaughnessy, Mrs Helen Crisp and Mrs Claire Durant
• Community Representative – Mr Rod Taylor

A special thank you to Kristy who has admirably chaired the GC for the previous few years. Your commitment and enthusiasm to improve SRAS for our students was commendable. We are thankful for your time in this position, and finding time to remain a councillor. We also acknowledge Ms Liz Woodgate’s time and contribution to GC as she retires.

It is fantastic to see this group remain relatively unchanged and SRAS looks forward to their governance, ideas and actions for improvement in 2021.

SRAS 60^th ANNIVERSARY

Congratulations to the school community on the 60^th anniversary of the opening as an Area School. How much schooling and society has changed since 1961! Several class photos are posted on our Face Book page.

EXTERNAL SCHOOL REVIEW

Last Thursday SRAS underwent an External School Review (ESR). The purpose of the ESR is to find evidence that SRAS is on a continuous improvement cycle. The key question the ESR panel uses during the review is; how well does the school improve achievement, growth, challenge, engagement and equity? SRAS thanks all families, students and staff involved in discussions with the review panel.

 The following process was conducted:

• Presentation and discussion led by Principal and Deputy principal
• 2 student forums were held, total of 19 students, years 3-12
• Conversations and observations with reception, year one and year two  students in their classrooms
• Walkthroughs and conversation with students in all classrooms
• Panel met with 7  Governing Council members who were also parents
• Panel met with 7 classroom teachers across all year levels from Reception – Year 12
• Panel met informally with staff and introduced themselves and the purpose for their visit
• Panel examined an extensive range of school documentation including a comprehensive overview of the processes used to develop and embed effective school improvement planning across the site. The school is to be commended for the comprehensive processes used to ensure that all staff and members of Governing Council are progressing in their collective ownership of and responsibility for school improvement planning

 A summary of strengths identified included:

• The school’s focus on both student achievement and progress in learning is evident in the documentation of the school’s recent analysis of PAT: Maths, PAT: Reading results and Phonics screening. The Principal highlighted this dual lens when looking at achievement data as a positive step in implementing intervention strategies and agreements. This perception was supported in conversations with R-12 teachers
• The Principal has developed a graphic overview of the Site Improvement Planning (SIP) process which has been well received by the Governing Council and staff
• The school allocates significant time for collaborative analysis of student achievement data
• The school has key evidence-based pedagogical practices to attend to students’ reading comprehension
• Staff have received professional learning in strategies to improve student achievement in learning. The Review team were impressed by teacher engagement in the Numeracy Professional Learning Community which took the concept of evidence-based pedagogical practices to the next level through trialling their impact in the context of Swan Reach Area School
• Students, leaders and teachers track student achievement on an individual basis

 Areas identified for improvement were:

• Stretching learners into the higher band achievements
• Higher differentiation and stretch for ALL learners
• Making explicit students’ learning intentions and their success criteria
• More explicit task design to further improve engagement in the points above

 The full report will be uploaded onto our web page as soon as it is received from the review panel.

 NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARDS (NQS) ASSSESSMENT AND RATING

SRAS has received communication from the Education Standards Board about the commencement of assessment and rating cycle. This is similar to the External School Review (ESR) however it applies only to our preschool. The difference between the ESR and the NQS is that the NQS is a national accreditation whereas the ESR is state-based.

The areas for assessment are:

1. Educational program and practice
2. Children’s health and safety
3. Physical environment
4. Staffing arrangements
5. Relationships with children
6. Collaborative partnerships with families and community
7. Governance and Leadership

Each area has a further subset of points and each will be rated as:

• Not at standard
• Meets standard
• Exceeds standard

SRAS expects the assessment to occur late this term or early in term 2.

LOST PROPERTY

We are recovering a growing number of lost property items from the classrooms and yard. These are placed in our ‘LOST PROPERTY’ box situated in the hallway between the library and Home Ec room. To help staff return items such as , Tupperware containers, school tops and hats, to students and their families, thank you for clearly labelling such items.

STUDENT AND STAFF HEALTH

Over the past few weeks, a number of students, mostly primary, and some staff,  have experienced gastro-like symptoms. Thank you for keeping children at home while these and other illness symptoms present. The table below covers most common illnesses experienced within school and also provides guidelines on how long the contagious period extends to keep children home and our community healthy. https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/conditions/infectious+diseases/exclusion+from+childcare+preschool+school+and+work

• Chickenpox
• Cases - Exclude until all blisters have dried (usually 5 days)
• Contacts - Any child with an immune deficiency (for example, leukaemia) or receiving chemotherapy should be excluded for their own protection. Otherwise not excluded.
• Cold sores (herpes simplex type 1, fever blisters)
• Cases - Young children and others unable to comply with good hygiene practices should be excluded while lesion is weeping. Lesions should be covered by a dressing where possible.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Common cold
• Cases – Exclusion is not necessary, but a person with a cold should stay home until he or she feels well.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Conjunctivitis
• Cases – Exclude until discharge from eyes has stopped (unless a doctor has diagnosed non-infectious conjunctivitis).
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Diarrhoea (no organism identified)
• Cases – Exclude until no diarrhoea for at least 24 hours.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Food poisoning
• Cases – Exclude until well – no vomiting or diarrhoea for at least 24 hours.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Glandular fever (infectious mononucleosis, EBV or Epstein-Barr virus infection)
• Cases – Exclusion is not necessary.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Hand, foot and mouth disease
• Cases – Exclude until all blisters are dry.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Head lice (pediculosis)
• Cases – Exclude until appropriate treatment has commenced
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Influenza and influenza-like illnesses
• Cases – Exclude until well (at least 5 days for adults and 7-10 days for children)
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Cases – Exclude until clearance has been given by an infectious diseases physician, dermatologist or SA Health Communicable Disease Control Branch doctor.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Measles
• Cases – Exclude until 4 days after the onset of the rash.
• Contacts - Immunised and immune contacts are not excluded. Non-immunised contacts are excluded from childcare until 14 days after rash onset in the last case in the facility, unless given vaccine (within 72 hours of first exposure) or Normal Human Immunoglobulin (within 144 hours of first exposure). All immune suppressed children should be excluded until 14 days after rash onset in the last case in the facility.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Mumps
• Cases – Exclude for 5 days after onset of swelling.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Norovirus
• Ringworm/tinea
• Cases – Exclude until the day after appropriate treatment has commenced.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Ross River virus
• Cases – Exclusion is not necessary.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Rubella (German measles)
• Cases – Exclude until fully recovered or for at least 4 days after the onset of the rash.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Salmonella infection
• Cases – Exclude until no diarrhoea for at least 24 hours.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• School sores (impetigo)
• Cases – Exclude until appropriate treatment has commenced. Any sores on exposed surfaces should be completely covered with a dressing.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Warts (common, flat and plantar)
• Cases – Exclusion is not necessary.
• Contacts - Not excluded
• Worms
• Cases – If diarrhoea present, exclude until no diarrhoea for at least 24 hours
• Contacts - Not excluded

Mr John Robertson

KIDS CLUB