At last the fencing work has been completed and we are getting used to managing our way through it! The extra height of the fencing in the Junior adventure playground makes this area much safer for our children and it also looks great.

The cycle and scooter storage area is now, as a result of the safety fencing, much more secure. I’m not sure that this is the reason for so many scooters being left at school, but there is a significant number! Mr Rea has had a number of these for some time and despite leaving them out they have not been claimed. Those that are unclaimed by the end of next week are likely to be donated to the Fiesta. Please take some time to put a name on your child’s scooter, it will help us reunite this property with the owner.

Constable Meg has been working with St Martins School over the past few weeks training road patrollers and also working with our Junior children on Road Safety. During her time with us Constable Meg raised the issue of our children on scooters travelling on the footpaths, (in particular our small/young children), without adult supervision. It is the issue of ‘Sneaky Driveways’ and the potential for someone reversing from their driveway not seeing a smaller child. The teachers have covered this danger in class, and it needs to be reinforced at home too.  Constable Meg recommends that young and small children (less likely to be seen) should be closely supervised by parents. This is about awareness around the potential for an unnecessary accident to be avoided.

Sun Safety:  This is the time of year when we really do need to be hyper-aware of the need for safe-sun practices.  All children must wear a sun hat during break time and lunch time, otherwise they are restricted to a shady area. The school does have sunscreen available for those who may have forgotten their own, and it is always taken with us when classes attend sports events or other outdoor activities.  We have asked teachers to provide reminders about hats and sun screen application prior to break times, and also when they go ‘out for a game’. We understand that there are a number of children who have ‘specific lotion allergies’.  We do know about many of these, but it is very important information for us to have, so please let us know if this is the case, and what factors we need to consider.  We do not wish to cause harm while trying to keep children sun safe.  A senior leader is currently renewing our relationship with Cancer Society’s Sun Smart programme to ensure all teachers and children are kept up to date with the latest.  We also intend to pass relevant information to you such as important or interesting articles, either as documents or links.

Kind regards

Rob Callaghan
Principal