week 4 Term 1

Nightcliff Primary School Newsletter

It’s Dalay (Monson) Season for Gulumoerrgin (Larrakia) country but we are missing the predicted monsoon rains replenish the dry and thirsty land. The Mindilima (Big red apple) and Mindimilma (Pink wild apple) are fruiting.

Welcome to Week 4.

Communication update

We will be moving to a fortnightly newsletter this year. Please continue to check in regularly to the NPS website, which will be updated frequently with up-to-date information for parents and carers.

Urgent messaging will continue to come out via text message. If your mobile phone number has changed - or if you are not receiving text messages - please contact the front office.

Parking and Road safety reminders

Please remember to drive safely around the school and obey the road rules during school pick up and drop off times. We want to keep our students safe at all times.

One way you can help keep our surrounding roads safer is to avoid parking in the following areas:

• Emergency Bay on Cunjevoi Crescent which is delineated by a yellow line and a no parking sign
• Disabled carparks which carry a $135 fine if used inappropriately.
• Early Learning Centre driveway off Cunjevoi Crescent (with the exception of Child Australia enrolled families)
• In the middle of the road or double park.
• In the drop zone in Pandanus Street. This zone intended for a quick drop-and-go rather than a short-term parking space.
• In the bus stop (blue pole) before the crossing in Pandanus Street (school side).
• In the bus stop in the afternoons.

Where else can I park?

We encourage all parents (especially those of the older cohort) to consider parking at the rear of the school on Bauhinia Street and Oleander Street. This alleviates the amount of traffic at the front of the school.

In particular, we ask that students in Years 3-6 exit via the back of the school across the oval to Bauhinia and Oleander streets.  If picking up younger siblings they should take them to this parking area. We thank the many parents have taken this option since the school began promoting it late last year.

No access to central playground after 2:45pm.

After School Care (Child Australia OHSC) is operating from the library in 2023. They also have access to the transition playground, central playground, Science/Art room (E6), music room, assembly area, and basketball court and breezeway as their regulated and approved operating spaces.

To assist OHSC staff to care for the After School Care cohort, please ensure you and your children vacate these spaces by 2.45pm. If you would like to stay in the school vicinity after 2.45pm please move to the shade and playground on the school oval.

OHSC families will be picked up from the front of the school and sign in through the corridor past the front office.

Transition students

Transition aged students are required to be signed in and out each day. If they are not picked up by 2.45pm, we will chaperone them to the front office to wait for parents/carers. Please remember that transition students are not able to catch the school bus home by themselves.

Gate safety during the day

We remind parents to please be vigilant in closing gates behind them when entering and exiting the school during the day. We currently have several students who are absconding from school during the day and having closed gates is crucial to keeping these students safe within the school boundaries. After discussions with the School Council Safe Boundaries Working Group, the school will be (a) installing self-shutting gates; and (b) locking most of the perimeter gates during the day, with the exception of the gates providing access to the front office and the pre-school during the day. We appreciate that there may be some small inconveniences associated with these changes, but we ask that the school community to consider the positive impact they will have on the safety of students.

Children should arrive after 7.45am

Children should not be at school earlier than 7:45am. This has become increasingly important in the first term of 2023 due to an uptick in trespasser incidents at the school on weekends and overnight during the school week. Arrival of children after 7.45am allows staff and caretakers to check the school for associated hazards and safety risks, and to perform routine duties such as unlocking gates and bike racks. Importantly, there are no front-office staff or general staff on premises until 7.30am and as such there is no capacity to deliver first-aid or attend student welfare should it be required.

Please encourage students to head to the oval until a duty person is visible as there is a community playground and basketball court they can play on while waiting for school to open.

Sick child

If you child is sick please keep them at home. We currently have an outbreak of gastro occurring. As per the school’s continuation of the high hygiene routines experienced throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic,  we request of staff and families that the hygiene routines of the school are maintained such as: washing hands with soap, hand sanitiser and keeping children who are sick at home to prevent spread of illnesses through students and staff. Thanks for your consideration of this matter.

Thank you for your vigilance around this and keeping our students safe.

School Council News

School Council Member Profile: Sam Wood

Why I joined School Council: My kids’ education is important and I wanted to pitch in and help the school in some way. As an enthusiastic bike commuter, I wanted to get more kids walking and riding safely to school. I was keen to put some energy into the various social events and was motivated to support and grow the strong sustainability initiatives in the school.

What I like about being on School Council: I have enjoyed teaming up with the passionate, energetic and knowledgeable group of parents to work through the range of big and small issues that come to School Council. Amazing people! It has been illuminating to see how a school functions and the effort the teachers and staff put into our kids’ education and wellbeing. I have also liked the chaos of cooking BBQs and pancakes with other smiling parents and watching the rider numbers skyrocket on Ride to School Day.

What would you say to those considering joining School Council? Dive in! Have a think about what sort of things you would like to help with at the school and how they might fit with the committees (education; community engagement; finance) and working groups (e.g. active travel, safe boundaries etc.). 

The NPS Gerneral meeting and AGM is coming up on March 9^th and we would like members of our school community to consider joining the School Council. Keep your eye on the newsletter for further information about School Council