Hello families,

As you are well aware, Campbell Primary School’s 60 year anniversary celebrations have needed to be postponed and reimagined due to lockdown and ongoing Covid-19 restrictions in the ACT. Much like the 2020/21 Tokyo Olympics, we are working hard to bring an even bigger and better celebration to you next year, when (hopefully) things have settled down a little bit and we have returned to some kind of normality. In some ways, holding an event in 2022 will be even more exciting, as the transition into the new build will have begun, and there will be even more to celebrate!

That said, however, the significance of this milestone will not be forgotten upon our return to school in the coming weeks. When all of the Campbell students are back at school in Week 5, we will hold a simple celebration in classrooms, where the slides and stories that were prepared for the assembly last term will be shared with students. Each child will also receive a commemorative 60 year anniversary pin, kindly funded by our wonderful P&C. Who knows, maybe some of the children’s pins will become historical artefacts that people look upon with interest at the school’s 120^th anniversary!

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we find ways to acknowledge this important anniversary in a safe way when we return to face-to-face learning later this term. We are looking forward to celebrating as a whole community next year. Keep an eye out in upcoming newsletters and on the school Facebook page for photos of the beautiful commemorative badges and the slides that we will share with the children!

Kate Herrington

2021 School Satisfaction & Climate Survey- 18 October to 12 November

Each year, the Directorate surveys all parents and carers, school staff and students in Years 4 to 12 about their experience of public education. Due to the COVID19 lockdown the School Satisfaction and Climate Survey was postponed in Term 3. The 2021 School Satisfaction & Climate Survey will be available online from 18 October to 12 November. The survey results will help us to continue to make quality informed decisions about how to improve our school. No personal identifying information will be provided to any school or college.

For each child in their family who attends an ACT public school, parents and carers will receive:

• An email about the parent survey, including a unique link to access the survey. Genuine survey invitation emails will have the title "The 2021 School Satisfaction & Climate Survey is now open!" and will be sent from EDU Surveys & Evaluation with 'from' address EDU@qualtrics-survey.com.

If you do not receive the survey invitation, please check your Junk email folder; if it is not there, send your contact details to EDUSurveysandEvaluation@act.gov.au to request a survey invitation.

The Parents and Carers Survey will be available online in other languages: Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Urdu, Vietnamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Spanish and Telugu. Respondents can select their preferred language when they start the survey. A shortened paper-version of the Parents and Carers Survey is also available in the following 5 languages: Dari, Dinka, Farsi, Karen and Mon. These surveys are available at the Front Office.

For the results to reflect the opinions of our whole school community, we need as many parents and carers, staff and students as possible to complete the survey. Your feedback is important, and we hope you will take part. For more information, visit: https://www.education.act.gov.au/public-school-life/school-satisfaction-and-climate-survey

To align with the return of classroom learning in term 4, Transport Canberra will resume all dedicated school bus services from 25 October 2021 (week 4). This includes ‘S’ trips that divert into school grounds in both the morning and afternoon. 

In weeks 1-4, year 11 and 12 students will be able to travel to school using the current interim timetable. Students can plan their trip ahead of time using the Journey Planner. 

Special Needs Transport continues to run for those families who need this service, and the light rail is continuing to run to the normal frequency. 

For more information visit Dedicated school bus services resuming 25 October 2021 - Transport Canberra (act.gov.au)

For the latest COVID-19 transport updates and information, visit the Transport Canberra website.

Applications for student travel in 2022 opened on Tuesday 12 October 2021.

The mondernistation of Campbell Primary School continues. See the attachment below to discover the latest news with our new build.

Lock it Down! is a newsletter about life in lockdown by the ACT Children and Young People Commissioner, and issued by the ACT Human Rights Commission.

The newsletter is aimed at children and young people and provides child-friendly information, advice and activities on living under COVID-19 restrictions. If you're interested please follow the link to the Lock It Down Newsletter: COVID info for kids - ACT Human Rights Commission.

School Camps at Home!

School Camp at Home is a fantastic resource for Teachers and parents alike. Developed by the Office of Sport with COVID-19 lockdown in mind the activities can be done in a wide range of environments - parks, backyards, green spaces, balconies or even inside!

This can be a great way to break up a student’s day, the self-distancing and social isolation. Maintaining the public’s physical and mental well-being is now as important as ever. Where possible, it is important community members continue to exercise, so long as social distancing is practised and rules around public gatherings are complied with. Some of these you can do with your child, or set them free in the backyard, make a cup of tea, or catch up on work.

AWS in Communities has recently released their complimentary Family Tech Series that enables families to participate in enjoyable and educational online STEM workshops and presentations at their own pace.

Family Tech Series is a program that seeks to inspire young future tech builders of all ages as they engage with their families in a fun and educational way.

Families and communities around the world are invited to discover and play with the latest tech concepts, learn from technology subject matter experts, and understand more about cloud computing, and career paths in technology. The event offers a wide range of exciting content including tech keynote presentations, workshops and demos, a learning hub with educational videos for all ages and a careers corner. Something for everyone!

It will be available online in Australia at least until November this year and can be accessed at any time. The event poster below has the registration link and you can also register here.

ACT Instrumental Music Program

Primary Concert Choir - 2022

The ACT Instrumental Music Program is seeking students who will be in Year 4 to Year 6 in ACT public schools in 2022 to audition for the ACT Primary Concert Choir.

Auditions will be held online this year.

Choir auditions will be held late in Term 4 with audition times to be allocated in mid Term 4.

All audition requirements, including music and recordings are on the Instrumental Music Program website – follow the Auditions link.

Membership in the choir provides an excellent opportunity for talented, skilled and committed young musicians to work together in an enriching environment. The group is an active performance ensemble, and the families of students auditioning will need to be prepared to make a strong commitment to rehearsal and performance attendance for the year.

Further details and information about how to apply for an audition are available from the Instrumental Music Program website at www.imp.act.edu.au. The application form can be accessed through this site or by clicking on the links below.

Complete your online application at: How to apply for an audition:

The application form is online and can be accessed using the QR code or direct link 

The form can also be accessed through the IMP website at:  https://www.imp.act.edu.au/our_ensembles/auditions

We know that being in lockdown can be stressful for some families.  For the next few weeks, the most important thing you can do is support your child’s wellbeing – they may be feeling anxious or distressed. Older children may also be feeling overwhelmed with the information they are seeing on the internet and they may need some guidance to help them find the most appropriate information.

Keep in mind that children can express their feelings in many ways. I encourage you to speak openly with your children about what they are feeling.

As a parent or carer you can help your child with what they’re experiencing:
• Listen to their concerns – let them know you’re there for them and acknowledge how they’re feeling
• Make time to talk – provide a space for them to share their feelings and worries.
• Focus on strengths and hope.

There are a range of online and face-to-face services that can help you support your child. ACT Health has put together a page of information that families may find useful:  Ways you can support your own mental health and wellbeing | Health (act.gov.au)

The COVID-19 pandemic is not over. Restrictions are still in place - including in our schools - and we all need to be vigilant. This includes not sending children to school sick.

If your child has any kind of illness, even if it is just a runny nose, they must not come to school. If your child is unwell at school, you will be asked to collect them.

It is important that we limit the spread of disease during this pandemic. By doing the right thing we can help keep Canberra COVID safe.

It is important to stay up to date with the information regarding COVID-19, including the exposure  locations within the ACT. For the convenience of our school community please follow this link (COVID-19 Exposure Locations in the ACT) to remain up to date with the current exposure sites. We also ask that you follow the directions given by the ACT Government as follows:

"To keep our community safe, follow ACT Health directions and advice.

If you are directed to get tested for COVID-19 or to isolate at any time, you must follow the directions whether or not the exposure location is listed on this website.

ACT exposure locations

Close contact exposure locations in the ACT

If you have been to any of the exposure locations at the dates and times specified, you must:

• complete the ACT Contact Declaration Form
• immediately quarantine
• get tested for COVID-19 as advised by ACT Health
• remain in quarantine until advised further by ACT Health, even if you get a negative test result"

We ask that you please check this list regularly to ensure your saftey and the saftey of our school.  Together we can stop the spread. 

• Download the Check In CBR App from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
• Register your details (required for the first time only).
• Open the app, select 'ckeck in now' and hover your smartphone camera over the venue's displayed QR Code.
• Add in any additional people - those who are with you without their own device or app.
• When the check in is complete, show venue staff the app successful check in screen.