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From the Principal….

Dear Parents and Carers,

The past couple of weeks have been an especially busy time in our school as we approach the end of Term 1 and also navigate the unfolding COVID-19 situation. We will continue to take advice from the Department of Education and Chief Medical Officer as the situation unfolds and all of our actions, will be based solely on this advice. I will continue to pass on information as soon as it becomes available. All state schools are open at this point in time. The health and safety of our students, staff and their families continues to be our priority. As a school we have made a number of adjustments and put preventative measures in place to encourage good hygiene and to reduce contact between students. We have cancelled many activities and have reduced the number of non-essential visitors to our school. We continue to review practices and will keep you informed of any further changes. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter. I would encourage you to stay informed from official sites, such as the Queensland Health website. They have also provided answers to Frequently Asked Questions to assist parents. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the wonderful staff here at Runcorn. Everyone is working together to ensure our school is still a safe place for all. Now more than ever we are all learners as we continually face new challenges and work on new ways forward. Thank you for your ongoing support. Please take care. Kind regards

Carmel Herbert

The Queensland Government has announced that an additional five (5) Student Free Days will be in place next week, from Monday 30 March to Friday 3 April inclusive.

This means that while schools will remain open, the Term 1 break will start early for students and they will not attend school next week, unless they are children of essential workers.

A separate detailed letter will follow.

646 Beenleigh Road, Runcorn Q 4113 PO Box 3185, Sunnybank South Q 4109

Website: www.runcornss.eq.edu.au Email: admin@runcornss.eq.edu.au Phone: (07) 3323 8777

Term 1, Week 9 26 March 2020

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From the Deputy Principal…

Coronavirus (COVID – 19) Information to support children and young people Pay extra attention to your child’s needs It is perfectly normal for children to have questions about events that are covered in the media, such as the information currently being distributed about Coronavirus. There is a common misconception that talking with children and young people about a topic such as Coronavirus may increase their anxiety. However, research suggests that it usually has the opposite effect. For children, not having information is scary, and many children will fill in the blanks with their own imagination – often imagining something far worse than the truth. For older children, they may take to the internet for their answers, which can sometimes become overwhelming or misleading. Responding to questions If a child brings up Coronavirus or asks questions, it is important to acknowledge how they may be feeling and to answer questions as honestly as possible. This will help them feel informed and understand what is happening. It is important to emphasise that even though the number of people with the virus in Australia is increasing, the majority of people who contract the virus will either not get sick at all, or will get mild symptoms from which they will recover easily. Only a small majority of people may become very ill. It is important for children to understand that we are lucky to live in a country where students will be able to access immediate and high quality medical attention. Also, it is important children understand the low risk of serious illness for people their age who are in good health.

Encourage children to engage in things that help them to feel better and make them feel physically and emotionally safe (for example listening to music, playing a favourite game with the family, or doing some exercise in the home). It will be particularly important for children and young people to feel close to their immediate family who they are living with and, where possible, continue to communicate with those people outside the family (even if by telephone or video calls) who are helpful to their wellbeing. Here are some pointers for how parents and carers can have a calm conversation with children and young people about Coronavirus and try to ensure that any concerns around the situation is kept at bay. 1. Be aware of your own behaviour. It's important that adults understand the effect their own behaviour can have on children. If you're visibly upset or react in a way that suggests you're fearful, children will take their cues from you. Remain calm in your conversations with children and young people. 2. Tell children the facts. Scary headlines attract attention and help sell newspapers but they don't always tell the whole truth. Ensuring you're armed with facts will help keep conversations calm, considered, and constructive. Although the number of confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in Australia is increasing, measures are being put in place to help to slow the spread of the virus. 3. Explain what efforts are being made to contain the virus. Authorities are responding quickly. Travel in and out of the most affected areas has been restricted, and scientists are working to develop a vaccine. In Australia, the government is carefully monitoring and actively managing the situation. Children should be confident any confirmed cases will be treated quickly in our world class hospitals.

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4. Finally, offer practical advice. For the time being the easiest way to reduce the risk of being affected by viruses of any sort (including the common cold) is to cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze (coughing into your elbow is a useful strategy), keep hands clean by washing them regularly with soap and water or an alcohol-based rub, and avoid touching the eyes, nose, and mouth. Where possible, crowds should be avoided and people should refrain from close physical contact (touching, kissing, hugging etc.) with people outside of those living in their household. If you do become unwell, advice is to stay at home and avoid contact with others outside of your immediate family. These are relatively easy habits for children to adopt, and should help them feel as though they're able to exert some control over their circumstances. Communication is important It is important that the lines of communication with children be kept open at all times. Children and young people need to feel informed and safe, especially when they hear so much information in the media. Discussing the Coronavirus situation openly with children will provide the opportunity to reassure them that they are safe and dispel any false information they may have heard in the media or through rumours. With the situation changing rapidly, it is important for conversations about Coronavirus to take place regularly between parents and carers and their children. This will help to minimise the anxiety that children may feel when they hear new and sometimes contradictory information or advice. If parents and carers notice their children becoming anxious or scared due to the amount of information they are hearing about Coronavirus on the news or through social media, it may be necessary to encourage and assist them to take a break from the 24-hour news cycle and to focus on other things. Available supports Schools make a number of staff available to provide extra support to students who may be anxious and to provide information and advice to parents and carers. If you are concerned about your child’s wellbeing, you can contact their school to ask what additional support might be available. Support is also available through a number of Queensland Government agencies and community organisations. Parents and carers can:

call 13Health (13 43 25 84) at any time for practical medical advice and assistance

review Queensland Health’s coronavirus webpage for the latest information and advice

review Headspace’s dedicated page about coping with stress related to Coronavirus, or contact Headspace for professional support

contact Lifeline Australia’s telephone counselling service on 13 11 14 for information, referral and advice

obtain help and information from the local General Practitioner or Community Health Centre

https://education.qld.gov.au/student/Documents/coronavirus-fact-sheet-for-parents.pdf

Roberta Matlock

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From the Teaching & Learning Coach….

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Rachel La Sala

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Private Functions/Celebrations on School Grounds Our school grounds are looking lovely especially after the recent bout of rain. However, due to legal requirements, unfortunately our school grounds cannot be used for private functions or celebrations outside of school hours

P&C News Week 9 Term 1 P&C News Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on Monday 16 March. At the meeting there was no nominee for Treasurer. We will be holding a Special Meeting to fill this position. This is how your committee looks for 2020:

Position Name

President Debbie Linford

Vice-President Julie Schooth

Treasurer Vacant

Secretary Jenny Goldsworthy

Uniform Shop Debbie Linford & Zoee Forder

Events/Fundraising Zoee Forder

Fence Signage Renae Powell

Events Unfortunately due to current circumstances, the Disco in Week 8 and the Election Day Stall have been cancelled. We look forward to hopefully holding our events scheduled for Term 2. Uniform Shop The Uniform Shop will not be opening for the remainder of this term. You can still order via email rssuniform@outlook.com. Tuckshop As you would have seen in an email earlier this week, the Tuckshop will provide online orders only. This means that there will be no cash sales over the counter. Students will not be able to buy food over the counter and ice blocks, ice creams and other frozen treats must be ordered online. Please refer to Flexi-schools for more information. Harmony Day Cupcakes Thank you to the families who ordered the Harmony Day cupcakes. We had a busy day making over 160 cupcakes! The lucky winners of the rainbow cupcakes were: Anna Lyan Archer Hunter Clea Facebook Don’t forget to like us on Facebook Runcorn State School P&C Association to stay up to date. Debra Linford, President, Parents & Citizens Association, Runcorn State School, E: rsspcpresident@outlook.com