27 Apr 2015
It's been a trying time for a lot of us over the course of the week during and following the storms. We are hopefully that everyone has come through more or less damage free and safe. Sadly, our school was not un-touched by the weather and we have had some major damage to our administration block and playground. As a result, our school will be operating in a more constricted way in terms of administration yet we should see lessons run with adjustments, but with normality.
The basic news in that our administration block had a very large tree go through it. As a result, it not just damaged offices, but we lost our entire IT and communications network. Servers and networking equipment have all been destroyed. While we're looking to restore backups, the equipment required to back up to and run our networks need to be replaced. Major phone equipment also needs to be replaced. We don't know when these systems will be operational again but we have found a few ways around this.
Now that we have been able to make our school safe for students to return the following accommodations have been made around the current damage.
Bell St Access CLOSED - there is temporary fencing around the administration building and much of the playground. All access to our school from Bell St has been blocked, please do not attempt to access the school this way.
All access must be via Main Rd.Drop-offs and pick-ups all operating off Main Rd is going to take patience, understanding and strict adherence to road and safety rules. Do not allow your children to cross the road except at the designated pedestrian crossing. Please do not park or stop in the zones closed to the crossing as it drastically reduces visibility and leaves our children in an unsafe situation.
Office Relocation- The office has been temporarily relocated to the top block of buildings, close to Main St. When originally build our school had a small front office in the top right back corner as you entered with a glass sliding window was once upon a time the school's office, it is now again. Some of the rooms in the top block have been re-tasked for staff and office purposes.
Redirected Phones– As the phone system is down all calls are redirected to a single mobile handset. It means we have a basic ability to make and receive calls as required, however it is only a single line and we will looking to be keeping calls short so we can keep the lines open. A message bank is also set up on the phone.
School Email– Our school email is still accessible and a great way to contact us regarding non-essential or questions that don't require a quick response. We have a limited WIFI-hotspot unit set up to give a basic connection for administration.
Playground– At this time the oval is closed and so is half of the area around the fixed equipment. We have arranged appropriate playground areas for students but it is a little less than usual. Classrooms are still operating as normal.
Canteen - Our canteen will remain closed this week, and re-open on Wednesday 6th May.
The staff have done an amazing job over the last few days preparing our school for students return. While the remaining clean-up and repairs to our school will take some time, we are very confident that the new systems and procedures we have managed to put in place will mean very little inconvenience or disruption for our students.
The thing that will make the greatest difference is cooperation. From our students and parents, with cooperation our school will operate as it always has. I thank you in advance for your understanding, patience and cooperation as we continue to deliver the very best in education for our students.
Sincerely,
Mr Payne
Principal