Start of Term 2 for Primary

Thursday, 16 April 2020

Good evening Primary School families,

We hope you had a blessed Easter break. Thank you again for your support, kindness and co-operation during these times. Our teams are praying every day for the safety and protection of all our families.

Earlier this week, The Premier and Minister for Education made new announcements and arrangements for Queensland schools from the start of Term 2. In light of these directions, please note the following for Brisbane Christian College Primary School:
From Tuesday, 21 April 2020, for a period of five weeks until 22 May, all students will be learning from home, except for the children of essential workers where supervision at home or other arrangements can’t be made; vulnerable children; and children in designated indigenous communities.
Essential worker means any worker who must continue to attend their workplace for essential business during this time.
If you are required in your workplace, we look forward to seeing your children at school in Term 2. We will support all families that need their children loved and supported on campus.
Children who come to school each day will have a modified timetable, and experience a very similar program to those children learning from home.

Advice regarding the model of learning for the remainder of Term 2, 2020 will be provided
by the Education Department by mid-May 2020.

Monitoring our children's health
Our responsibility and priority through this time is the health and wellbeing of our community. To help minimise cross-infection and spread of any illness, we request your absolute diligence in monitoring your child’s health. In alignment with our health policy, we ask that any child who is sick or displaying any flu-like symptoms including coughing or runny nose to please stay home.

The College requests all parents take their children’s temperature each morning and keep them home if they have a temperature above 37.5 as outlined by Queensland Health. If we have any concern about a child at school who is unwell, families will be asked to pick their child up from school immediately.

School Attendance
Independent and State schools are currently developing the process for marking rolls and attendance for children learning from home which may vary depending on your child’s year level. However, in the meantime, please know that any child learning from home will not be marked absent from school. We continue to ask that, just like a normal school day, if your child is unwell and not participating in class or home learning programs that families notify the school absentee line. This will also help our pastoral care teams identify any families who may need extra practical support.

Term 2 Survey
To help our team allocate appropriate staffing and ensure we can best cater for your children, you will be sent a survey tomorrow to indicate your intentions for your children for the first five weeks of Term 2. We understand that your arrangements may change during this period and this survey is just a guide for our planning.

Home Learning Program
As outlined in our previous Home Learning Program Letter, our Home Learning Coordinators are preparing a range of learning experiences that will mirror the in-class learning experiences, involving both digital and hard copy content on:
Daily Literacy and Numeracy activities
Weekly Integrated Studies activities
Weekly Specialist activities for Music, PE, and Chinese
Weekly Chapel and Christian Studies from the Chaplaincy team
Pastoral Care check-ins with their teacher or the Home Learning Coordinator.

The Primary School team understands that younger children learning at home will not necessarily follow a normal school timetable but should aim for approximately two to three hours of focussed work each day, depending on their age.

Hard Copy Resources
Some of these materials will be online, and some of them will be hard copy. Your child’s Home Learning Coordinator will inform you of any pick-up times for parents to collect any hard copy resources for the week ahead. Likewise, for any families who communicated with us that their children need access to technology, the College will communicate with you how and when we can assist in sending home an iPad. Both areas will be communicated to parents by Monday afternoon.

Digital Learning
Much of the home learning resources will be shared with parents using Seesaw, the online platform that is used in Primary School for student-led conferences. This is a user-friendly platform that will help keep all of the home learning together in one location, to make it easier for parents.

Lines of Communication
As a College, we endeavour to be approachable and we cherish open communication between parents and the College team. Especially through this season, we ask that you follow our regular lines of communication and direct any questions to your class teacher. If you have any questions or need support regarding the Home Learning Program, please contact your Home Learning Coordinator. This will allow us to respond to you quickly and provide better clarity around any questions you may have. Facebook is a great social media platform to build community, connection and collaboration with other parents, however, for answers to your questions regarding your child’s school work, it is better to contact our team directly via email. Click Here for the full staff directory available on our Community Hub.

Frequently Asked Questions
To assist with communications, we have prepared Frequently Asked Questions pages to answer common questions families may have and to raise a new question. These pages will be updated regularly and will be available on the Community Hub.
Communications about coronavirus (COVID-19)
COVID-19 and Home Learning Frequently Asked Questions
Technical Support

Term 2 Events
The College Management Team continues to evaluate the Term 2 events in accordance with current health and social distancing guidelines and will keep the College Calendar updated with any changes. Our preference is to postpone or re-arrange events and programs to ensure our children are still offered the experiences where possible. Click Here to find an updated list of Term 2 events.

Supporting Families
We are aware that children and families in this time may be feeling stress or concern, and as a College we are looking at ways we can continue to remain focused on the "Good News" our faith offers us. Our team is continuing to find creative ways in developing our children's academic, physical, emotional and spiritual progress throughout Term 2. Our pastoral care and chaplaincy teams will continue to run online Chapels, send devotionals and are here for those students on campus and at home learning. Please pray for our team as we desire to Honour Jesus Christ throughout this season. Your continual encouragement is valued and appreciated as we love our children together.

If you require any practical support or prayer, contact our College Pastor at shill@brisbanechristiancollege.com.au. We would love to support and connect with you.

If your family is facing financial challenges due to COVID-19, please contact our Business Manager, Mr John Abraham directly on jabraham@brisbanechristiancollege.com.au or call (07) 3719 3111.

Mr Matthew Nicholson and the PLT,
On behalf of the College Management Team