Dear Primary Parents and Caregivers,
We would like to thank you for your support and encouragement throughout Term 1. The notes, the positive emails, the great feedback and the small gifts mean a lot to our teachers, and speak volumes about our wonderful College community. Our team continues to do an amazing job of supporting and empowering our children. As a College, please join us as we continue to pray for our Government and its agencies as they navigate this pandemic with Godly wisdom.
In Term 2, the College will continue to abide by State and Federal authorities and follow their directions regarding the operations of school. Currently, this directive has been to prepare for schools to reopen in Term 2, and to be ready for both normal teaching and learning at school and also ‘home learning’ for the children of parents who choose to keep their children at home.
For parents who choose to send their children to school, please understand that while your child’s learning journey will continue as normal, it may look slightly different. Children who come to school each day will have a normal timetable, very similar to what they experienced in Term 1.
Without knowing the percentage of students that will be on campus, we are ready to consolidate year level classes if needed. In saying that, we are also being mindful that we wish to provide a school environment that promotes a degree of consistency for both our students and families. What this means in essence is that your children will start and end the day with the same teacher they have had throughout Term 1, but they may be taught by different teachers during the day, as we allocate staff to coordinate ‘home learning’. This strategy will enable our Home Learning Coordinators to be relieved from face-to-face teaching to ensure that home and in-class learning are consistent and thus as equitable as practicable.
Our Home Learning Coordinators are preparing a range of learning experiences that will be very similar to the in-class learning experiences, but they will not be able to be exactly the same. Parents who choose to keep their children at home during Term 2, can expect for their children to have:
- Daily Literacy activities
- Daily 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. All guidance from educational authorities suggests that children of a Primary School age who are learning at home, should aim for approximately two hours of focussed work each day.
Primary School teachers will be in contact with parents in the near future with specific guidance on how parents will be able to access the learning materials for their home learners. Some of these materials will be online, and some of them will be hard copy. Your child’s class teacher 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 that regard by sending home iPads.
Much of the home learning resources will be shared with parents using Seesaw, the online platform that is used in Primary 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.
The Home Learning Coordinators to start Term 2 will be:
While
Our entire College Team is excited about the opportunity this season brings to engage with your children in different ways. Parents and caregivers can assist their children’s learning at home through discussion, clarifying instructions about the tasks where possible and in the provision of a suitable work space in which children can complete their learning. If parents have any questions or concerns about the home learning, they should direct their enquiry to the Home Learning Coordinator for your child’s year level.
Parents, we don’t want you to feel like you are doing this alone whether your children are with us on campus or with you at home. If you choose to begin the home learning journey in Term 2, please let us know how we can help you. We will be in regular contact with you to ask how we can help.
Lastly, be assured that we are praying for all our families. We are believing for God’s best for your children and we are ready and equipped for whatever Term 2 looks like for your family.
With regards and blessings,
Primary Leadership Team
