Canterbury Girls High School Newsletter

Learning from Home & COVID-19 Updates

Learning from Home

All Learning from home information is now available on the school website https://web3.canterburg-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/

Access Learning From Home for all classes via the Curriculum Page. Choose the Year Group of the student and there you will see the class timetables and work for all the subjects. Google classroom codes for each subject are contained in each document.

Term 1 Week 11 Update

Update to online learning from home - continuity of learning and communication 

Over the past several weeks, the Canterbury Girls High School community - students, teachers, support staff, families and carers, has adjusted to the online Learning from home program both willingly and efficiently. It goes without saying everyone’s efforts are appreciated. 

 

Please continue to check the Curriculum pages of the school website to be guided on scope and sequence, assessment, codes for Google Classroom and teacher email contacts. 

 

Thankyou to families who have made contact to offer thanks and to those who’ve let us know when issues have occurred. Please do not hesitate to call or email if there is an issue you need to check or discuss. 

 

Where there have been concerns about a student’s engagement in online learning, we have made contact with families to discuss access to technology and the information about Learning from home expectations.  Over the past week around a hundred phone calls were made by Deputies, Year Advisers and learning support staff to check on students who had not been seen regularly online or who were not completing class work online. 

 

We appreciate the challenges families are facing where the household is both working and learning from home. Please note our points below about attendance, progress and technology. We can be flexible in our approach to monitoring online learning to take account of family circumstances. Teachers are aware of making adjustments to the pace and volume of work in the online distance mode.

 

 

Virtual real time classrooms

Now that NSW Department of Education has arranged access for virtual classroom platforms, teachers have additional options to introduce live face to face lessons. Hopefully this will improve the remote learning experience where it is used. In any virtual classroom, students must use their NSW Department of Education user name and password to sign in. 

 

It is requested that families are patient and supportive at this time. If a real time virtual classroom is not used in every class in every lesson, please be assured the learning materials provided on Google Classroom will be suitable for the online program. If there are issues with connecting in real time, the materials in Google Classroom can be used. 

 

Teachers are daily increasing their skill in recording video and audio to include in PowerPoints and via YouTube clips uploaded to Google Classroom, for anywhere anytime learning options. Many will spend time on professional learning during the school holidays so this additional technology for learning can be used. 

 

However, we all look forward to the time when the need to deliver education in a distance model for all students comes to an end. 

 

Attendance and progress in online learning from home 

We appreciate with device and data sharing in some households, being online in every lesson every day may not be possible. 

 

Teachers are taking a roll call in each lesson, and for students who may not sign in for each and every lesson, we are checking other evidence of their learning progress, eg: work submitted, email contact. 

 

Hard copies of learning materials can be organised, and completed work can be delivered to the school. Please call to arrange. 

 

Families, please continue to have your child(ren) follow their timetables to provide structure and routine to each day. 

 

End of term 1 arrangements for online learning 

To provide time for teachers to prepare for Term 2, students are requested to work independently on the work provided in their Google Classrooms for the last 2 days of Term 1. Teachers may not be online in every lesson over the last 2 days of term. Contact with teachers can still be made via email or through Google Classroom. 

 

Reports will be available this week for Year 12, 11 and 7. 

 

A section for mental health and  wellbeing resources, which students and families may find useful,  are  available on the Student Wellbeing page of the school website.

 

Finally, please remember the school is open. While close to 100% of students are now learning from home, school is available when required. We prefer a family member to accompany their daughters,  if possible, when coming to collect learning materials. 

 

Students are encouraged to contact their Year Advisers for support as required. 

 

Year 12 students should check their emails for important information and messages sent on by Year Advisers Ms Magoffin and Ms Michos. 

Attendance Record

Now that families have been requested to keep children at home if they are able to, please advise the school if you intend to do this for the remainder of term1. 

 You can tell us through a Schoolstream App notification, or by replying to the email or text message you receive from the school. Please include the range of dates you will do this for, up to and including April 9.

This will allow us to mark your child(ren) as "Flexible" attendance for the rest of term. Before Term 2 resumes we will provide updated advice for attendance notifications. "Flexible" does not affect the rate of attendance recorded, which many years 10, 11 and 12 students doing RoSA and HSC have been concerned about.

If you use this option, please be aware you will no longer receive daily absence notifications. Students marked as "Flexible" are expected to work online from home, including submitting classwork , homework and assignments as set by teachers in the "Learning from home" program. Please refer to the information on the website and emailed to all families.

Tech access and support

IF ACCESS TO A DEVICE AND / OR DATA IS AN ISSUE,

PLEASE CONTACT US TO ARRANGE LOAN OF A LAPTOP AND / OR DONGLE

 

Hard copies of learning materials, or a USB, can be arranged if access to internet/data is an issue but you have a device to use. Completed work can be delivered to school. It is recognised this method may require additional time and no student will be disadvantaged.

Please email or call your Year Adviser if you need to arrange hard copies or a USB of learning materials.

Again we remind families school is open and students experiencing any difficulty with technology may attend school to use computers and/or access internet.

Technology support questions can be emailed to the school email and will be forwarded to Mr Zima.

Monitoring Online Attendance and Progress from Monday March 30

The NSW Department of Education has provided information about expectations for students who are Learning from home and marked as flexible attendance:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/learning-from-home/advice-to-parents-and-carers#Attendance8

Teachers will be checking that students are accessing and participating in the online Learning from home program.  Ideally, students should be online in their Google classroom during their timetabled lessons.  They can post questions, send a message to their teacher, submit their classwork, homework and assignments, and receive feedback.

If students are not regularly online, and are not submitting work, class teachers will be referring students for follow up by Head teacher or Deputy.

Years 10, 11 and 12 must be online to receive updated assessment notifications and be aware of any changes to tasks due to the current circumstances.  Further updates are pending.

Advice from NESA

NESA appreciates how hard you have been working to ensure the continuity of learning for students. On 23/3/2020, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian made a number of announcements, including:

  • encouraging parents to keep students at home from tomorrow until the school holidays if practical
  • that the health advice has not changed so schools are open and a safe place to be if it is not possible for parents to keep students at home
  • that students will complete the same online unit of work whether they are at home or at school.

The NESA Board and CEO will meet on Tuesday 24 March, to discuss the education of senior students, particularly in the context of the HSC. Additional advice will be available later this week.

You will of course also be aware of the announcement made by education minister's nationally on Friday - that NAPLAN will not proceed in 2020.

Please visit our COVID-19 advice webpage, which is a central point of information for teachers, parents and students, currently addressing:

  • HSC examinations
  • School-based HSC assessment
  • HSC exam projects, submitted works and performances
  • Mandatory work placement in VET
  • NAPLAN

The information on the advice page will be reviewed and updated daily, to ensure we are responding to concerns and giving advice that aligns with NSW Health and the Department of Education.

Any questions? Contact our COVID-19 support team:

  • Email: covid19support@nesa.nsw.edu.au
  • Call: 1300 138

Wellbeing and Support

Below are some links to support parents/carers and students during these times:

Please call or email the school if you need to contact your Year Adviser, or need School Counsellor or Youth Worker support.

Learning and Support teachers and staff are contacting students on their caseloads to offer guidance.

Careers advice is available in Google Classrooms, see the curriculum pages for the links and codes. Ms Fardell can also be contacted by phone on the school number.

 

Pauline Kotselas, Leader Student Counselling has advised that we direct people to theses resouces:

  1. ´  How to talk to your children about coronavirus – ABC…Cora's mum Denise said her daughter cried for about four or five days because she had been discussing it with her classmates and was anxious about her grandparents as well as her own health.´ 
  2.  Worried about your child getting coronavirus? Here’s what you need to know – The Conversation…The best way to avoid COVID-19 infection (and infection with any other respiratory virus) is by washing your hands with soap and water, using a tissue or the crook of your elbow to cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and by avoiding close contact with others who are unwell.´

 

Emergency Phone Numbers:

  • 1800 Respect: 1800 737 732
    • 24hr counselling support for victims of sexual assault & domestic violence
  • Domestic Violence Helpline: 1800 656 463 
    • 24hr counselling support and accommodation for victims escaping violence
  • Mens Line Australia: 1300 789 978
    • 24hr counselling support for men experiencing emotional, health, relationship issues.
  • Parent Line NSW: 1300 1300 52
    • 24 hr parenting support for families with children aged 0-18yrs
  • Tresillian NSW: 1300 272 736 
    • 24hr parenting support for families with children aged 0-5yrs
  • Mental Health Access Line: 1800 011 511
    • 24hr crisis support for families experiencing mental health challenges
  • Your room – Alcohol & other drug support: 1800 250 015
    • 24hour counselling support around alcohol & substance use
  • Lifeline: 13 11 14
    • 24hour crisis support for suicide prevention
  • Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
    • 24hour support for children 5-25yrs and their carers/parents
  • My Forever Family – Carer support: 1300 782 975
    • Support for carers; Mon-Fri - between 9am-5pm

Other:

  • Link2Home: 1800 152 152
  • Child Protection Helpline: 132 111