Principal's Message

From the Principal

Welcome to Week 6 of Home Learning!

I continue to be impressed by the resilience of our children during this round of home learning. Many of our students continue to do their best as they approach their daily tasks, submitting their work to their teachers as well as responding to feedback. It is great to read their comments on the different Google Classrooms. Some students, however are tiring a little with home learning and many of them are missing the social interactions of school life. This is very normal given the current climate we are in.

Parents know their children best and I am sure you are all monitoring the wellbeing of your children. Please know that it is OK to adjust the home learning requirements for your child. It is OK for students to miss a day or two of home learning if you feel that this will assist your child's wellbeing. It is important that parents communicate these decisions with teachers so they are aware of what to expect from the children each week. 

In my communication with teachers I am aware they are in regular contact with parents via email or over the phone. This is a great opportunity for us all to be working as a team in supporting our children. I would encourage parents to make contact with our staff when they feel it is necessary. These conversations may be related to learning tasks but we also encourage parents to raise any wellbeing concerns.

We have had some wonderful feedback from parents regarding this round of home learning. We have also heard concerns from those who are worried their child might be falling behind the expected standard. Just remember that children all over the state, indeed all over the world are experiencing a similar situation and that teachers will all be adjusting their programs and approaches when school does get back to normal. The standard may need a little adjustment, some concessions and some realignment of the scope and sequence of work but all the essentials will still be covered.

For now, celebrate the new learning your child is experiencing and the new skills they are mastering. Many have become more independent in setting up their learning spaces, they have developed online communication skills, adjusting audio and video, the ability to follow hyperlinks, navigate on a range of devices, read and re-read instructions, pause and rewind instructional videos, upload their work and provide feedback for their peers. All of these essential skills for an online world put them beyond the skill level of previous generations at the same age. Let's not lose sight of the extraordinary learning taking place in homes right now with teachers guiding both students and parents.

Wellbeing Wednesday

I must congratulate our student Wellbeing Leaders, Poppy and Xavier, on their outstanding efforts to maintain their regular weekly Wellbeing installment. Poppy and Xavier have been very self-motivated and in communication with one another regularly via virtual platforms to produce their weekly wellbeing segment.

As Poppy and Xavier mention, looking after our wellbeing during these difficult weeks is incredibly important.

This week Emily Faella, the school's Wellbeing Leader,  joins Xavier and Poppy to encourage and promote a family initiative; to cook something together as a family and to share a photo of either the cooking experience or the final product.

I encourage you to have a look at the Wellbeing page in this week's newsletter. There are some fantastic photos of talented chefs and delicious dishes!

Take care everyone!