PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Mr Nicholas Adamou

Principal

Key Dates

Remote and Flexible Learning 2.0

Earlier this week, the Victorian Government announced that, on the advice of the Victorian Chief Health Officer, regional and rural Victoria will move to Stage 3 restrictions and metropolitan Melbourne will move to Stage 4 restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus

(COVID-19).

These requirements apply to all schools across the government, catholic and independent sectors and across all metropolitan Melbourne and rural and regional Victoria.

The changes to schools’ operations came into effect on Wednesday, 5 August, following a student free day on Tuesday, 4 August, and are most likely to apply until the end of Term 3.

As outlined in the Chief Health Officer’s advice last Friday, schools remain safe places for staff and students, but these steps are critical measures to reduce the movement of students and families across the State.

There are implications for our school, and for families in our school community. A summary of what these changes mean for our school is below.

RURAL AND REGIONAL VICTORIA

PREP TO YEAR 10

Prep to Year 10 students will move to remote and flexible learning.

On-site supervision in rural and regional Victoria will be available to:

• Children whose parents cannot work from home
• Vulnerable children
• Any child with a disability that cannot be supervised at home

SENIOR SECONDARY YEAR 11 AND 12 (VCE AND VCAL)

All Year 11 and 12 provisions for both VCE and VCAL will move to remote and flexible learning.

• The GAT will be rescheduled from Wednesday, 9 September to Wednesday, 7 October.
• The schedule for the VCE examinations and release of results will remain as previously advised.
• Further information about consideration of disadvantage and coronavirus (COVID-19) will be provided shortly.

TIMELINE

Monday, 3 August, was a ‘normal’ day of school and our students attended on site learning. All students were asked to take all their necessary learning materials home to prepare for Remote and Flexible learning. Thank you to all students and staff who followed all Covid-19 rules, including wearing masks or facial coverings, as per DET advice.

• Tuesday, 4 August, was a student-free day across Victoria. This enabled our teachers to prepare for flexible and remote learning.
• Wednesday, 5 August, was the first day of the new arrangements for schools across Victoria. For the NGSC community it was the first day of remote and flexible learning 2.0.
• Stage 3 restrictions in rural and regional Victoria came into place as of 11.59 pm Wednesday, 5 August.

I will be providing the school community with Covid-19 updates as soon as new information

is available.

We have done this very successfully in Term 2 and we will continue building on our strengths in remote and flexible learning, ensuring our students continue their learning during these very challenging times. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Stay safe and well.

Operating Guidelines

Home provision

• The parent or carer is responsible for students’ general safety at home or elsewhere.
• Students and parents/families please note that students will be following the normal timetable on Google Classroom and all instructions and information about learning & teaching including feedback will be communicated by their classroom teachers.
• For students with a disability, students in out-of-home care and Koorie students, schools and the parents/carers should continue to work together via the Student Support Group (maintaining a current Individual Education Plan (IEP)) to identify and plan responses for areas of need.
• For more information, see fact sheet:
  Child Safety, Reportable Conduct and Duty of Care in Remote Online Learning.
  Home and on-site learning programs
• The learning program delivered on-site is the same as the learning program delivered to students undertaking remote learning.

Access to teaching and learning resources for students at home:

• For students who do not have access to digital technologies at home, schools will loan existing devices, including those previously provided by the Department.
• Where additional devices are required, these will be provided by the Department where schools have used a range of funding sources, including equity funding and CSE funding, to purchase equipment to be loaned to students free of charge.
• The Department will also provide network access to the extent possible for students who may not be able to connect at home.
• Schools are also able to provide hard copies of learning resources in the event of an internet outage or in cases where it is not possible for students to have any digital access.
• Schools must follow e-safety policies and procedures.

Health and safety measures for on-site learning

Physical distancing

• The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) has advised that a ‘venue density rule’ of no more than one person per four square metres is not appropriate or practical in classrooms or corridors, nor maintaining 1.5 metres between students during classroom activities. The Victorian Chief Health Officer has not recommended additional physical distancing measures be put in place for senior students at schools where it is not practicable to do so.
• However, to maximise physical distancing NGSC will ensure a minimum staff to student ratio of 1:10 is maintained.
• Close attention and proactive management is provided so staff can physically distance.

Specific attention is paid to:

• using spaces within the school that can support physical distancing for staff, such as libraries and vacant classrooms
• signage and rostering, so that access to physical spaces and food preparation areas can be managed
• offices being appropriately spaced
• the careful management of movement of adults through school reception, complemented with clear signage and access to sanitiser.

Temperature checks

In order to support community awareness of the symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and to help identify children displaying symptoms, NGSC undertakes mandatory temperature screening of students and staff participating in the on-site supervision program while the ‘stay at home’ restrictions are in place. 

Face coverings in schools.

All school-based staff must wear face coverings at school, and when travelling to and from school.

• Teachers, education support staff and students will be required to wear face coverings while at school.
• Some students and staff are exempt from these requirements, this includes students or staff who have a medical condition, such as problems with their breathing, a serious skin condition on the face, a disability or a mental health condition.
• Parents/carers are required to wear face coverings whenever they leave the house, including for school drop off and pick up. If they are travelling in a car alone, or only with members of their household, they do not need to wear a mask.
• School staff follow the Department guidance for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in education to determine when additional PPE is required.

Other health and safety measures

• Hygienic products such as hand sanitiser, alcoholic wipes, gloves, Glen 20 are available in school classrooms and all offices.

• Playground and sports equipment can be used by students. However, students should practise hand hygiene before and after use.
• Students should bring their own water bottle for use at school as students should not drink directly from drinking fountains at this time. Taps may be used to refill water bottles.
• The Department’s Students Using Mobile Phones Policy remains in place. Remind staff and students to clean their phones regularly. Phones can be turned on with the COVID SAFE app activated immediately before and after school. Schools are managed environments that include records of student, staff and visitor attendance, which can support contact tracing.

Stage 3 restrictions for Regional Victoria https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/stage-3-restrictions-covid-19  

• Victoria entered a State of Disaster from 6:00 pm on Sunday, 2 August until Sunday, 13 September. This will give police additional powers to make sure people are complying with public health directions.
• A limited number of reasons to leave the home will remain, including seeking medical care, in an emergency, or if required by law. However, if you fail to prove you were out for a permitted reason, you could be fined up to $4,957.

Regional Victoria - There are only four reasons to leave home; for food and supplies,

medical care and care-giving, exercise and work or study, if you can’t work or study from

home.

• People who have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) or are close contacts will no longer be able to leave their homes for exercise.

https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covid-19-daily-update

https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/stay-home-new-crackdown-isolation-breaches

https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/self-quarantine-coronavirus-covid-19