Moonee Ponds West Primary School

Principal's Report 

Greetings families of the Moonee Ponds West Community,

We move again into not wanted familiar territory! It is difficult I am sure for those at home to work and supervise the remote learning especially for the younger ones who need the guidance and supervision. In COVID Lockdown 5 I was the supervisor of the Remote Learning as the ‘carer’ for my granddaughter, Willa.  All the stars had to be aligned. The printer had to work and if it didn’t the writing of the task in ‘long hand’ proved challenging at the start. You quickly learn the best ways to make a successful day! To all at home with Remote Learning thanks you so much for your efforts. Remember to give yourself and your child a break. Whilst some parents may feel that there will be learning lost, the way that we are structuring up at school should reassure you that we are ready to support and extend the learning of the students. The Junior School are working on the ‘BIG 4’ for literacy learning so that children are meaningfully engaged in the skill of reading and writing. The BIG 4 builds on the teaching practice of the teachers and enables the children to progress in a more efficient way. A copy of the BIG 4 is attached below and on the school website and COMPASS school forms. In the middle (3/4) and senior (5/6) school, we have the targeted tutoring program which again is focused on knowing the children’s needs and addressing these in a structured and regular way. Both our Learning Specialist (Literacy and Numeracy) are supporting the fine tuning of the teaching and learning practice so that we become more precise in what we do to match the learning needs of the students. In 2020 our students generally were able to make learning growth even with the periods of Remote Learning.

The BIG FOUR in Literacy.pdf

The Remote Learning Structure

Lockdown 6.0 sees teachers involved in check-ins and small group instruction across a school day. There is an expectation of teacher led and student independent learning tasks. the Department of Education guideline for instruction in this space is as follows:

 

The Department of Education has outlined as a guide, the following learning schedule for Remote and Flexible learning for this current period of learning remotely. 

 

For students Prep- Grade 2 schools will provide learning programs that include the following per day: 

  • -Literacy activities that take a total of about 45-60 minutes 
  • Numeracy activities of about 30-45 minutes
  • Additional learning areas, play based learning and physical activity of about 30-45 minutes.

For students in Grades 3-6 school will provide learning programs allocated as follows per day: 

 

  • Literacy: 45-60 minutes 
  • Numeracy: 30-45 minutes
  • Physical Activity: 30 Min 
  • Additional Curriculum areas: 90 minutes.

In some independent schools (and we are in the heart of such organisations and comparisons are naturally made) the student is online with the teacher every session in small groups or whole class perspectives. The body of evidence says this is unsustainable both by the school and in the home especially for younger children. You will have seen the development on our structure which includes more small groups and whole class instruction along with wellbeing check-ins and opportunities in the morning for the class to converse depending on the year level. This is especially important for our students as school is a social haven. If parents think that there is a developing concern, please contact the class teacher via COMPASS and discuss what you are seeing and together we can collectively solve any issues, I am sure.

Parent Opinion Survey

Yes, it is that time of the year again. We have randomly selection 90 families to complete the survey. It doesn’t take long but we do need 80% of families to complete the survey for a good sample of opinions from which we form our plans. At present (8/08/21) we have received 23 responses that is a participation rate of 24%. I would like to offer a prize for families that do participate in the survey. It won’t be a holiday in Hawaii!!! But you will be in a draw for something special.

Cyber Safety

Please ensure that your child continues to be safe whilst online and during remote learning. WebEx is the recommended platform for our virtual meeting and Google Classroom for student contact and sharing of learning tasks. Some weeks ago, I published on COMPASS how to manage the screen time of the people in your house. This ensures that students are getting enough quality sleep and are protected from unwanted communications. Here are the instructions again for your convenience. The basic instructions of Apple Screen Time can be found here: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT208982Android/Samsung also do it here: https://www.lifewire.com/check-screen-time-on-android-5069900.

Here is an example of how the above information has been implemented:

• Downtime from 7:00pm to 7:00am

• App limits on everything for 2 hours everyday with exceptions for Safari for Remote Learning

• Communication Limits to friends only (all friends must be screened by parent first)

• Content and Privacy restrictions ON 

  • No Apps only up to 12+ rating
  • No adult websites
  • No explicit language
  • No social media at all
  • Multiplayer games with friends only.

Additionally, you can set up a Google Nest Wi-Fi system that allows for separate, controllable Wi-Fi networks within your house with full control. These are easily available at JB HiFi and will show all devices connected to the WIFI at all times with the ability to lock out the device. 

See here: https://store.google.com/au/product/nest wifi?hl=en-GB.

Another aspect I would like to bring to your attention is the aspect of Tik-Tok. The age requirements indicate that children at primary school should not be accessing. The age limit for users is 13 years. At this age you will have access to Tik Tok for Younger Users. Please be mindful of the various advertisements that have been found to infiltrate this site and influence. Again, adult awareness and conversations that educate builds responsibility in our children. It is ok for adults to say NO even when you are told all the other children are allowed. Check this with other adults that you may know.

Stepping Up

I would like to acknowledge and thank Jarrod Sutton, Karen Wheeler and all the staff for their support of each other and their diligence to our school processes in the time I was on leave. To use a Mindfulness term, I am very grateful to all at MPWPS for their collective work together, for the support of the children and our families. MPWPS is a wonderful place to be connected too. Well done all!Finally, remember last year when we were in lockdown 2.0 some of the children who were onsite planted daffodils. Well, they are in bloom again waiting for the students to return. A little ray of sunlight!

Stay well, positive, and safe. This too will pass.

Sincerely

Kerri Simpson 

Principal