Dear Parents and Guardians,

This week our school community has moved to remote learning with your daughters transitioning to online lessons. As parents/guardians, this can appear to be a daunting task. However, it does not necessarily mean that the parent is now the teacher. Whilst Killester strives to meet your daughter’s academic needs, parents and carers will need to play a key role in providing structure and on-going support. Most students will transition seamlessly, whilst others may struggle. Offering reassurance and being vigilant for signs of anxiety and depression will be essential for adult carers.

Many families may find themselves in uncharted territory, but it will be important to remember to just do your best to balance remote learning and daily work responsibilities. Although we are living in a time of uncertainty that is particularly unsettling, it will provide an opportunity for families to reflect and spend some quality time together.

If you do find yourself struggling or have any concerns relating to remote learning, and your daughter’s wellbeing we welcome you to contact your daughter’s Subject Teacher, Homeroom Teacher or Student Development Leader via email. They will be able to direct you to subject teachers for learning or our wellbeing team for specialized support.

There is some helpful advice on our school website via School TV which will assist you during this time as your daughters are learning to manage their learning and wellbeing. You can access this report by clicking the link below.

SPECIAL REPORT: Preparing for Remote Learning

“Our young people will take their lead from us. We need to let them know that we are taking the coronavirus seriously, but we are not panicking. This is not downplaying what is happening, it is just context.” Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

https://killester.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-preparing-homeschooling

There are many resources online to assist parents to support their children. I recommend this resource from The Black Dog Institute for guidance. There are some useful links in this article.

Good News and Congratulations

In the last week of Term 1, elections for Year 7 Leaders were held. It was wonderful to see so many students nominate for these leadership roles – at least 10 students per position. These students enthusiastically presented thoughtful speeches and were clearly eager to be active leaders and represent “student voice” for their year level. Thank you to all the girls who nominated for the six Committees and four Houses. When all students return to school, we look forward to introducing the Year 7 Leaders to the school community, the Committees and Houses.

Congratulations to our new Year 7 Leaders:

Student Council: Caitlyn Tran and Meruna Mayooran

Sport Committee: Estelle Agrapidakis and Sienna Sidiroglou

Community Service Committee: Alessia Wilson and Tanushree Gopidas

Arts Committee: Roopneet Kaur and Kelly Lao

Celebrations Committee: Anna Nguyen and Sienna Cvetkoski

Sustainability and Environment Committee: Lia Tran and Maia Moncherry

Brigid Leaders: Giselle Neydorff and Lucy Lam

McKillop Leaders: Lily Cooper and Cathy Tran

Romero Leaders: Lily Bowyer-Smyth and Sarah Siddig

Chisholm Leaders: Bianca Mojaled and Karyna Ngo

Wishing you all the best during this unusual time. Rest assured that all Killester staff, although working remotely, are fully committed to offering the best education and support for your daughters. You are welcome to contact me via email if you wish to discuss any concerns you may have.

Regards

Luana Doko

Student Wellbeing Leader

Email: ldoko@killester.vic.edu.au

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