With Prep, Year One and Year Two students returning on Tuesday, May 26th and Year Three to Year Six students returning on Tuesday, June 9th, a number of protocols have been put in place to facilitate a safe learning environment for returning students and staff. All are in line with the Victorian Chief Medical Officer’s advice, State Government recommendations and AHPPC- (Australian Health Protection Principal Committee) guidelines.

*Parents will be required to complete a CareMonkey declaration before their children may be permitted to return to school.

*Parents will not be permitted to enter Junior School facilities for the remainder of this term. At morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up, parents must remain in vehicles. Additional Junior School staff will be allocated to morning duties to welcome students, and to assist with the smooth running of driveway pick-ups at 3.15 pm. Parents are requested to use email for important communications to classroom/specialist teachers and administration staff.

*Our Early Learning Centre requires parents to sign the children in and out each day. This will occur on the back-veranda area of the Early Learning Centre site. Access must be through the gate on the southern side of the Centre. Parents are not permitted inside the indoor learning space.

*Before and After School Care will be available for the duration of Term Two. This must be booked in advance. Capped numbers will apply. The Junior School Library/Year Five classrooms will be the location for Junior School students requiring Before and After School Care. Pick up will be from the rear carpark. A sign-out desk will be stationed at the eastern end of the Handbury Centre. Early Learning Centre students accessing After School Care will continue to be looked after in the Early Learning Centre.

*To minimise student movement between centres, all Early Learning Centre Art and Music programs will see specialist teachers conducting lessons in the Early Learning Centre. All Year Six transition subjects (Music, Science and Food Technology) will be conducted at the Junior School. There will be no inter campus bus travel.

*Students who are not well must stay at home and only return after medical advice has been provided to the school that they are safe to return. Monitoring of student health will be completed each morning by classroom teachers. Unwell children will be isolated in our sick bay where the school nurse will assess them. Parents will be notified to come and collect.

*Social distancing guidelines will be provided and enforced.

*Sanitisers and antiseptic wipes will be placed in classrooms, toilets and close to water taps. Bubble taps will not be in use. Students are encouraged to bring a full water bottle to school each day. College cleaning staff will conduct lunchtime cleans of classroom surfaces and door handles.

* Where possible, classroom furniture will be arranged to leave as much space as possible between Junior School students.

*Specialist classes will be adapted to minimise communal use of resources.

*High-touch equipment, including our fixed equipment play space will be regularly cleaned.

*No Junior School activities will take place off site.

*Locker rooms and bag areas will not be used by all students; alternative arrangements will be advised by classroom teachers.

*To maintain social distancing at recess and lunch, Year levels will be allocated areas of the playground. In the fullness of the week these will be rotated.

*Weather permitting, external doors to the homestead will be left ajar to minimise hand contact in high traffic areas.

*Lunch orders will not be available to Junior School students.

*No organised sports trainings will occur in Term Two.

*Weekly Junior School Assemblies will remain online - Wednesdays at 1.30 pm.

Student Well-Being Survey

89 of our Prep to Year Six students completed last week’s online ‘Well-Being’ survey. Junior School staff spent their Wednesday Pastoral Care meeting looking at the results. Students were asked to comment on their use of devices, the amount of sleep they are getting and the pros and cons of Remote Learning. They were also asked if they could change one thing about Remote Learning, what would it be? We had some interesting responses.

“I wish I could work faster on the computer.”

“All the distractions at home.”

“That I could have one friend I could do it with.”

“I want there to be more fun days like cooking days, dress-up days and casual clothes days.”

“To play more learning games.”

“A catch-up day once a fortnight with friends.”

“I like the way it is. I love the early finish.”

Stephen Nelson

Head of Junior School

The Hamilton and Alexandra College Newsletter

Issue 15 · 21 May 2020

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