ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS’ REPORT

Julie Andrews, Bradley Headlam &  Paul Dawson 

Assistant Principals

 

Welcome to Term 2 in such a strange time for all of us. During this time of Remote and Flexible Learning there are some key points to remember about: learning in a new environment; supporting students to learn; looking after ourselves and each other.

Learning In a New Environment

Information about how to find and engage with the timetabled classes was provided through Compass. This is a more independent style of learning which is, in itself, a new skill to develop.

Here is a reminder:    

 

Teachers were provided with two avenues to inform parents and students on the learning whilst in a remote circumstance. They include:

  • Google Classroom
  • Compass Class page

The Google Classroom is between the student and teacher to obtain activities, learning instructions, feedback and to ask questions etc. This also has included Google Meet with students for each session so that they can interact via video stream with the teacher for questions or clarification on the lesson of work. Given students are the ones with access to this content, it is up to the parent to liaise with their child whilst they are ‘offline’ to discuss the work or needs of the work and support required.

Compass can also provide detail on the lesson that parents can access. The following are excerpts from the Compass Knowledge base that provide a helpful insight into some areas of Compass that might support students and parents.

  • Class Page

To access this page, you need to login to Compass and select Student Profile, then select a class, this will take you to the Class Page. This is an option for teachers to communicate with students the work required. Staff may use this instead of the Google Classroom, whilst others might use both. Parents also will have access to the content within each of these sections.

 

 

 

  • The Student Dashboard

Staff, students and parents can see the date and time for a session and scroll forwards or backwards to see the same information for different sessions.  

 

If staff, students or parents want to see information relating to a specific session of the class they can select the drop down arrow next to the date and time which will display a list of all scheduled sessions for the class from which the required session can be selected. 

  • Student Schedules

In Compass you will be able to access your child’s schedule. Your child will be following their normal schedule daily whilst learning remotely. Here is an example of a student schedule:

  • Assessment

Importantly students will be assessed. The classroom assessments are published in Compass and called Learning Tasks. There will be 3-5 Learning Tasks per subject per semester. Staff should have these loaded and assessed by the end of this semester. You can, however, check the progress on these throughout the semester.

  • Troubleshooting

In the event you are having difficulty with parts of Compass you can contact a member of the ICT team or Brad Headlam.

Attendance

The process for checking on attendance will mostly be the same during Remote and Flexible Learning from home. Teachers will be checking attendance and keeping an accurate hard copy roll. This will be checked via online video streaming, email or an alternative set up by the class teacher. Class based absences will be addressed by the class teacher. Whole day absences will be identified and followed up in the usual manner. If there is repeated absence a YLC will contact parents.

Remote Learning On-site

Please refer to the guidelines Mr Adamou published in newsfeed to check eligibility for being at school during this time. The Department requires us to follow this strictly and in summary is as follows:

 

Supervision of the Flexible and Remote program will be available at school for children of parents who cannot work from home and vulnerable children, including:

children in out-of-home care

children deemed by Child Protection and/or Family Services to be at risk of harm

children identified by the school as vulnerable (including via referral from a family violence agency, homelessness or youth justice service or mental health or other health service and children with a disability).

Supporting Students to Learn

As parents/carers, your role is to provide a suitable place for your child to do their class work encouraging them to persist in their learning, and supporting them to find some balance between the school day and the rest of the day. The teachers are providing the instruction and the class work. Feedback from staff has been extremely positive on how well the students have adapted to these trying conditions. 

 

The school is requesting that if parents could please not interact in the Google Meets sessions.  We understand that parents are trying to help their children but we are trying to replicate the classroom as much as possible and develop our students to be independent learners. We would like the students to ask questions in these Google Meets and carry these skills back into the classroom.  Students can also request assistance through their Google Classroom.

 

Teachers are  maintaining attendance rolls for their classes. The student attendance can be observed by you on Compass.  If your child has raised a concern from an incident in the classroom can you please email the teacher and they will respond when time allows.

 

Year Level Coordinators, Sub School Managers and Student Wellbeing can also offer support to students and can be contacted via email.

Looking After Ourselves and Others

With most families at home all day there become new or enhanced responses to being at home. Acknowledging the stresses that family members might be experiencing is important and, as well as the variety of strategies to help de-stress, we should try to provide a calm living environment. A psychologist on a recent television special on self isolation spoke of having a quiet space that individuals can retreat to for some time alone. In more crowded homes, this could be a floor cushion in a corner of an occupied room facing the wall as a means to tune out of the busyness for a while. Noticing and monitoring the frequency and length of how your child uses ‘time alone’ is important. If any of this concerns you please contact the Student Wellbeing Team for more information about supporting your family through this difficult time.    

 

Remember to make the effort to connect with your extended family and friends. 

A Positive Beginning

We have been overwhelmed by the positive feedback that has been received from the NGSC community to begin this term. This is a reflection of the enormous amount of preparation that our staff have put in to ensure that the transition to remote and flexible learning has been as smooth as possible, considering the environment we live in.

 

Here are some photos of the recent amazing work occurring remotely by the staff and students at our college. Keep up the great work everybody.