From The Principal
TERM TWO
Dear MPS Families,
We know this has definitely been a very different start to Term 2 and I would like to thank all our staff for the many hours they have put into adjusting their teaching, learning new platforms and material, and planning for a different type of learning.
I would also like to thank the families who have sent emails of support; we know gratitude and empathy go a long way in these times.
Families have been patient while we have tried to smooth out technical issues and we think we are all getting better at managing home learning.
I hope that everyone is staying well and that you have managed to enjoy some quality family time during the break, despite the challenges that we have faced.
We have sent out a number of Compass notices and we will continue to do so as things change and we look at other ways to support you.
I have included today a number of suggestions from us and the Department of Education, and hope you will have time to read through it and that some of it may be of use to you.
I have been dropping in on grades while they are online using Webex with their teachers and it was great to see so many smiling faces. Mrs Plumb and I will continue to do this over the next couple of weeks to get our students' perspective on how they are managing.
From the grades I have seen so far, the students have all been pretty positive and gave one or two thumbs up, but they were a bit unsure of how their parents were coping.
Try to stay positive, as that positivity is passed on to your children. There is a link at the bottom of my news article that will take you to the Resilience Project’s website and that may be of some support. Thanks to the families who sent in photos of their home learning; we are happy for you to continue sending those in and we will post some more in the next newsletter.
ANZAC DAY
This year ANZAC Day falls on Saturday and we hope many families will be able to put up an Australian flag on their letterbox or fence to show their support for all our veterans, both past and present. Many services are being held online and it would be great if you could send photos of you supporting ANZAC Day to our school email and we will post them in the next newsletter. You can also send them to #lestweforget or #anzacathome.
Although we are not running a service, we would still like our students to understand the significance of the day in Australian history. We also like to support the RSL.
LEARNING FROM HOME: INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND CARERS
When you start to think about helping your child to learn from home, please remember that no one expects you to be a subject matter expert or teacher. The most important thing you can do is to continue to provide comfort, support and encouragement to your child.
You can help your child to learn from home by working with us and supporting your child/children as they undertake the activities provided.
HOW THE SCHOOL WILL SUPPORT YOUR CHILD
We will:
* communicate with you and your child about what you and your child need to do
* communicate with you and provide learning activities for your child to do at home
* use our normal communication tools such as compass, our website, newsletters, emails and other online tools, such as Google Classroom for Years 5 and 6 and Seesaw for P-4.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT YOUR CHILD
You can support your child by:
* having a routine and setting expectations
* making sure your child has a space to work in
* providing a level of supervision suitable to your child’s stage of development
* monitoring communications from teachers
* checking in with your child often to help them manage and pace their work
* monitoring how much time your child is spending online.
YOUR CHILD'S RESPONSIBILITIES DURING REMOTE LEARNING
Your child's responsibilities include:
* if they are in the older grades they can regularly monitor digital platforms for announcements and feedback from their teachers
* do their best work by completing tasks with integrity and academic honesty (so don’t try and post mountains of things just what your teacher asked for and do it to the best of your ability)
* do their best to meet timelines and due dates
* communicate openly with their teachers and tell them if you have any concerns or issues
* continue to abide by their school’s behaviour guidelines, this is especially important in relation to privacy, online chats and following all of our cyber safety policies.
SETTING UP A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Every home is different, but it’s important to provide a quiet and comfortable space in which to learn.
Where possible, extended learning should take place in a space your family shares. For example, a lounge room or dining room. These spaces are preferable over a bedroom, where your child can feel isolated and supervision can be more challenging.
It should be a place:
* that can be quiet at times
* that has a strong internet signal, if possible
* where you or another adult is present as you would normally when your child is online, dependent on age
ESTABLISHING ROUTINES AND EXPECTATIONS
Start and end each day with a check-in to help your child:
* clarify and understand the instructions they got from their teachers
* help them organise themselves and set priorities for their learning
A healthy daily routine is great for mental and physical health, as well as concentration and learning.
Encourage regular exercise breaks. This might mean going for a walk, using exercise DVDs and apps, dancing, floor exercises or using home exercise equipment.
Encourage healthy eating habits and make sure they drink enough water.
COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR CHILD
We encourage you to start and finish each day with a simple check-in. These check-ins can be a regular part of each day.
Morning check ins
In the morning, ask:
* What are you learning today?
* What are your learning targets or goals?
* How will you be spending your time?
* What resources do you need?
* What support do you need?
Afternoon check-ins
In the afternoon, ask:
* What did you learn today?
* What was challenging? You could come up with a way to deal with the same problem if it comes up again.
* Consider three things that went well today. Why were they good?
* Are you ok? Do you need to ask your teacher for something? Do you need help with something to make tomorrow more successful?
These questions allow your child to:
* process the instructions they get from their teachers
* help them organise themselves and set priorities.
You could also check-in with your child throughout the day. This depends on your child’s needs.
ADVICE FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH ADDITIONAL NEEDS
* How you can support your child with additional needs at home –
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/additional-needs/Pages/disability-support-home.aspx
this resource helps you support your child’s learning at home.
* Understanding learning difficulties for parents: a practical guide –
This guide provides you with practical advice about learning difficulties.
https://uldforparents.com/further-reading/appendix-5-recommended-apps-list/
This includes the evidence base supporting particular intervention programs and a recommended apps list for children with learning difficulties.
RESOURCES AND TIPS
In addition to the resources and materials that your early childhood service or school may provide, you could also use the following resources:
Get parents involved with literacy includes programs and supports, including the ‘Literacy and numeracy tips to help your child' booklet. This booklet gives advice to parents with children from birth to year 6 about supporting their child’s literary and numeracy learning.
You can also find idea to support the development of early literacy skills including speaking listening, reading and writing for children aged from birth through to the early years of school.
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/learning/Pages/literacy-birth-year-2.aspx
MATHEMATICS AND NUMERACY AT HOME
Mathematics and numeracy at home (below link) provides links to a range of advice and resources for families.
To support the development of numeracy skills for children aged from birth to the early years of school visit: How to build numeracy skills from birth to year 2.
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/learning/Pages/numeracy-birth-year-2.aspx
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHS (STEM)
Find ways to engage children in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) experiences.
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/learning/Pages/stem.aspx
Visit the Fun at home webpage for more parent-focused resources.
https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/Pages/funathome
MANAGING SCREEN TIME AND ONLINE SAFETY
It is important you keep a balanced approach to home learning. Time spent using digital devices for learning should be broken up with physical exercise and offline learning tasks often.
It’s also important that during this time of remote learning we maintain safe and responsible use of information and communication technologies. This includes:
* The appropriate use of digital platforms, privacy and information protection
* Respectful online communication.
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING CHECK-IN
Just as you set aside time for physical exercise, it is important to make time each day to check in on your child’s mental health and wellbeing.
As your child adjusts to their new routine and not being able to see their friends in person, it is important to be understanding of their feelings of frustration, anxiousness and even anger – every child will react differently.
To support your child, use these mental health and wellbeing check ins to:
* Provide an opportunity to talk about how they feel and listen to what they say
* Identify one or two things they could do to address what they are concerned or angry about
* Ask how they are going, whether they are finding it easy or hard to learn remotely, and if there is anything they’d like your help with.
The school was previously involved in the Resilience Project and I have included a link that you may find useful.
http://theresilienceproject.com.au/at-home/?mc_cid=7ef1b4b69b&mc_eid=c9f36b125a
Lynne Foster