From the Assistant Principal 

DEAR FAMILIES,

I generally make a start on the newsletter over the weekend, however I was unsure where to start on Sunday morning. The OGPS school community has responded, adapted and remained both positive and flexible to yet another lockdown. As I watched the students leave the grounds on Thursday afternoon and waved goodbye to the families along Draper Street, I was quite in awe of the way our students and families went about it all. Please know that the staff at OGPS are here to support you and your children. At this stage, we are expecting all students back to school on Wednesday 28th July.

SUPPORT: Please reach out to us if you would like to speak with Rhonda Stubbings, our School Chaplain (PH 0491 191 710) or Andy McNeilly, our Mental Health and Well Being Coordinator (PH 5255 1340).

CANCELLED EVENTS: Unfortunately, many events will either be cancelled or postponed due to the recent lockdown. Such events include –

POSTPONED – Year 6 camp (now Term 4, week 1, 4-8th October). 

The swimming program  for Year 4 and 5 (postponed at this stage, more info to come).

CANCELLED - Cross country for selected students (cancelled at this stage).

REMOTE LEARNING PROGRAM: The transition into our more formal model of remote learning commenced today and I thank you for your support with this. The Matrix model (that was provided for last Friday 16th, Monday19th and Tuesday 20th) is used during snap lockdowns/circuit breakers. If lockdowns are extended, OGPS move towards the current more formal model (activities posted to Seesaw, MS Teams sessions and videos uploaded to support learning activities). Given the short timeframes and notice given, these models are what staff (admin, teaching and technical staff) are able to deliver. Thank you for your support as we navigate the often changing COVID landscape.

As of today, all students are required (if they are able to do so) to log into MS Teams at the following times -

FOUNDATION AND YEAR 1 (9am-9:10am)

YEAR 2 AND YEAR 3 (9:10am-9:20am)

YEAR 4 AND YEAR 5 (9:20am-9:30am)

YEAR 6 (9:30am)

These times have been designed to assist families with one device. If families are unable to allocate their device at these times, please let your child/ren’s teacher know via seesaw and alternative arrangements can be made.

MS Teams sessions and phone calls will be managed by the classroom teacher. Please communicate with your child’s teacher via Seesaw.

The outline of daily activities will be sent to families the ‘day before’ whilst videos and teacher feedback will occur throughout the day. 

COMMUNICATION WITH STAFF: Communication is the key to success, especially at the moment. Please contact your child’s teacher via Seesaw if you require any support or clarification.

TUTOR PROGRAM: The tutor program will continue via our remote learning model. If your child/ren receive tutor support, the tutor will be in contact with you or your child/ren. This will be done by either phone, Seesaw or MS Teams.

iPads: ’Bridging the digital divide’ was an initiative delivered by the government last year. The aim of this program was to provide equal access to technology for all students. Students that borrowed a school iPad during the 2020 remote learning period were able to retain/keep a school iPad. This program has not been extended into 2021. Ocean Grove Primary School does not currently have any iPads to issue to families. Staff are aware that some families will be sharing a device amongst several children and therefore some children will be limited regarding the work they will be able to access and submit to their teacher. If you do not have a digital device (iPad, phone or laptop) in your home that can be accessed for remote learning, please phone the office so we can notify your child/ren’s teacher.

ONSITE SUPERVISION: We ask that students attending the onsite supervision program please bring their fully charged device (if they have one) and resources e.g. books and pencil case. This allows for both continuity of recording learning progress and assists with student organisation.

THANK YOU: A massive thank you to Ann Miller (Acting AP), the admin staff and teaching staff. They have all been a huge support to me whilst I have been in the Acting Principal role and I would like to express my gratitude to them. There were many late nights as we shuffled DET communication, timetables, staffing and ICT issues. It was a real team effort and I’m extremely grateful.

I will continue to keep our families updated with current information as it becomes available to me. Look after yourselves and look after one another and hopefully we will all be back together again soon.

Take care,

Kristy Hannan-Cuthbertson

Acting Principal