Principal's Message 

Dear Parents, Carers and Students

We hope you are all managing as we approach the third week of stage 4 restrictions.  Students continue to amaze us with their resilience, persistence and "have a go" attitude.

Curriculum Day

Please note that Wednesday 2nd September is a curriculum day (student-free day) for teachers' required Professional Practice Day.  The remote learning program will not be sent out on this day. Camp Australia will be available for those students who normally attend the on-site program.

Remote Learning Survey

Thank you to the many parents and students who participated in our Remote Learning Survey last week.  On average, 45% of parents across the year levels responded.  Higher response rates were provided by students and this more specific data is being reviewed by teaching teams at each year level.  

The feedback we received is helping us to further refine our program across all year levels.  Some of the key results from the parent surveys include:

• Overall satisfaction with remote learning program from Prep-6 is 66%
• Overall, parents are very happy with communication and access to teachers
• The majority of parents surveyed find the amount of work being provided is "about right"
• Parents strongly value core curriculum activities as well as access to specialist classes
• Call for routine scheduling of WebEx times
• Parents of students in the upper years (4-6) reported greater concern for social connection for their children
• Parents in the younger years (P-2) requested greater access to teachers via WebEx
• Parents in the younger years placed value on activities not requiring devices and requested timetables the night before

The following changes are being made to our programs, some of which you will have observed this week:

• An increased focus on explicit teaching and feedback during classroom WebEx conferences
• All specialist teachers providing opportunities for students to connect with them for a short weekly WebEx session.  Please note attendance at these sessions is optional.  The benefits of these sessions will be reviewed after two weeks.
• Timetables are being sent the night before to Prep-2 families

The observation we, as staff, make about remote learning, is that no one approach will suit all families. For some families, the increased number of WebEx conferences will be a positive enhancement to the learning program.  For others, it may feel like more to juggle.  As we have always said, do your best and do what works for your family.  Reach out to the school if you are not coping.  Some days will be easier than others.  We are confident that our remote learning program supports students to grow and progress in their learning.  We also encourage you to engage in the wellbeing activities with your children as they are designed to give children (and adults) the opportunity to reflect on and express their emotions in a positive way.   Wellbeing activities also provide an opportunity for children to slow down and participate in an activity that will benefit them physically or mentally. 

And finally, I would like to express my deep appreciation to our teachers who continue to adapt to the ever-changing landscape with professionalism and grace.  The feedback from parents and students echoed this gratitude and respect for the challenges of teaching away from the classroom.

Thank you  

Megan