DEPUTY PRINCIPAL REPORT

Teaching, Learning and Innovation

TRAC Goes Online

Well, a great deal has certainly changed since our last newsletter! It has been interesting to reflect on what it is to be a teacher and a student over the last week as the College geared up for online learning. There was some trepidation, some wearied brains from days of intense training and some realisations of silver linings that were unexpected but very welcome! I suspect this will be precisely your child’s experience over the coming weeks.

As you are aware, on Thursday and Friday of last week there were two days of professional learning around online education in preparation for the implementation of the Plan for Continuity of Learning. In fact, preparations had begun some weeks before as we looked at the various ways we might implement a shift to online learning. Analysis of our strengths and opportunities, as well as potential areas of weakness, underpinned a series of plenary meetings and ultimately the training on Thursday and Friday. Two key realisations occurred for me in the plenary stage:

1. TRAC is very well equipped to move to the online learning environment. The hard work that staff and students have undertaken since the implementation of the BYOD program, combined with a shift to the Google Learning platform, has meant that we are confident in the technology, but also in our student’s ability to intersect with it effectively. That is a credit to the entire College community, including parents that purchased that technology, but also our student’s capacity to cope with change.
2.  The college has a key role to play in maintaining some stability, consistency and solidarity between the members of our community as we move through challenging times. This will be in the realms of both learning and wellbeing. We are here to help your child learn and be well, both physically and emotionally. It will simply be different.

In regards to learning the message is simple, ‘The learning does not stop’. From our experience it is safe to say it will definitely be impacted upon in some way; it would be ridiculously optimistic to suggest otherwise. However, we truly are confident that our approach to online delivery is going to limit that impact and that the return to ‘normal’ will be a smooth one in which our students learning and wellbeing have been put first. The NSW Educational Standards Authority (NESA) made it clear that no student is going to be disadvantaged as far as credentialing for learning in 2020 and this should be of great comfort to our 2020 HSC cohort. 

I please ask that parents carefully read the document emailed last week entitled ‘Continuity of Learning Plan’

Read it with your child/ren so that it is clear that the triumvirate I have mentioned in prior newsletters and parent information evenings can work together effectively; the Teacher/Parent/Child team. This will be obviously even more important as we enter the online learning phase. The infographic below also provides a neat summation of tips and tricks that parents can utilise to ensure learning harmony.

We think it would be very difficult for a student at home to stick to the normal college timetable as far as learning goes. We also think, though, that morning routine will be vital in kicking off the learning day and the development of routines in their own setting will be a key part of establishing good habits. Remaining in front of a screen for several hours a day is also unhealthy, so please note the tips that our wellbeing team have sourced and developed so that balance and being healthy physically and mentally remain at the forefront.

As far as your child’s learning is concerned, the most important routine they can develop starts with step 1: ‘Check their emails, Compass and Google Classrooms on a daily basis’. We are confident that even poorer internet connections will be able to cope with the Google Classroom environment, although obviously some uploads will take longer. Families with no internet connectivity are encouraged to email at this address: Trac.Online@trac.nsw.edu.au

Please communicate with the college if your child is unable to complete the assigned work due to illness or other circumstances of misadventure such as family illness or accident. Teachers will be determining student engagement with the work set based on completion of tasks in the Google Classroom; teachers have been asked to keep student workload in mind when developing due dates. It is vital, though, that work is completed and submitted via the classroom as this will be the key measure of learning engagement. Students who are not unwell should continue with their learning. Assessment tasks must be submitted as instructed online, and on time. Late penalties will apply as normal, and appeal, extension and illness and misadventure processes will still need to apply; again, please check the document carefully for further details around assessment.

Your child’s device will be essential for continuity of learning. Your engagement as a parent with the device and the classwork therein will also play a key role in ensuring your child’s learning is minimally impacted upon. Please ask your child to show you their Google Classroom so that you can keep up to date with the work that requires completion and provide support as possible for your child. Parents will be informed via Google Classroom of a summary of their child’s learning at the end of each week.

Staff will seek to respond to emails from students and parents in a reasonable time period where needed—please bear in mind this may take time depending on staff workload. The next two weeks will definitely be a learning process for us all (parents included), so please bear with us as we look to apply our implementation plan.

Finally, my best wishes to our TRAC family in these times. TRAC has always prided itself on a sense of community, and the coming months will see that prevail around learning and wellbeing. Please note in the infographic the contact processes for learning and wellbeing and as always I am more than willing to answer your queries or concerns. Stay well.

Anthony Heffer | Deputy Principal - Teaching, Learning and Innovation