From the Principal

School Life Resuming

It was fantastic to have our year 11 and 12 students back on site and in classes this past week.  There were some mixed emotions; it was the earliest some students had been out of bed for a few weeks!  But more importantly it was great to see people happy to see others, and for a sense of normality - something that has been rare for all of us over the past couple of months.

Our students have quickly adapted to the new normals regarding hand sanitising and changes around the school, as have our staff, who also returned to school last week.  Someone said to me that they thought the school felt quiet with only year 11 and 12 students; but to me (after being at school these past months with no more than 7 or 8 people on site), the school felt alive and buzzing with activity.  Its all relative.

Assuming that the government's plans and timelines for the state continue, we have one more week of 2 year levels at school and years 7-10 learning remotely before everyone returns on site for learning at school on Tuesday, June 9th, 2020.

Plans for Locker Area

We have provided some additional travel time between classes throughout the day, in order to minimise people moving through corridors at the same time and to allow for time for people to use hand sanitiser at the start of each class (available in all rooms and at sanitising stations across the school.  This has worked really well last week.

We have also introduced a "one way" entry and exit process for the locker area.  Students are to enter the locker bay from the front oval side, and exit from the asphalt side.  By students standing back and being patient to access their lockers, movement through the lockers will be safe and orderly.  I ask all parents and guardians to discuss this with their child, to ensure full cooperation when school resumes for all year levels.

Reporting Plans for Semester One

Semester reports will look slightly different for this semester, due the Covid19 restrictions and subsequent remote learning.  Teachers will still be completing a semester report, based on the work completed before and after remote learning, and also based on the student's engagement and adaptation to remote learning.  Subject descriptors will be modified to reflect any changes made to the curriculum.  VCE SAC weightings will be adapted in line with special guidelines implemented by VCAA for this year.  All students will receive a statement which reflects their participation and engagement during remote learning.

In order to maximise the amount of time for teachers and students are in the classroom together, reports for semester one will not be published until term 3.  This allows for semester 1 assessment to continue through to the last day of this term.

Year 10 Work Experience 2020

Due to the impact that Covid19 has had on so many work places, the ability for employers to be able accommodate Work Experience in a meaningful way and in the interests of health and safety for all, Work Experience for year 10 in 2020 has been cancelled.  A small handful of students that have already secured placements will still be able to continue - these students will be meeting with Mrs. Lewis to confirm plans.  For the majority of students, normal classes will continue.  

We have not made this decision lightly, as Work experience is an amazing opportunity. Health and safety for all, combined with the limited capacity for business operators to accommodate the demand gave us no choice.