NGSC Newsletter

ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS’ REPORT

Julie Andrews, Bradley Headlam &  Paul Dawson 

Assistant Principals

Term overview (so far)

In what has been a very trying term for staff, students, teachers and parents there have been a number of positive takeaways.  The majority of students have shown much grit in dealing with the trials and tribulations of remote learning.  Teachers have developed new skills and have been very intuitive in dealing with unforeseen issues.   A big pat on the back must go to the parents who have had to deal with ensuring that their children are in class, providing support where possible, and often maintaining their full time work. 

 

The school has provided internet support and devices to many students ensuring that resourcing was not going to be a barrier for our students accessing their education.

 

Many students who have struggled with attendance have shown improved engagement and it is hoped that this continues upon their return in the coming weeks.  Other students have found the online learning difficult and will hopefully be reengaged upon returning to school.  There has been considerable assistance given to these students whilst remote learning.

 

It has been tremendous to see the NGSC community functioning so cohesively under such unfamiliar and difficult conditions.  Many of the students will have grown from this experience of isolation with an improved confidence to deal with challenges in  the future.

Return to school - overview

With the return of students and teachers to onsite teaching and learning there are a few safety practices and logistics that need to be addressed. 

 

First, it is expected that all members of the school community will maintain regular hand washing and /or using hand sanitiser. We often touch surfaces such as tables, ledges, doors and handles, chairs, etc and it is vitally important to keep hands clean. 

 

Second, the practice of social/physical distancing of 1.5 m is to be continued as much as it is possible. DET expect adults in schools to physically distance themselves, but not students. Therefore, the school can conduct classes as per normal. Teachers may adjust the way that they interact and help their students in order to maintain physical distancing in the classroom. 

 

Hand sanitiser is available in classrooms and offices. Students are encouraged to bring their own. Some staff members will choose to wear a face mask and/or gloves as part of their personal protection at this time. 

 

Additional cleaning will be conducted during the school day. 

 

Please check compass news for specific items relating to the planning for the return to school. 

Bus travel

Students who travel to and from school by bus are expected to have clean hands as they enter a bus and to clean their hands again once they have finished travelling. This puts the responsibility onto the students to be vigilant with their own safety/hygiene while parents/carers and NGSC staff provide reminders and good role modelling. 

 

The bus companies have confirmed that they are also completing appropriate cleaning and sanitising regimes as per the DET guidelines for school travel. 

 

Students are to be mindful of their physical distance while waiting for buses and travelling on buses. 

 

Please check compass news for specific items relating to school bus travel. 

End of term arrangements - reporting, summative tasks

Due to the Remote and Flexible Learning program this term, there will be no exams for Semester 1, 2020. For all classes that would have expected to have exams there will be a replacement summative task. The End of Semester Summative task is to be done in Week 9 or, if required, in Week 8. It will be included in the Semester 1 reports.

 

Please note the following dates and arrangements:

 

June 3 - 6

Summative tasks (if extra dates required)

(Week 8)

 

June 8

Queen’s Birthday public holiday

Student free day

 

June 9 - 11

Summative tasks in normal class time (Week 9)

 

June 12

Assessment and Reporting Day

Student free day

 

June 15

Semester 2 begins (Week 10)

 

June 26

Last day Term 2, 1:30 pm finish

Semester Reports published   

 

Unit 3. Flexible transition time frame into Unit 4 to accommodate practical SACs that need to be completed at school in term 3. Semester 1 reports delayed to ensure time to complete Unit 3 coursework.

Semester one reports

As always, you will receive a report for your child outlining their progress in Semester 1, 2020 against the Victorian Curriculum. Due to the impact of Remote and Flexible Learning during Term 2, the exam schedule was cancelled. The report will look different in that the end of Semester Exam is replaced with a Semester Summative task. The Semester Summative Task will be assessed against the standards based descriptors used for Learning Tasks. 

 

The Semester 1, 2020 report includes:

  • The description of the areas taught of the Victorian Curriculum F-10 within each subject section
  • The list of Learning Tasks for each subject for the Semester
  • The standard based descriptor and percentage or rubric, which indicates your child’s achievement for each Learning Task
  • A subject summary page indicating:

           - Your child’s achievement level against                  the Victorian Curriculum achievement                   standards

          - The progress your child has made since                their last report

 

As an extra inclusion for the Semester 1, 2020 Report, the recent Progress Report in table format will appear after the subject reports. It indicates your child’s academic progress during the report time-frame, and their positive participation and respect for others in the remote learning classroom. This is a reflection of how well your child coped with the remote and flexible learning environment experienced for Term 2, 2020.

 

It is our intention to provide you with these reports at the completion of Term 2, 2020.

Staff survey 

We had 88 staff complete the survey to reflect on our preparedness and performance in maintaining our teaching and learning program. We have attempted to match up the questions with some of the questions shared with parents and students to gain a balanced view on everyone’s perceptions. 

 

The process in utilising this information is as follows:

  1. Collate the information
  2. Create summaries and graphical representation of the data
  3. Disseminate the information to key stakeholders
  4. Agenda discussion: Leadership, Principals, Curriculum, School Council etc.
  5. Identify actions and then work through a process to improve on the areas highlighted

Here is a snapshot of some of the data:

Parent/student survey

At the time of writing the report, about 20% of our parent/student cohort have completed the survey providing feedback on the management of the school program during Remote and Flexible Learning. Overall the feedback will be used to inform our future actions to support student  learning. 

 

The feedback is greatly appreciated and highly informative. It seemed that there were a number of students who coped fantastically, but it was not always the best scenario for some individuals. Students clearly started to understand how they learn best, for example, class discussion was a challenge for some and students who were not as vocal were challenged by the online chat style classroom. Whereas others were able to get a new level of focus and were challenging themselves more than they had before. Here is a graphical representation of some of the responses to questions from parents and students:

The immediate engagement of parents, students and staff was impressive. It seemed to fall into place and everyone just got on with their job. I have experienced the challenges of home teaching with my children and would like to express my appreciation of the efforts of everyone as it is definitely not easy. There is more to go through with the survey, but I cannot go past some of the quotes from parents. Before going through these it is important to highlight that the teachers are in the industry to help young people. The intrinsic value to a staff member in being a part of the growth of individuals is the constant connection to this industry. I took great pleasure and was overwhelmed reading the comments from students and parents and thank them immensely for the complimentary warmth they shared!

Here are some of the parent quotes:

I think everyone involved has performed brilliantly in the circumstances. We've been very pleased with how the college, staff, students, etc., have coped. Our child has thrived in this environment.

 

This is a difficult time for all and I truly believe the Government, education dept, the school and teachers have been first class and people trying to politicise this is wrong and I fully support this remote Learning for as long as needed. You need more public support with more understanding not to be criticised so thank you all ??

 

I have been really pleased with the online learning. Any issues with technology were dealt with very quickly. I think the school and teachers have done an excellent job under difficult circumstances. Well done NGSC.

 

I think staff have done an amazing job in challenging circumstances. Students have been well supported, and there has been good communication at every stage from the school.

 

You are All doing a Fantastic job! And both my boys have adjusted well.

 

We have transitioned very well into remote learning. Credit for this is extended to the staff at NGSC for providing such a smooth transition and the availability of teachers. A big thank you.

Completing the survey:

If you are yet to complete the survey please follow the instructions below:

  1. Open Compass in your Browser.
  2. See Insights Cycle Open….”Remote Learning Feedback”
  3. Select: Click here to proceed (under Insights Cycle Open)
  4. See diagram below!
  5. Answer questions with your children.

Camps, Excursions and Sport

Please note that the College is awaiting direction from the Department. We have been told that this will occur after June 1. Further correspondence will then be shared with parents thereafter!

Return to school - Year 11 and 12 AND Year 10 VCE classes

Beginning Tuesday, 26 May, students in Year 11 and 12 will be returning to face-to-face teaching onsite across the state. This will include our students and students in Year 10 who are doing VCE subject/s. Here are some important things to note:

  1. Full school uniform required
  2. Students in Year 11 and 12 will attend timetabled classes, in their timetabled rooms with their class teacher
  3. Teacher absence will result in the lesson being covered so that students will be supervised while completing their classwork in their timetabled classroom
  4. ISP/study sessions/frees/spares or whatever students might call them are to be in the Year 12 common room or the library Silent Study room
  5. Year 10 VCE students will have a combination of timetabled classes onsite and remote online classes
  6. The Year 10 VCE students will complete their remote online classes in the library and will therefore need their device
  7. Students in Year 10 studying a VCE subject are permitted to make arrangements with their parents to attend their periods only whilst completing the remote sessions at home
  8. Year 12 students with spares for Periods 1 and 2 can sign in late, and during Periods 5 they are able to sign out to go home
  9. For the safety of the college, students with symptoms or an elevated temperature should stay home and will be sent home if presenting to school with such conditions
  10. VET students>>> will be dependent on the Registered Training Operator.  If they are accepting students onsite then students will return otherwise they will continue with Remote Learning

All other students in Years 7-10 will return to face to face teaching on Tuesday, 9 June.

 

We look forward to seeing all of our students onsite very soon.