I hope this email finds you all well and coping with solitary confinement!
I am just informing you that following on from the Premier’s briefing earlier today that we are about to transition to the new arrangements as we move to remote and flexible learning and care at the commencement of Term 2.
It appears that it will be similar to our last week of Term 1. However, with stricter guidelines. Social distancing and constraints on the numbers in rooms will be adhered to. Thus, all students who can learn from home must do so.
These are the DET guidelines:
1.All students will be learning from home, except for students in the following categories
- Children on days when they are not able to be supervised at home and no other arrangements can be made. This will be available for children of parents who cannot work from home, and vulnerable children, including:
- children in out-of-home care
- children deemed by Child Protection and/or Family Services to be at risk of harm
- children identified by the school as vulnerable (including via referral from a family violence agency, homelessness or youth justice service or mental health or other health service and children with a disability).
- For learning requirements that cannot be conducted via distance, and considering operational requirements set out below, small groups of VCE and VCAL students are permitted to attend school, with appropriate physical distancing and hygiene measures in place.
2.On-site provision
- On-site provision will be available at all government schools, but only for students in the categories listed above, for the purpose of providing continuity of teaching, learning and support.
- When on-site learning is provided, hand sanitiser will be available at the entry points to classrooms and education will be provided on hand hygiene. Physical distancing will be implemented in classrooms to the extent feasible and unwell students will be excluded from attending.
- The learning program delivered on-site will be the same as the learning program delivered to students undertaking remote learning. Students learning on-site will be supervised by an on-site teacher but follow the teaching and learning program provided by their classroom teacher.
- Class sizes must be no more than a ratio of 1:10.
- Principals should plan for overall staffing on a minimum ratio of 1:8 to ensure staff are available to assist their colleagues with breaks, relief and other support where required. This staffing ratio can include the use of appropriate support staff.
- Principals should consult with their staff to identify those willing and able to work on-site, either on an ongoing or rostered basis.
- It continues to be the principal’s responsibility to make the school-based decisions required to deliver Government education objectives in accordance with the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2017.
- Students attending on-site must be supervised at all times by staff with either current Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) registration or a Working with Children Check. Education Support staff can provide direct support to and supervision of students, provided they have access to support from a VIT registered teacher.
- If principals are not able to identify sufficient school staff willing and able to undertake teaching and supervisory duties, then willing and able Casual Relief Teachers (CRT) will be engaged.
- To ensure consistency with physical distancing measures, students and families will not be permitted to congregate at the school gate before or after school and will be required to maintain 1.5 metres between persons as far as is practicable on entering and leaving the school grounds.
In order to help me organise arrangements for a staff roster based on the 1:10 ratio, could I ask that parents and carers who intend sending their children to school email me on my email address:
sheean.leanne.g@edumail.vic.gov.au
as soon as you are aware of your arrangements.
I will be on duty each day commencing from Wednesday 15th April and once I know the number of children attending, we will have a small number of staff at school, each day to supervise, remote learning lessons.
Additionally, grade teachers not supervising at school, will be available from home from 8.45 to 4.00pm each day to answer questions or provide support in some way, if needed. Please note, that your questions may not be answered straight away but will be answered as soon as practicable.
On our pupil free day next Tuesday 14th April, staff will be meeting via a Zoom link and the final arrangements for Term 2 will be discussed. Each grade level will then be sending out information pertaining to your child’s work and the expectations for the completion of learning tasks. Each year level has developed a series of lessons and will be contacting students regularly. Obviously, for each year level, contact and feedback looks slightly different to fit in with the students varying ages.
Even our specialists have designed lesson content and will be sending out information on a weekly basis.
The learning program delivered on-site will be the same as the learning program delivered to students undertaking remote learning. And DET have set these guidelines:
- The following are the daily minimum guidelines schools are expected to meet:
- For students in Prep to Grade 2, schools will provide learning programs that include the following:
- literacy activities that take a total of about 45-60 minutes
- numeracy activities of about 30-45 minutes
- additional learning areas, play-based learning and physical activity of about 30-45 minutes.
- For students in Grades 3 to 6 and Years 7 to 10, schools will provide learning programs allocated as follows:
- Literacy: 45-60 minutes
- Numeracy: 30-45 minutes
- Physical activities: 30 minutes
- Additional curriculum areas: 90 minutes
- For students in Grades 3 to 6 and Years 7 to 10, schools will provide learning programs allocated as follows:
As I have said in previous emails, if you do not have access to a device, please let me know asap. Please note, you do not need an iPad as teachers have made the tasks accessible to android devices as well.
I know the staff are asking many questions and no doubt you have many as well. Please don’t hesitate to ask them. However, my first step is to find out how many will need to be catered for at school next week. I am sure there will be some who won’t need school access every day, nor every week. If you just let us know, if and when, you do require it that will help us ensure we keep everyone safe here.
Enjoy the Easter weekend, albeit a very different form of celebrating.
Take care and keep safe
Leanne Sheean