Dear Parents/Guardians

Thank you for your understanding and support during this challenging time.  Our teachers have been extremely impressed with the learning that has been happening at home and the communication from parents and students in regard to their learning program.

Please read the attached return dates for each Year level in Term 2. These dates reflect when classes will return to ‘normal’ and students will be provided with face to face instruction.  Please note that Year 7-10 do not return until the 9^th of June.

Over the next two weeks students will continue to learn from home using a combination of online and hard copy learning materials. The next mail out of hardcopy learning materials is Tuesday, 12^th of May for all students Kinder to Year 12.  The learning materials are also available on CANVAS for the Year 10, 11 and 12’s.  The second learning package distributed to students will have an assessment focus with assignments for students, at home tests/quizzes and research tasks.  Students are strongly encouraged to contact their teachers if they have questions.

Teachers will continue to provide support to students through phone calls, emails and online platforms.  All of the individual learning packages which will be distributed to students K-10 align to the Australian Curriculum and reflect what would have been taught in Term 2 in a regular face to face classroom.  Please note those students learning at home are not disadvantaged and the learning content is the same for at home and at school.

The second individual learning package for students in Kinder to Year 10 will be distributed on Tuesday, 12^th of May.  A replied paid envelope is included in each package for students to return their work. 

Resources are available for parents on the public Learning at Home webpage with ideas and activities about what you can do to support learning also. https://www.education.tas.gov.au/learning-at-home/

Students in Year 10 who do not have a suitable device for learning online at home can ring the general office to loan a school laptop.  The general office will complete a loan form for the student and then the device can be collected. Please ensure you follow physical distancing  when you enter the school administration area.

Parents dropping off and picking up children after school are encouraged to do this in the school car parking areas. If your child needs to be walked to their classroom could you please not enter the building blocks. We ask parents/guardians not to wait outside classrooms or on the benches etc for extended periods of time and ensure physical distancing. Thank you for your understanding.

Students again this term will be following hand washing routines on entry and exit to classrooms and where possible adopting social distancing measures.

Year 11 and 12 Students

Students in years 11 and 12 will continue to work on their year 11/12 courses in Canvas online. Students who are studying VET Kitchen Operations will have already received an email from Dan Mohor asking them to access their course work through the following link.

https://aws.didasko-online.com/dol/tasnorthprevoc/login/index.php

Students in VET Construction with Robert Webb (Bob) can begin completing their work through Canvas.

If you are an essential worker and you are not able to supervise your child to support their learning can you please contact the general office to speak to an Assistant Principal.

Jeanna Bolton

Principal

Plan to return to learning at school

Up to Friday 22 May 2020:

• Students will continue to learn at home, supported by parents and carers, with teachers leading this learning until their school’s allocated date for all students to return to learning at school.
• School sites are open for those students who cannot be supervised or supported to learn at home.
• Those learning at home continue to be provided with tasks from their teacher, which have been adjusted for the home environment. Tasks align with the Australian Curriculum and are a mixture of online and offline activities.
• Teachers will be in regular contact with students learning at home and will provide students with a learning schedule each week.
• Tasmania is undertaking a staged approach to returning students to school sites that is cautious and sensible.
• The return to learning at school is based on public health It is in line with the Government’s Roadmap to Recovery, which outlines the gradual easing of restrictions on people movement and gatherings.

 Staged return to school:

• Our decision to return to learning at school recognises that schools are safe places to be, and that it is in the best interest of our learners to get them back to this model of learning as soon as we can.
• In deciding on our approach to return to learning at school, we looked at what other Australian states and territories are doing, and applied what would work best in Tasmania.
• Our approach to returning to learning at school:
  • recognises the lower numbers of COVID-19 cases Tasmania is now experiencing
  • will get our youngest and senior secondary learners back to face-to-face learning first – where learning can be impacted from an extended period of learning at home.
• The phased approach to the re-opening of our schools will enable us to progressively increase the amount of people movement across the State and monitor the impact this has.
• We need your help as parents and carers to ensure that this phased approach to returning to school sites works, and that students return to school when they are scheduled to.
• Maintaining health and safety for learners and staff on our school sites is a priority, and schools are implementing practices to support social distancing between adults, and maintaining strict hygiene protocols, based on public health advice.
• For more information, please see the Parent FAQs.

School certainly looks a bit different this term, but our teachers have been working hard to provide all of our students with engaging and meaningful learning tasks that can be completed at home, online or in the classroom.

All of our students, whether at home or at school, have been working out of our ‘Learning at Home packs’ and we have been busy preparing the next (much smaller) packs ready to go home for Weeks 5 and 6. Remember you can call or email your teacher anytime throughout the school day to ask questions, get feedback or simply to share the wonderful work you have been doing at home.

In the next K-4 packs you will also find a little surprise, your teachers are coming home to check up on how you are going in the form of a flat teacher! We would love it if you could take some pictures including you, your work and of course your flat teacher and send them through to us. If you would like a ‘flat’ Miss Kuruvita or Ms Bailey please let us know and we can send them to you. We look forward to seeing what your flat teachers get up to over the next few weeks.

For the first time in the history of Scholastic we will have a Virtual Book Club for Term 2.

This simply means there will be no paper catalogues due to Covid-19 but they will be available on line.

You can then order and pay for your books on line  

by using Book Club Loop for Parents or deliver your order to school with your money as before.

All orders will be delivered to school and you will be contacted so that they can be collected.

WE ASK THAT ALL ORDERS BE RETURNED BY 15^TH MAY.

Below is the link to the virtual children’s catalogue.

scholastic.com.au/book-club/virtual-catalogue-1/

From the commencement of Term 2, 2020 all Tasmanian Government Schools from Kindergarten to Year 12 will need to implement restrictions on the use of mobile phones by students at school. The Minister for Education and Training announced this policy in November, 2019.

Kindergarten to Year 12 – “Off and away all day”

The decision to restrict the use of mobile phones by students during the day will support schools to minimise distraction from learning and encourage healthy and positive personal interactions.

The policy has been developed in consultation with schools, School Association and students.

From the start of the school day until the end of the school day, students must have their mobile phones switched off and stored.  All communication with students during the school day must go through the school office.

This policy applies to all students, unless they meet the requirements of an approved exemption.

Exemptions may be considered where students require the use of their mobile phone for monitoring health conditions or other extenuating circumstances.

If you would like to discuss an exemption for your child or have any questions about the policy please contact the Principal, Jeanna Bolton on 63 820500.

You must provide your name, age, address and phone number with each entry. Take a photograph of your entry and email to nicolae@georgetown.tas.gov.au by 5pm on Tuesday 19^th may. No late entries will be accepted.