A Message from the Principal

Lachlan Foott

Dear Parents/Carers,

Each week, I will endeavour to update families in relation to the remote learning taking place with the children. Our fortnightly newsletter will be part of this communication cycle through iNewsletter, with additional updates in between via CareMonkey as required.

The past week has been very different and sometimes difficult for students, staff and parents. I imagine that since Easter there has been a raft of emotions felt in each household; ranging from excitement to fear and frustration to boredom. However, after five days of learning remotely, I think we must all take a deep breath and think about how much we have achieved in such a short time. From discussions I have had with a small number of families, the approach in households has developed over the past week. I believe it will continue to get easier and more predictable for both children and parents as this period progresses.

I would like to thank all of our families for their willingness to take on this challenge. Thank you for making adjustments to work with your child/children at home, in accordance with government guidelines. There has been recent confusion in the media between the State and Federal Governments about remote learning. Late last week the Victorian Education Minister, James Merlino gave a press conference relating to Victoria and stated that:

"The message for Victorian parents has been if your child can learn from home, then they must, with schools open for kids who have no other option.”

The different messages must have been confusing for parents. Schools across Victoria have been challenged with determining which families cannot work from home. As Mr Merlino has stated, very low numbers of students have attended onsite supervision. Here, we have had approximately 5-9 children per day.

I know that it has been a challenge for many families especially those where parents are working from home. It has also been a big challenge for the teaching staff, as they had to quickly implement a completely new manner of teaching. I feel it would be remiss of me not to mention 6 of our teaching staff who normally work part-time have volunteered to work every day of the week to assist the children and families during this time. Like our families who are working from home, many of the staff have their own children with them while they are working from home. I thank all the staff for their dedication and professionalism with this new venture.

As a school, we have tried to be strategic and deliberate with how we have rolled out our remote learning with the children. We have taken what could be called a ‘stepped’ approach and it will continue to evolve over the coming weeks, as our students and staff get comfortable with this new way of learning and teaching. Over the past two days, classroom teachers from Years 3-6 have commented on the positive way students are behaving during video conferences and throughout the day to complete tasks. Our Prep-Year 2 children have had their work loaded onto SeeSaw and we believe that this platform allows flexibility for families, as we knew that the younger the child, the more help they will need from parents. These children may complete their work at the time of the day that best suits their family. As per the government guidelines communicated in the teacher newsletters sent out last week, learning tasks are expected to take from 2 to 3.5 hours per day for your child to complete, depending on their age. Therefore, it may be that your child finishes their work by 12.30pm each day and this is okay.

As part of our strategic approach, teachers will be making contact with families each week for a phone conversation or video conference to discuss how things are progressing with remote learning. I know that the staff have really valued these discussions so far because it has given them a great insight into the challenges facing families and how we can support each of you.

As a school, we are open to constructive feedback as we strive to deliver the best possible remote learning program for our students. The weekly conversations with teachers provide the opportunity to talk about the things that are working well and also the areas for concern. Please keep in mind that the teachers are doing the best they can in support of your children and the other 15 or 20 children/families in their class. I would like to remind all parents about the use of social media and especially WhatsApp groups that operate in some of the year levels. I see these groups as a school communication tool and as such, I expect all parents to act in a responsible and supportive manner to the school, teachers and other families.

There has been mention of the school facilitating social video conferences for the students. The school has made a significant transition from face-to-face teaching and learning to remote and online learning. We have been mandated to deliver an adjusted curriculum, with a specific focus on Literacy and Mathematics. Parents are welcome to set up and supervise video conferences for your child, however these meetings should take place in the afternoon, once the learning block has concluded.

There has been a lot of talk among the politicians and press that teachers and students need to get back to school. As a Principal, I cannot wait for the children, staff and families to return to school. However, it is not as simple as it seems. If we go back to the week before school concluded for Term 1, many parents made a decision to withdraw their children from school. With that level of absenteeism, there would be little learning taking place and it would be impossible for staff to run both onsite and remote program. At least now, all children are being educated with remote learning even if it is not perfect.

School Events

In today’s P&F section of the newsletter, there are details for our Mother’s Day Stall and Raffle. I’m told the Mother’s Day Mass and Breakfast is usually a major event on the school calendar and while we cannot continue as we would normally, our children can still do some online shopping for Mum. Please head over to the P&F page to read more about this. Thank you to P&F President Fleur Luke for your efforts in getting this going and to P&F Secretary Georgia Sotiroski for her input as well. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for details on a Mother’s Day Breakfast Cooking Competition, which is coming up in a couple of weeks.

For the second time this year, Canberra Camp for the Year 5/6 students has been postponed. We have rescheduled for October this year, in the hope that all is well by this point.

The 2020 School Production has been placed ‘on hold’ for the moment. Whether or not this proceeds as planned, is rescheduled or cancelled, will depend on when the school returns to normal operation.

For the Year 3 and Year 6 students who were due to receive their Sacrament of Reconciliation and Confirmation respectively, these have been postponed until further notice.

Further updates will be forthcoming regarding other events scheduled for Term 2.

School Fees

Term 2 school fees are now due and payable over the phone or by funds transfer. As a school, we rely on school fees to cover running costs and maintenance. Importantly, if you have concerns about your financial situation, please contact Naomi in the office (nfield@sahighett.catholic.edu.au) so together, we can explore confidential financial support arrangements to enable your child’s ongoing education at our school. No parent or guardian who wishes their child to receive a Catholic education at St Agnes’ will be denied the opportunity to do so because of financial circumstances during these very difficult times.

Stay safe, stay well and please feel free to contact me should you have any questions.

Regards

Lachie

St Agnes' Primary School Newsletter

Issue 5 · 21 Apr 2020

In this issue