25-Mar-2020
Dear Edithvale Families
I hope that this finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. I wish to also thank you for your patience, understanding and support in these uncertain times.
Our talented and dedicated staff continue to work very hard behind the scenes to ensure our students and families will be supported in the best possible way to successfully translate to home/remote learning. Although somewhat daunting for us all, we are embracing this challenge and looking forward to the opportunities this learning provides.
It will not be perfect. We will get the balance between Connection and Content just right. We will support each other. We will be successful together. We will celebrate our achievements together when this is all over.
When regular school life resumes- all I really want is for our students, families and staff to return to school happy, healthy and enthusiastic about learning together again.
As you are aware, the situation regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve.
The Victorian Government has now advised and confirmed that all schools will move to remote and flexible learning when students return for Term 2 on Wednesday 15 April.
This means that all students who can learn at home must learn from home. This is a very clear directive by the Victorian Government based on the advice of the Chief Health Officer.
This is not an action being taken lightly, and I understand it may cause you and your family concern and stress. We are doing this to slow the spread of the virus and ensure the health and safety of our families, our colleagues and our friends.
Our staff will also be working from home. All of them have been working hard to put plans in place to support the wellbeing of all our students, ensure educational equity and continuity of learning.
This is clearly going to be a challenging time for all of us. It’s going to be critically important that we work very closely together in partnership to ensure that we provide the very best possible support for the ongoing wellbeing and learning of our students and your children.
The Department of Education and Training’s Learning from Home website provides information and resources for parents and carers to support all families undertake this journey with us: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/learning/Pages/home-learning.aspx
On-Site Supervision
For a limited number of students On-site learning and care will be available for children of parents who have exhausted all other options for getting supervision of their child and 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). The attached On-Site attendance form needs to be completed and returned to school via email edithvale.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au if your child meets the criteria listed above. This form is required to be completed weekly and submitted each Thursday to ensure adequate staffing on-site can be sourced.
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 staff member or Casual relief teacher if none of our regular staff are able to attend our school site- but follow the teaching and learning program provided by their classroom teacher.
To ensure consistency with physical distancing measures, students and families will not be permitted to congregate before or after school, in classrooms or in the playground and will be required to maintain 1.5 meters between persons as far as is practicable at all times.
Access to Devices and Networks
Work is also underway to identify students who do not have access to digital technologies at home. Devices such as laptops and tablets will be made available on loan to these students free-of-charge to ensure no student misses out. For students who do not have access to digital technologies at home, we will be loaning some of our existing devices (iPads and Notebooks) to students free-of-charge.
To assist us in understanding the level of need for devices and network access to support us to deliver flexible and remote teaching and learning we would like to know which students will require a device and/or network connection. If you require a school owned device to access remote learning opportunities, please email our school at edithvale.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au with a response to these statements by Tuesday April 14.
Please include ‘access to devices and networks’ in the subject line
My child (insert name) ______________________________and Year Level ___________requires a device to access remote learning tasks from home.
We do not have the internet at home and will require internet access to learn from home.
OR
We have the internet at home
The Department’s latest advice on coronavirus can be found at https://www.education.vic.gov.au/coronavirus It is important that we work together and support each other during this challenging time. We will be in touch with staff and parents and carers shortly with further details of what remote and flexible learning will look like for our students and families.
Our roles as parents and educators over the next few weeks and months will look very different to what we are used to. Our school and our community are here to support you. Together we will be successful.
“Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved”- Helen Keller
Sincerely
James Whitla
Stay Safe. Stay Healthy. Stay Connected.
On site attendance form (629 KB) – 10-Apr-2020
Important links:
- DET Learning from home tips, advice and resources
- Seesaw Help Center
Additional Information:
COVID-19 Return to School Policy (534 KB) – 19-May-2020
Important Information for a Return to School (680 KB) – 19-May-2020
Return to School Information (168 KB) – 12-May-2020
Acceptable Use Agreement – ICT (372 KB) – 10-Apr-2020
DET Secretary Open Letter to Parents (851 KB) – 15-Apr-2020
Digital Technologies Policy (484 KB) – 14-Apr-2020
Edithvale Remote Learning – for parents (263 KB) – 13-Apr-2020
Information about EPS Home Learning with SEESAW (121 KB) – 25-Mar-2020
Information Collection Notice (247 KB) – 10-Apr-2020
Learning from Home: Information for parents and carers (208 KB) – 10-Apr-2020
Loan of Assets Agreement (444 KB) – 10-Apr-2020
On site attendance form (629 KB) – 10-Apr-2020
Online Learning Handbook Student Edition (218 KB)
Physical Distancing Guidance for Schools (142 KB)
WebEx Instructions for Families (509 KB) – 01-May-2020
WebEx Meeting Update (359 KB) – 06-May-2020
Resources for all year levels
