12-Jul-2020
Dear Families
Today’s announcement from Premier Dan Andrews has confirmed what many of us thought was inevitable- a return to remote and flexible learning.
We’ve done this before and we can do it again and I am confident that we can continue to build upon the many successes we experienced during the first round of remote learning and make this round even better.
We know that this will be a challenging period in our lives and we know that there will be a few ups and downs over the next 6 weeks. We’ll be walking with you again- side by side- to provide positive experiences for every member of our school community.
We still await specific guidance from the Department of Education and what, if any, changes there will be to school operations. Our school Leadership team have examined the parent and student feedback from last term’s remote learning survey and we are confident that we can build upon the engaging and targeted programs we offered. Key focus areas will again be the Health and Wellbeing of our entire school community AND the learning growth of our students.
Many of our systems and structures will likely stay the same (Webex conferencing, SEESAW, communications) and we will also tweak a few things in an attempt to make the learning experiences (while not perfect) as positive as possible.
Our staff will be on-site this week preparing for the return to remote and flexible learning that commences on July 20 and will run for at least 5 weeks, until August 19 (possibly longer). Every one of us here at Edithvale Primary are taking a positive mindset into this challenging time. As Henry Ford once said “If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right”- and we believe that we CAN!
Of course we would prefer to be teaching and learning face to face and feeling the energy and enthusiasm of our students in the classroom, but right now this is not possible. We’re hoping to return to face to face teaching soon. In the meantime we will continue to work tirelessly with, and for, our students to help them come out the other side stronger and better prepared for whatever life throws at them.
Finally, major incidents such as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic can have impacts on mental health and wellbeing. It is normal for children and young people to show signs of distress. Common reactions include:
- fear and anxiety
- anger and frustration
- confusion
- sadness
- denial.
Please contact us immediately if you are noticing these signs in your child.
We are committed to providing support for our students and families and our Wellbeing team can access DET support services as well as others that include:
Headspace, ReachOut, Kids Helpline, Lifeline, Raising Children, 1800RESPECT, Mensline
Take care and stay safe
#wegotDISagain
James Whitla
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
