24 Mar 2020
Advice to Parents and Students: Proposed Plan as at Tuesday 24 March 2020
The Premier of NSW has encouraged families to keep children at home for the remainder of Term 1. However, Bega High School remains open for students whose parents are engaged in essential services.
The following arrangements are in place to enable students to learn from home.
Daily Organisation
· Roll Call for those students at school will occur in regular rooms. A message will be conveyed each morning to indicate where students will work that day. Students will proceed from roll call to their Year’s designated area – e.g. Year 7 to the Hall. The areas will be determined by daily numbers and the capacity of each location. Covered Outdoor Learning Areas and other outdoor spaces will be used as/if the need arises. Distancing guidelines will be followed.
Attendance and Roll Marking
· Rolls will be marked each period by supervising teachers. Texts for absent students will not be sent during this time, but you can monitor attendance on Sentral.
How will Bega High School facilitate learning from home?
· Timetabled lessons will not proceed.
· All classes have an online learning platform this could be Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Sentral Student Portal or similar.
· For students that do not have access to ICT, work packages are being developed and will be sent home via mail. Students are to use these learning resources to complete their learning activities and communicate with their teachers. Teachers are able to reply individually to emails, but please be patient.
· Student questions regarding assessment should be asked directly through the class online learning platform or emailed to the class teacher.
· Assessment tasks may proceed in an alternate format and students must ensure they understand the changes. All information about assessment tasks will be communicated by the class teacher via the online learning platform and via email.
· Illness/Misadventure processes will apply in some limited circumstances. Factors solely related to learning from home are unlikely to constitute grounds for misadventure. Students are reminded that upon completion, the illness/misadventure application should be emailed to the relevant Head Teacher for processing. The usual rules around illness/misadventure apply.
· Learning Support structures will continue, albeit with adaptations. The Learning Support Teachers will provide adjustments for students.
· Student wellbeing support structures are available by directly phoning the school.
· Technology support is available. Please contact our School Office (64929000) or emailing the school (bega-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au).
· Official school communication will continue as normal via SMS and email.
How can students make the most of Learning from Home?
· Students must know their teacher’s online class code. Students must check their Department of Education email for this information.
· Organise their physical space at home.
· Make sure the space for learning is neat and tidy.
· Take the initiative with their learning – it is up to students to make this work as best as possible.
· Complete tasks with integrity and academic honesty.
· Meet timelines, commitments and due dates.
· Students are to communicate proactively with their teachers if they cannot meet deadlines or require additional support.
How can parents help?
· Set clear and positive expectations that learning will continue at home.
· Please understand that Learning from Home cannot look the same as the regular learning process.
· Ensure that sleep patterns and morning routines are regular and structured.
· Manage your children’s phone/s during learning times. Phones are a distraction and parents will need to help manage this, by considering steps such as physically placing phones away during learning.
· Clarify exactly when assessment tasks are due and assist your child/ren with submission.
· Make changes to your home so that there is a clear and organised space for learning. A space/location for extended learning should be a public/family space, not in a bedroom.
· Parents should contact teachers via email channels only in exceptional circumstances.
· Please do not directly interact with Google Classroom (or other online platform), as this is a student learning space.
What is the Department of Education doing to assist with Learning from Home?
· The Department’s Learning from Home website has many resources. Parents are welcome to access these resources to assist the Learning from Home. The Department will provide updates on future developments which we will share through email.
· A one-page document titled Remote Learning Guidelines for Students and Parents provides useful tips.
What if my child needs to come to school?
· The Premier of NSW has strongly encouraged families to keep children at home. If this is not possible, our site will be open with staff present to supervise students’ online learning.
· Social distancing guidelines will be strictly applied. This means students attending school will NOT experience a regular school day. It is highly likely that outdoor spaces may need to be used for students undertaking online lessons. Students will need to prepare for this - ie, dress warmly on cold days. Playground areas will be limited, and students assigned to a particular area.
· Students must bring their own food. The canteen is closed.
· Extra-curricular activities will not take place, and the site will close at 3.20pm.
· FAQs
1. What will happen to the HSC this year? - NESA is meeting tomorrow (Tuesday 24 March) to discuss the ongoing learning of senior students, particularly in the context of the HSC.
2. What if my child needs a textbook or other hard-copy resource? - The school site remains open. If you need to access resources from the school, please email your request to the relevant Head Teacher first so we can have the correct resources ready for you to collect from Front Office.
3. What if I need to contact a Deputy Principal or Head Teacher? - Please contact the school via the school email (bega-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au) and state in the subject line the person’s name, or role that you wish to contact (e.g, ATTN: Deputy Principal Year 7).
4. What if my child finds the work too difficult? - The online platform is the “classroom” - students are encouraged to ask questions and ask for assistance through this platform.
5. What if my child needs additional support / modifications to access learning? - Classroom teachers will build-in adjustments as per usual practice. The Learning and Support teacher will set-up a classroom for all learning and support students so that additional assistance is provided.
6. What if my child needs extension work? - The online platform is the “classroom” - students are encouraged to write questions and ask for assistance through this platform.
7. What if I need to speak with a Year Adviser? - Year Advisers are accessible via email.
8. How can I access the Teacher Librarian for support with research? - Teacher Librarian can be accessed via email.
9. What if there is “group work” in the subject my child studies? - Teachers will determine the nature of this task and alternatives may be considered. Students should communicate with classroom teachers through their online learning platform.
10. What if my child does a subject with practical work? - Teachers are investigating all options regarding practical work. We understand that there will be changes and adjustments as we navigate Learning from Home and teachers will provide more advice about practical work as it becomes available.
11. Will every subject/teacher be using the same online platform? - While Google Classroom is the most popular platform, some classes operate within other platforms. Your child will receive information from their teachers about the platform being used and how to access it.
12. Will the canteen be open? - No. The canteen will be closed in line with Department of Education advice to create social distancing.
13. Will school bus services continue to operate? - At present, the bus services will operate as normal.
14. What about extra-curricular activities? - All extra-curricular activities have been cancelled until further notice. There are no exceptions to this.