Dear Parents,

Welcome to the start of Remote Schooling 2.0. This is not the news that we were hoping for, however I know that we can get through this together.

Over the past two days, the staff have been preparing for what remote schooling will look like this time around. We all learnt a lot from remote schooling the first time and have adapted a number of things to ensure success for you and your child. Over the past few days you will have received a number of emails from me and your child’s teacher. These emails will provide you with much needed information and support you in the initial stages of this remote schooling journey.

You will notice that the teachers have provided you with a specific timetable to work through each day. This will provide explicit instructions on each expected task and allow your day to be more structured and easier to follow. Whilst hopefully being easier for you and your child, we understand that all family situations are different and that teachers, parents and students need to be flexible during this time. The wellbeing of you, your child and your family is of great importance. Our message is the same as last time; please do what you can! We understand that it is tricky balancing school, work, life and family and we are here to support you as best as we can.

There are specific guidelines released by the State Government regarding remote schooling. These state that, all students who can learn from home will be required to learn from home, except where:

• students whose parents, guardians or carers are considered as permitted workers
• students with additional needs who require learning adjustment
• vulnerable students 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).

These are very clear guidelines regarding who is able to access on-site supervision. The intent behind this is to ensure the safety of staff and students in schools, by limiting who can attend. Unfortunately, it is not possible for all students to be at school. If you are working from home, have a day off work, aren’t working at the moment, are studying, or have access to alternative care arrangements, then your child cannot be accessing the on-site supervision. We know that some of you found it challenging to do remote learning at home last time and feel that your child would be better learning on-site at school. Again, this is not a valid reason to send your child to school.

In order to keep everyone safe and stop the spread of the virus in the community, we need to stay home as much as possible. Please support us by adhering to these guidelines.

Please know that we are all here to support you through this remote schooling journey. You only have to ask!

Stay safe!

Kind regards,

Joel