25 Mar 2020
Letter to Parents and Carers
24th March 2020
Dear Parents and Carers
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation I wish to provide you with an update on the measures we are taking to keep our students, staff and college community safe.
What we are doing to keep students safe
● We are receiving continuous advice from NSW Health and the Department of Education to ensure our processes and plans are in line with best practice and the latest expert advice.
● We have a range of measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the college, including:
○ Enforcement of government directives related to travel and self-isolation
○ Unwell staff and students sent home as soon as possible
○ Increased frequency of cleaning for high-touch surfaces
○ Steps to ensure that hygiene standards in our schools and offices are maintained, and that appropriate cleaning will take place
○ Enforcement of social distancing measures, including cancellation of organised gatherings of 50 or more people
○ Temporary cessation of all external activities, such as arts and sports events
○ Suspension of face-to-face meetings
● We are working to determine the ways in which remote and/or online learning may take place in order to support learning and wellbeing.
What you can do
The most effective thing you can do to protect yourself and your family is to follow the advice of health officials:
● Stay at home if you are sick
● Practise good hygiene (washing hands well with soap and water or sanitiser; coughing and sneezing into your elbow or tissue, disposing of the tissue straight away and then washing your hands)
● Maintain 1.5 metres distance from other people wherever possible
● Avoid unnecessary travel and mass gatherings
● Limit contact with people most vulnerable to COVID-19 symptoms, including the elderly and people who are immunosuppressed
How to Support Students regarding Remote Learning
The following link contains information on how parents and carers may support their child in relation to completing learning activities from home. These include:
○ Establishing routines and expectations
○ Communicating
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/learning-from-home
Attendance
Students who are staying at home and learning remotely will be granted explained leave from attending school.
Wellbeing
The learning at home website provides useful advice for students, parents and carers regarding working at home arrangements:
It is important for you and your child to remember that teachers will be communicating with a large number of students while simultaneously preparing more learning resources. Given the current circumstance please be mindful that it is important to remain patient when waiting for support or feedback.
As an additional supportive structure we anticipate staff will make wellbeing check-ins with your child before the end of term.
The Headspace website provides a range of resources to support wellbeing during this time: https://headspace.org.au/young-people/how-to-cope-with-stress-related-to-covid-19/
In the event of an emergency, call 000
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
eHeadspace: 1800 650 890
Beyondblue Support Service: 1300 224 636
NSW Mental Health Line: 1800 011 511
NSW Parent Line: 1300 1300 52
More Information
To ensure our community has access to current information it is anticipated we will use Facebook and our webpage to communicate. If further clarification of any issue is required please call our helpful office staff on 42740621.
Before the end of this week students will receive detailed information on;
○ Assessment Tasks requirements
○ Work to be completed and by when
○ How this work will be issued (eg Google classroom, Edmodo, Booklets…)
○ How to submit work to teachers
I would like to again thank and acknowledge the dedication, commitment and hard work of the teaching and support staff at Five Islands Secondary College who are making adjustments and accommodations to their regular teaching practices due to the current COVID-19 uncertainty. I would also like to extend my thanks and gratitude to our students and families who have been so supportive and understanding.
Aaron Jones
Rel Principal
Five Islands Secondary College