Dear Parents/ Caregivers

Today’s newsletter contains very important information about accessing remote learning materials for the continuity of your child/ren’s learning during this period of uncertainty.

Could I please encourage everyone to read the material below very carefully and engage with it so there is a clear understanding of what we are offering our school community in the event of a school closure, or perhaps even a total lockdown in the future.  A test of passwords and access would be strongly encouraged at this time.

Could I also request that if there are any questions or clarifications required, please direct these to your children’s class teachers – preferably before close of business Friday 3 April.  Unfortunately, our teachers may not be able to respond to your enquires after this time or before Monday 20 April.

On behalf of the school staff, I would like to sincerely thank everyone for your support during this challenging time and as we ready ourselves for an alternative method of curriculum delivery in Term 2. 

Please keep a lookout for communications from me during the holidays as the COVID-19 situation unfolds and details about school operations become available. 

Enjoy a restful break with family and I look forward to be in communication with everyone again in Term 2.

Garry Drummond

Principal

IMPORTANT INFORMATION BELOW REGARDING LEARNING AT HOME IN THE EVENT OF A SCHOOL CLOSURE.

The first place to visit is

*The Education Queensland Website- Curriculum- learning @home. 

You do not need a password or log in details to access this website!!!!!!!!

The link has also been sent to all parents via text.

*Once in this site there are several important tabs to visit. See headings below:

Well Being of Students - how a typical day should be spent learning at home.

English- organised in year levels and click on learning activities.

The Resources folder is very important for accessing ebooks, powerpoints  and videos. You must go into the Resources folder you cannot get to these directly from the Lesson Plans.

Mathematics- organised in year levels and click on learning activities. Same as above.

Learning Resources- STEM, HASS and the Arts- organised in curriculum areas with links to support children’s learning.

Students will also be able to access our usual online learning programs- Spelling City, and Mathletics using their unique username ID and Password that they always use.

The Reading Centre has developed resources that will encourage parents and children to explore reading as a wonderful learning opportunity. 

The Autism Hub along with the regional coaches have developed supportive  activities for children that explore the general capabilities, especially the personal and social capabilities, of the Australian Curriculum with a strong focus on wellbeing. 

This week teachers have also set up Virtual Classrooms.

You must NOW  log in and see if your students’ username and password works in case of a school closure or flexible schooling arrangement continuing after the holidays.  There will be no work available yet but you will be able to see the home page for your child’s Virtual Classroom.

 Setting up the Virtual Classrooms has allowed teachers to set work in addition to the learning@home website and the work here will be more detailed and prescriptive in nature. The work will not be available until the 20^th APRIL.

Accessing Virtual Classrooms

Virtual Classrooms are hosted by Education Queensland through The Learning Place.  Classroom teachers have full control over the contents of each virtual classroom and students are able to collaborate and communicate with their teacher, and one another, through this site.

To find their virtual classroom students can Google “The Learning Place” or go directly to The Learning Place website. The preferred browsers for access are Fire Fox, Google Chrome, Edge or Safari.  Do not use Internet Explorer.

Click the link on the right hand side of the page for eLearn (Blackboard) – see below.  Students working from home will then be prompted to type in their MIS username and password. This information was recently sent home in an envelope with all students in P-3.  You should have kept it safe and you will need to find it as this is your only way for logging in. Teachers do not keep copies of these passwords.

Students in Years 4 – 6 regularly use their own credentials to log-in to the computers at school and should be able to recall their own username and password.

Once eLearn (Blackboard) opens, a list of courses (or virtual classrooms) will appear on the right hand side of the screen.  Select the course required from the list e.g. 5M Virtual Classroom.

You are then ready to access the resources and communicate with the teacher of that class.

** Please make sure when using external links, that students are adequately supervised.  Please be aware that the school has no control over external links and possible advertisments that pop up may not be suitable for children.

Below is a suggested Daily timetable.

After the holidays, teachers will make contact with you either through the Virtual Classroom or email. Don’t forget if you need to ask any questions you can email the teachers directly starting from the 20^th APRIL. Teachers will not be available over the holiday period.  After the holidays, teachers may need to ring parents to check in on children.

Our preferred method of communication is via email.

Thank you for your understanding and patience in these challenging times. We will keep you updated on any changes and advice.

Please let your child work at their own pace and own level. If you feel anything is too difficult for them or they are not coping- have a break, find something easier to do from the suite of activities provided, do an alternative activity.

Stay safe and well. We are looking forward to seeing everyone back safe and sound as soon as possible.

Mrs Ryan

Deputy Principal