Term 3 - Lockdown Update #1

Dear families

We hope you are all doing well on the first day of the week-long lockdown.

Tomorrow, our on-line home learning will start and each teacher will communicate directly with families through SeeSaw for this. 

We would like to reassure families that no matter if your child is at school or at home, we are committed to providing the best quality education for every student. 

We are particularly concerned with the health and welfare of our community at this time, and would like to reassure all parents and guardians that we are here to support you and your children. Our staff will be conducting check ins with students and families and be availble should you have any concerns or queries.

Home learning parents/guardians are not expected to be teachers. You do not need to plan and deliver lessons or schedule learning. All we ask is that you support your child while they navigate the tasks set by their teacher. If it becomes overwhelming or stressful for you or your child, please make contact with your teacher and we will find another way to manage this for you.

Please remember to be kind to yourself and go gently. 

We have provided some video resources in this newsletter which you may find helpful and fun. It is important to remember that children learn lessons in many different ways, so spending 30 minutes baking biscuits with them and encouraging them to measure, weigh, touch, and feel the ingredients can be just as valuable as completing their worksheets.

The school will continue to be staffed, so if you do need to speak with us, please call us.

Working in Partnership 

Chris, Ciara, Leah and Melissa

On July 22 we celebrate the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene!

Mary Magdalene was one of the people who had the courage to stay with Jesus at the foot of the cross at the crucifixion. She was the first witness to the resurrection and was given the role of telling the apostles that Jesus had risen and because of this she was given the title ‘apostle to the apostles.’

She was a friend of Jesus and she travelled with him listening and learning about what it means to bring God’s promise to the world.

Due to the current lockdown, our Feast Day celebrations are on hold. We look forward to celebrating soon with:

• a Liturgy
• Activities
• Sausage Sizzle

Catholic schools continue to work in partnership with families to provide the best possible learning environments for our students.

Catholic Education SA has created this website section to help ensure learning continuity and support our students and teachers while we provide learning in an online environment.

In these rapidly changing times – in one sense – nothing changes. We’re still here supporting our students in their learning. You are not expected to be a teacher – your role is to support your children and to ensure that they connect with the online learning being provided by our schools. Don't feel that you need to plan lessons, or schedule learning.

Simply follow the advice of your child’s teacher. Student wellbeing is the most important thing. Your role is simply to make sure that they are engaging with their learning online and set up to learn remotely, with suitable daily routines.

Go gently. Love your child. Support your teachers. Be kind to yourself.

The online learning environment

Your school will help you to navigate your way through this new online classroom environment via multiple mediums: 

• Virtual classrooms – Schools are using a variety of tools – like Microsoft Teams – to connect teachers and students together for learning.
• This website – provides resources for teachers to help them connect with the curriculum and plan lessons.
• Pastoral care – schools will still provide additional pastoral care through homegroups, phone calls and other methods.
• Phone calls and support – school staff will also be able to support you whether you need computer support or practical advice. 

Creating a learning space at home

It is a good idea to set up an ‘at home’ classroom learning space where children have access to the things they need. A dedicated classroom learning space separates work and play which supports children’s focus and concentration. This will allow you to organise and manage learning materials and assist where necessary. 

• Involve your child in creating their classroom learning space; 
• Consider the age and independence of your child when deciding on the location of the classroom learning space; and 
• Remember to use safe outdoor spaces for learning throughout the day.

Developing an online routine

Children and young people are used to the routine and structure of school. To support their ongoing classroom learning, it is important they have as much routine and certainty as possible in their day.  You can support your child or young person’s classroom learning by involving your child in establishing a simple, consistent, and predictable daily routine.Here is some more information on setting daily routines for learning online.

Protective practices

When conducting Online Classrooms, teachers must maintain protective practices between themselves and students. The protective practice principles that teachers apply in their classroom are the same as those in an online classroom.There are also some things parents can ensure, to help facilitate protective practices in the home when children are using any type of video, pre-recorded or live format learning:

1. One on one student to teacher video conferencing should not occur. Should a teacher need to make video contact with a student, then another staff member (or a parent) should be present in the room or in the call.
2. Teacher to student group video conferencing should be used when possible.
3. Both the students and the teacher should be in an appropriate setting, in a relatively 'public' area of the home. No inappropriate background images should show in the video conference. Students should not be seen from their beds.
4. Students and teachers should be appropriately dressed; in most cases, attire should represent something similar to the expectations of a casual clothes day, maintaining school/College expectations relating to hair and jewellery. As we are all trying to maintain normal school routines and expectations as much as possible, follow your classroom teacher's guidelines on this, as some schools will expect students to be dressed in their school uniforms for live video lessons.
5. Video conferencing should be through the schools approved platform only, such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom etc, not FaceTime or Messenger.
6. A student may under no circumstances record the conversation via screenshots, video, or audio, unless explicit permission is provided (Teachers will seek permission to record a group or class conference call so that it can be posted later if necessary).
7. All video participants should enable ‘blurred’ backgrounds where possible.
8. Turn off any email notifications and other applications during the conversation to ensure that nothing pops up on the screen.
9. Teachers and/or students private contacts should not be shared, and personal email accounts should not be used. 

Health and safety

When learning from home, students must consider the safety requirements of their home working environment.Parents and students must ensure:

• Students need to have regular breaks from a screen and from being seated for long periods of time. This is how school classrooms operate and in an online classroom environment it is even more important. 
• Their designated workstation is suitable for the tasks being performed, e.g. appropriate desk height and keyboard and other regularly used items are within easy reach.
• Their chair provides appropriate support and is adjustable in height if necessary.
• Sufficient space has been allocated on their designated workstation for their computer and any other equipment needed to carry out their work.
• They are situated in a space that provides adequate light for the task being performed. They have appropriate ventilation. In an online classroom environment, it is a strong recommendation that classroom learning takes place in an open area of the home where activity can be seen and monitored. 

This information is from Catholic Education South Australia, further resources are available at CESA's website.

As schools and childcare centres around the world close their doors in response to the coronavirus, it can be easy to think of it like a summer holiday, or some time off – but that is not the case. Jason gives you three practical tips on how to manage this time with your children.

While we are home learning, it is important to still keep our bodies moving like we would while we are at school. Although the weather in the coming week might not let us get outside much, there are still plenty of fun inside activities we can do to keep active! Check out Move It Mob Style's fantastic video below. 

For more Move It Mob Style visit their website https://moveitmobstyle.com.au/

- Amy Whiteford

A high protein snack with a little carrot goodness. Great for kids.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 16 minutes

Total Time: 21 minutes

Servings: 14 stars

Ingredients

• 200 g grated carrots (around 1 1/2 packed cups)
• 1/2 cup water
• 70 g grated cheddar cheese (1/2 cup)
• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsp oat flour

Instructions

1. Pre heat oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4 Mixed the carrot and water in a bowl, cover and microwave on high for 3 mins.
2. Drain the carrots and then place them on a clean cloth / absorbent paper and squeeze out the liquid. (You need to get the carrots quite dry.
3. Place the carrots back in the bowl and mix with the remaining ingredients.
4. Prepare a baking tray with baking paper or use a silicon baking sheet.
5. Form star shapes of the mixture onto the sheet using a cookie cutter. (Mine were around 1/2 cm thick)
6. Bake for approx. 13 mins (until crispy on the sides)