Welcome back to Term 2. I hope families were able to enjoy their Easter break and remained safe and healthy as we all stayed at home.

Last Sunday I went to Washington for Easter Sunday Mass!

I watched a wonderful quality production in a beautiful cathedral in Washington. The message from Bishop Michael gave me great hope – he said that while these are completely alien times and while we are forced to celebrate Easter in our separate homes, the message of Easter remains the same.

That message is that Jesus is alive and with us – in these unprecedented times it is a great comfort to allow this Easter message to penetrate our hearts. Jesus is alive and is with us. We have no need to fear. As Christians we are called to radiate the light of Christ to those around us. As parents, this attitude of positivity and hope will be important in supporting your children to manage these unusual times.

Distance Learning arrangements from the start of Term 2

As you will be aware from my letter last Wednesday, the Victorian State Government has announced that all Victorian schools will be implementing the Distance Learning program effective 15 April 2020. This means that from tomorrow most students will be learning from home.

This decision has been made to increase physical distancing across the population and prevent the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19). Therefore, all students who can learn from home must learn from home.

All students at the College will commence Distance Learning Mode at home from tomorrow except for:

• children of parents who cannot work from home;
• children who are not able to be supervised at home and no other arrangements can be made; and
• vulnerable children.

From tomorrow students need to switch back into learning mode, which requires a mental shift in their thinking. They are no longer on holidays but are learning from home.

The school year is different – but not less.

In Distance Learning Mode students will still have the same caring teachers and a similar curriculum.

Parents are NOT expected to be the teachers. Parents are asked to support our teaching staff by providing a suitable environment at home and checking in with students to ensure they are completing tasks. Our Student Services staff have all been allocated students to support from home while we work through this pandemic.

We will all need to switch from holiday mode to learning mode and begin building good routines that will help us sustain Distance Learning Mode throughout Term 2.

Students are expected to greet their teachers in Homeroom each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. An SMS will be sent to families if students do not check in during homeroom. They should also be online and engaged for the first 10 minutes of each timetabled lesson every day. Details of all requirements were sent at the end of Term 1. All information sent by the College relating to COVID-19 is also available on our website, via the COVID-19 Update tab at the bottom of the homepage.

Parents should be assured that the learning will be facilitated by teachers. Staff will contact parents if students are not completing the set tasks.

Support for parents

IT Support – please email itsupport@crcmelton.com.au

General questions – your child's homeroom teacher is the first point of contact. Please email questions directly to them.

Subject questions – subject teachers should be emailed for any subject specific questions.

Learning Support needs and questions:

Year 7- 8 Sue Kro skro@crcmelton.com.au

Years 9- 12 Sharon Cody scody@crcmelton.com.au

Fee adjustments

I am aware that some families will be experiencing financial strain, either through business closure, reduced work hours or loss of income due to shut down or illness. Please be sure to contact the College immediately to discuss financial concerns. Each request for fee relief will be assessed on a case by case basis. Families who are experiencing financial difficulty should email our Business Manager, Kaye Kennedy kkennedy@sfcc.vic.edu.au Kaye and I will contact families to discuss how we can assist and to arrange support.

Our obligation as a Catholic school is to walk with the disadvantaged and marginalised. We will work with families in this time of need to ensure all students receive an education.

The expenses of a school are largely locked in at the beginning of the year. Our largest expense, wages, will not change. We are committed to ensuring that all staff, both teaching and support staff retain employment at the College. The College is currently incurring additional expenses due to increased sanitation, therefore no global discounts are possible.

Access to the College

During Term 2 there will be a skeleton staff present at the College. Phones have been switched to home, so parents are still able to call the College phone number.

The majority of our staff will be following consistent government advice to stay home and considerable effort by the IT department has assisted in this transition to work from home.

Parents and students are asked NOT to attend the College but to call or email to make any arrangements.

We will work through these challenges that face us and will emerge stronger and kinder. Our prayers and thoughts are with all our families at this time.

In Term 2 as our students undertake Distance Learning, the face of education will be very different.

Our staff at the College have embraced the opportunity to deliver a different, creative and engaging curriculum using Teams and SIMON.

This requires all students to be online from 8.45am to 3.20pm for their normal classes with their teacher. Parents are providing a learning environment (ie a study, dining room table) however, parents are not required to deliver the curriculum content - this is the role of our teachers.

What does an online class look like?

1. Students login to their individual timetabled class on Teams.
2. Teachers take a roll via SIMON. Attendance will be monitored.
3. Students will be notified of the Lesson Plan and Lesson Goal(s) for each class via Teams or SIMON email at the beginning of or prior to the class commencing.
4. Formal instructions are given by the teacher for the first 10 minutes (this may vary) using the Chat or Posts functions (typing) or Meet Now function (audio call). This may include checking previous classwork or homework for understanding.
5. Students start set class tasks from the lesson plan.
6. Students can ask questions at any time throughout the lesson.
7. Teachers will check for understanding and progress.
8. Teacher returns to the lesson goal before the end of the class to ensure it has been achieved.

Students with individual learning support have access to student support officers during their scheduled lessons. Student Support Groups (SSGs) will run as scheduled timetabled classes.

Where students do not make regular online contact or show progress in their lessons, parents will be contacted by the subject teacher. Parents/guardians can support their child by emphasising learning is continuing, just in a different format. The change to Distance Learning may take some adjustment. However, our experience in Term 1 indicated students were capable of managing the transition.

As lifelong learners we are all on a new, creative, challenging but exciting journey in education.

At the end of last term, my newsletter article focussed on the challenges we all face in this period of social isolation, economic and social upheaval and the move to online learning, which begins in earnest this week.

We also provided contact details for a number of organisations that could offer advice on how to help your child cope with stress and anxiety related to COVID-19. We continue to receive regular updates and notifications and plan to share these with you in the coming weeks.

Attached below is information for parents/guardians from the Black Dog Institute. It offers strategies to reduce anxiety, tips to support wellbeing and where to get additional help.

I would also like to bring to your attention the work of The Resilience Project (TRP). We have worked with TRP for the past two years and the new student planner introduced this year incorporates TRP messages. The planner will be a valuable resource for students over the coming months.

The team have recently released TRP@ Home, to provide families with activities linked to their principles of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy. You can access these using the following links.

https://theresilienceproject.com.au/at-home/parent-carer-information/

https://theresilienceproject.com.au/at-home/

When should I get help?

If you ever feel your child is unable to cope because of overwhelming or intense emotions, or if they have any thoughts of harming themselves, you should ask for help immediately.

Your child's homeroom teacher should be your first point-of-call if you have any concerns because they know your child best at school. Our College counsellors and psychologists will also still be available through their school email address if you need advice.

Other National 24/7 crisis services include:

Lifeline: 13 43 57 (13 HELP) or lifeline.org.au

Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au

beyondblue: 1300 224 636 or beyondblue.org.au

Additional youth support services include:

headspace: visit headspace.org.au to find your nearest centre or call headspace on 1800 650 890

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 or kidshelpline.com.au

ReachOut: reachout.com.au

SANE Australia: 1800 187 263 or sane.org

You should speak to your local doctor or General Practitioner (GP) and help make a plan for your child's recovery. You can search for a health service and GP on healthdirect.

Term 2 begins for all students tomorrow, Wednesday 15 April. This will be Day 3 of our timetable. Students will work online in Distance Learning Mode. All camps, excusions and incursions planned for this term have been cancelled.

In light of the current COVID-19 climate, the scheduled week of Year 10 Work Experience from 22-26 June has been cancelled.

Students who have previously organised and submitted their Work Experience Arrangement (WEA) forms for a quality placement (in line with their chosen career path) will be permitted to reschedule their placements to a later date when it is safe to do so. This will preferably be outside of formal scheduled classes in the Term 3 school holidays or after the completion of Jumpstart in November 2020.

Workplace contact will be completed by the Pathways Coordinator during holidays via phone conversations to the workplace.

Students who have been allocated work experience by professional organisations (such as Hospitals and Magistrates Court) are to liaise with the Pathways Coordinator in relation to their dates of placement. In certain circumstances, these students may be allowed out during the term on the condition that communication is made with subject teachers prior to their absence and all class work is completed.

Students who are yet to submit WEA Forms do not have to source a newly arranged placement.

Students who had organised a placement not in line with their chosen career path (for example supermarkets, retail etc.) are not permitted out during term time.

Reading for pleasure is an activity encouraged each day at CRC Melton through the Reading for Enjoyment, Encouragement and Development (REED) program. There are many things you can do to ensure the ongoing development of your child's literacy skills while they learn from home.

Click on the letters below from our Literacy Coordinator, Victoria Moore for information on how the REED program will continue during Term 2.

A detailed overview of arrangements for delivery of VET programs and Structured Workplace Learning is available in the attachment below from our VET Coordinator, Bianca Mifsud.