27 Apr 2020
Dear Parents/Carers,
We hope this finds you and your family well and enjoying the glorious weather we have been so lucky to be experiencing over the holiday period.
Weeks 1-2
Term 2 commences for students this week on Wednesday. Online learning will continue In weeks 1 and 2, and as also announced by the NSW Premier, parents are encouraged ‘to keep their children at home’. During these two weeks students will continue to ‘learn from home’ as they did at the end of Term 1.
During these two weeks our canteen will remain closed.
Collection of Term 2 Learning Packs
The collection of Term 2 learning packs will begin tomorrow. To assist us with social distancing we ask that where possible, parents collect their children’s learning pack at the indicated time. If you have indicated on our Google Form that your child will be returning to school on Wednesday, there is no need for you to collect your child’s learning pack as they will be given their pack on Wednesday at school.
We ask that all parents enter the school via the bottom gate located near the office and exit the school after collecting their learning packs via the top gate. Please follow staff directions as you enter the school. Collection tables will be set up under the COLA area.
Collection Times
10:30am – 11:30am – Surnames A-G
12:00pm – 1:00pm – Surnames H-Q
1:30pm – 2:30pm – Surnames R-Z
If you are unable to collect your learning pack during your designated time tomorrow you are welcome to collect your learning pack on Wednesday from 10:00am to 11:00am.
Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures for Students Returning to School
Our drop-off and pick-up procedures for students at the end of Term 1 were highly successful. We would like to continue this as we begin Term 2 and continue our social distancing.
Drop-off at the start of the day– Students will continue to enter the school through the bottom gate. Only students will be able to enter the school grounds. We ask that parents and carers ensure that their children are aware of this to make the transition much easier.
Pick-up at the end of the school – We will continue to organise students into leaving groups at the end of the school day. Students will be grouped as to whether they are:
Walking home or being picked up from the park;
Going to OOSH;
Catching the school bus; or
Being picked up from outside the school.
Parents are asked to continue our procedures from Term 1 when meeting their children. Students in the ‘Being picked up from outside the school’ group will leave via the top gate.
As we move closer to Week 3 and our staggered start to learning, these procedures may change.
Weeks 3-10 - Phased Return to School
NSW Public Schools are looking to increase face-to-face teaching through a gradual return to school for students during Term 2. This will be done through a staged approach to balance the needs of students and staff, their families, personal circumstances and workplaces during the pandemic. From Week 3, every student will have the opportunity to start attending school one day a week, with around 25% of students in attendance on any given day. Schools will manage the structure of this 'Phased Managed Return' for their context. In other words, the Premier and Department of Education (DoE) expects that every school will do this differently.
During the first week of term 2, our staff will work through the Premier’s operational guidelines to create a model for Parklea Public School that will be communicated to you. We will also continue to adjust our plans based on any new advice we receive from the NSW Department of Education.
The Premier has stated that in Phase 1 children should be kept at home except for their ‘rostered day’ and has asked parents to ‘respect the guidelines’ that will be established by the school. Please note that this does not apply to those students who need to attend. As part of the Google Form we have asked families to complete we now have an understanding of who these students are and this will be factored into ensuring that only 25% of students are on site on any given day.
We again reinforce the message that we understand these are challenging times and only ask that families do their best. The health and wellbeing of all families is our key priority and encourage you to aim for a balanced approach to learning at home.
We have been incredibly appreciative of the support and understanding that we have received from parents during these unprecedented times in education. I know how challenging this has been for our students and their families.
We look forward to doing everything possible in supporting you while we take on this home learning journey. We are all in this together.
Parklea Public School Staff