28 Apr 2020
Wyoming Public School
Welcome Back – Term 2 COVID-19 Update
Term 2 – What’s the Plan?
Welcome back to a very different and important Term 2 as we continue as a community to manage the ongoing health, safety and wellbeing needs of our students, teachers and parents. The NSW Department of Education (NSW DoE) has provided a set of guidelines which will assist schools and the broader community to manage the ever-changing COVID-19 situation. A 'Managed Return to School' program will commence across the state in Week 3 of Term 2. This plan will change over time as the Health Authorities and Federal and State Governments continue to update their advice and regulations regarding the continuity of learning and the curriculum requirements for learning from home and school.
Click here to see the full plan.
Managed Return to School Program – Phase 0 (Weeks 1-2)
During the first two weeks of Term 2, students are asked to continue working on their Term 2 learning packages at home which are available for pick up on Wednesday 29 April. Your child’s classroom teacher will make contact with the students in their class-just like last term.
Schools will remain operational for students who need to attend. Families are encouraged to keep their children at home wherever possible and, where practical, parents and carers are supported to implement learning from home measures for their children. Students who attend school are supervised only and may not be in their regular class with their regular teacher.
Practical resources and guides to help student learning from home are available at the department’s Learning from home hub.
Managed Return to School Program – Phase 1 (commencing Week 3 – Monday 11 May)
At this stage, Phase 1 will begin on Monday 11 May (Week 3) where students are encouraged to attend one day per week – this may remain the same for up to four weeks. During this phase, schools have been advised to group siblings / families together on the same day, to split classes across different spaces and to stagger break times to ensure social-distancing regulations are being met. It has also been advised by the NSW DoE that a maximum of 25% of the student population will attend on any given day.
To ensure we are meeting these requirements, attendance will be based on sports houses. As a reminder, your child’s house will be on the front of the Term 2 learning package.
Please see the table below:
Phase 1 - (Week 3 onwards)
Sports House Students attend one day a week
Collins Tuesday
Aldrin Wednesday
Glenn Thursday
Armstrong Friday
Please note, each Monday the WPS staff will plan lessons, undertake additional professional learning and plan for quality learning opportunities aligned with NSW DoE curriculum.
During Phase 1, students will work in small groups of approximately 10 per classroom, which may include a mix of grades or stages. No excursions or inter-school activities will take place during Phase 1. Quality hygiene practices will be maintained and monitored across the school to increase infection control.
Supporting Children at Home
Parents and carers are advised to try to find an area for students to learn that is relatively quiet, especially if their child is in high school. The area should have access to an internet connection, if it is available at home. If possible, it would be somewhere where an adult can monitor their child's learning.
Helpful tips include:
* Establish routines and expectations.
* Define a space for your child to work in.
* Monitor communications from teachers.
* Begin and end each day with a check-in.
* Take an active role in helping your children process their learning.
* Encourage physical activity and/or exercise.
* Check in with your child regularly to help them manage stress.
* Monitor how much time your child is spending online.
* Keep your children social, but set rules around their social media interactions.
Setting up a Learning Space
The NSW DoE has provided additional information, including checklists that may assist you in setting-up an appropriate learning space at home. This can be accessed at the NSW DoE website – Teaching and Learning – Wellbeing at Home – Parents and Carers
Attendance and Roll Marking
Parents and carers are encouraged to send their child to school on the allocated time or day/s for their child’s / children’s house group. If you are keeping your child at home due to an underlying health condition, please advise the front office (43 252181) to ensure that your child / children are able to continue learning from home.
Student Absences – Do I need to inform the school?
Students are not expected to participate in learning if they are unwell and as such will marked as being on ‘sick leave’ pending advice from parents or carers that the student is unwell.
Students who are not at school and unable to be contacted by the school to determine their whereabouts will be followed up using normal NSW DoE processes and marked as on ‘unapproved leave’.