Dear parents, caregivers and students in years 2 – 6

The ongoing COVID situation has brought about many challenges in our lives. The current challenge for all of us is to begin the school year as smoothly as we can. 

We aim to support all students and families to begin the school year with a sense of belonging, establish relationships between home and school, and develop basic learning routines.

We know that some students in years 2 – 6 will be attending school for some or all of the time over the first 2 weeks. We also know that some students will be staying at home to begin the school year.

Regardless of whether children remain at home or attend school, our intent is to welcome everyone back to school to begin this year’s learning program. 

Please use this Remote Learning Guide to support you and your child to engage with their learning.

We hope you find it useful.

Thank you and stay safe.

Kind regards – Paul, Rob and Nicky

Communications

Whole school communication will continue through the school news blog, Craigburn Connections, email and Seesaw. 

Seesaw 

Seesaw Class is the key platform our teachers will use to provide remote learning for students. 

Teachers will share learning activities and resources. Students will publish their learning for teachers to provide feedback.

The Home Starter Pack (collected from school) contains your child’s Seesaw home learning code with instructions on how to set up and access the Seesaw Class app. Please contact the school via phone / email if you are having trouble setting up.

Please note: 

• Parents will no longer be able to use the messaging / inbox feature.
• To communicate with your child’s teacher, please do so via email or by phone during school hours.
• Teacher’s email addresses can be accessed via the Class Connections newsletter – included in the home starter pack.

Attendance  – morning check in

Ideally, students will start their day at 8.50am with a daily check in by their teacher using Seesaw. 

Attendance will be recorded by the classroom teacher and parents are to advise the school if their child is going to be absent from remote learning on a particular day. 

If your child is unable to access the morning check in please let the class teacher know. We understand that some families require flexibility due to their work commitments.

If we have not received notification of your child’s absence / non-attendance in the remote learning program, by 9.15am, a SMS will be sent to parents to ascertain attendance. Schools are required to register daily attendance to the Department by 10.00am.

Learning areas and daily schedule

As per the requirements from the Department, students will participate in a daily program set by their teachers which includes:

• English learning activity – approximately 45-60 minutes
• Maths learning activity – approximately 45-60 minutes
• Other learning activity eg health – approximately 45-60 minutes
• Reading – 30 minutes
• Physical Activity / Wellbeing – 30 minutes

These learning activities will be provided via the Seesaw Class app on a daily basis. Teachers and students will be able to interact through the communication features of the app.

Backup activities for students

In the event that you experience issues with Seesaw, teachers have provided a range of links to education websites for students to access. These can be found on the Class Connections newsletter.

The Department has also provided online learning resources that can be accessed through Our Learning SA.

Advice for families

The Department has provided some helpful advice to assist families with remote learning.

Setting your home up for learning

• As a parent or carer, there are lots of things you can do to help your child learn at home.
• You don’t need to be an expert or educator.
• Watch a video and read about how to set your home up for success.

Reading at home with your child

• Reading has always been an important skill. Today it’s more important than ever.
• Watch a video and read about what you can do at home to support your child’s reading.

Staying healthy and active while learning at home

• Learning from home for a long time can cause stress and anxiety.
• Watch a video and read about how to look after your child’s nutrition, fitness and mental health.

Talking to your child about COVID-19

• Talking to your child about COVID-19 can be difficult.
• We’ve prepared some resources to help you through the conversation.
• Get advice on talking to your child about COVID-19.

Preparing for online learning – parents and carers

• Online learning can be a big change. This guide helps you support your child when they’re learning from home.
• It covers setting up a learning environment, providing structure, what kind of technology you’ll need, and where to get support.
• Get advice on preparing for online learning.

Preparing for online learning – students

• Studying at home requires a bit of set up. We’ve put together a list of ways you can make the transition to learning from home easier.
• Read our advice for students.