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THE LEARNING PACKAGE

• Find attached the remote learning package for this week.
• This learning package will be due the first Tuesday of Term 2, Tuesday 28 April 2020.
• This learning package has been communicated on the student feed found at https://gymeastudent.home.blog/ and on the students Year Group Google classrooms.
• Learning packages are scheduled to be communicated out to students and families on a Tuesday afternoon for students in years 7-10.
• Progress Reports are scheduled to be distributed to students and parents on a Thursday afternoon for students in years 7-10.

PROGRESS REPORTS

We have almost cycled through our first two teaching and learning cycles with the remote learning packages for years 7-10. Our processes continue to evolve as we refine this process. The progress reports are an important aspect of this teaching learning cycle. The following information serves to assist families with these.

• The progress reports are a resource for you to assist families in conversation at home about your engagement and achievement while working from home.
• As we continue to evolve, so too will our accuracy along with the quality of work submitted by the students.
• For those students who show no engagement in the learning packages, there are policy requirements we must follow in terms of student attendance records. For students who are trying but not completing everything, the reports will show this and we will all continue to support them in doing their best.
• Reports will include the student’s progress with the week’s work and also include the previous week, indicating any previously missed or updated work.

FORWARD PLANNING TERM 2

• The school has prepared to deliver in the current model of remote learning for Term 2.
• All school activities for Term 2 have been placed on hold with some cancelled. Until we have information about the return to school, the current calendar of assessments and events are not running at this point.
• Teachers will communicate learning with students via google classroom. Teachers will do this generally as posts.
• Communication with the school is best made through the school’s email account at gymea-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au We have actioned emails that required assistance to engage their students in learning and prioritise the responses to emails based on higher need.
It is not an easy situation for anyone and our wellbeing team and teaching staff are working to provide the best approach we can possibly manage.

The HSC will continue and there will be a process for University entrance for 2021.  We will guide you through these processes and manage changes and updates of processes as a result of many things being put on hold.

You would have received your PIN NUMBER through your email on the 1st April.

Mrs Hristodoulou has provided some information about UAC Admission.

What you will need

• To apply through UAC you need your Student (BOSTES) number + 4 digit pin number.
• You need the PIN NUMBER emailed to you
• You apply through UAC website: http://www.uac.edu.au/

Details

• The maximum number of preferences will be five.
• There will be an offer round after ATAR release 21st December 2020.
• Offers may not be made to all courses in December.
• There will be an offer round in January 8th January 2021.
• SRS offers will be made in 12th November.

There is no need to rush in to do this but go and have a look.

• The attached sheet details the Remote Learning Package for this week. The sheet outlines the learning tasks in the package and provides students and families with very clear instructions on completing tasks.
• The learning package for this week will be due by Tuesday next week, 7th April.
• Teachers are marking and providing feedback to students on their progress throughout the week, which they can see on Moodle and Google Classroom.

• The Half Yearly examination for year 12 have been cancelled.

• Teachers have uploaded considerable practice papers to Moodle and Google Classroom for students to revise and practice key knowledge as skills as part of their preparation for the HSC. Students are asked to focus on this for the next two weeks. 

• It is important that Year 12 continue to work through these materials as they do drive increased success and confidence in course examinations. 

• Continue with your study programs that you have developed. 

• Teachers will place up examination content from the half yearly examination into Google and Moodle quizzes and tasks over the coming weeks in addition to work that has been set.

We want to make sure that all students in Year 11 are supported and calm as you consolidate your learning and head into the half yearly examinations.

For now, this is the game plan:

• Year 11 will be considered on STUVAC as was outlined for Year 12 so that the focus of work can be on Half Yearly preparation.

• The half yearly examinations will continue as scheduled but clearly as things change in our community, so may this. These will be held in the hall and in the library to make sure that we are exercising social distancing.

• Spend this initial part of STUVAC preparing your summary notes. See the videos below to highlight key ideas that have been explored before to consider again to get studying going.

• Your teachers have uploaded past papers and revision to assist with your study.

You can contact the school and teachers through your google classrooms.

Key points

• Gymea remote learning packages are now available for students.

• A framework has guided this remote learning approach to ensure continuity in the event this is extended over a long period of time.

• A remote learning package will be posted weekly to the Student Feed and to families by email for respective year groups.

• The learning has been designed to enable formative assessment and provide feedback.

The Learning Package

• Find attached the remote learning package for your child for this week.

• The learning package for this week will be due by Tuesday next week, 31st of March.

• A new package will be distributed each Tuesday for work to be completed in the following week.

• This will be our initial approach and will be reviewed prior to the holidays as we prepare for term 2.

The Remote Learning Approach

• The executive staff have led teachers through the design of an online curriculum that allows for the delivery of materials that may need to be delivered over an extended period of time. With that, the feedback and assessment of student engagement and achievement will be collected.

• Moving from a face-to-face model to delivering online learning is far from simplistic. This is so much more than just uploading a resource to the Internet. We are lucky to have professional and committed staff who have been working tirelessly to get this meaningful approach to learning happening for students at Gymea.

• Teachers have created learning packages that are available through a combination of Moodle and Google classroom. These learning packages do require students to complete work and varied assessments including writing tasks online.

• The attached sheets detail the learning tasks for each year group 7-10. These provide students and families with very clear instructions on completing tasks.

Today the NESA board met to discuss the HSC. The have indicated that the HSC this year is going ahead.

They have made a number of points that you can see in the press release here: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/about/news/media-releases/media-release-detail/2020-HSC-is-going-ahead

To summarise

• The HSC is going ahead
• Keep doing the assessments we provide. Schools this year have the flexibility to change the assessment schedule including limiting the number of assessments that will happen.
• If anyone is sick, for any reason, there are procedures already in place to deal with it.

We do want you to do well and make the most out of the HSC year. It is an unprecedented disruptive time but we will get through this and watch you graduate with memories of high school and ambitions for the future ahead.

One step at a time – let’s get into the study during this STUVAC period. We began reviewing submitted study timetables today. If you have not yet submitted it, please do so asap.

Message being sent to family emails today…

Last night we received further clarification and wording on what to send off to our families about school operation.

The following information was given:

The Government and Department are encouraging you to keep your child at home from Tuesday 24 March to contribute to supporting the community response to COVID-19. The school’s doors will remain open for those students whose parents are in the essential services or who are vulnerable.

Students who come to school will be ‘supervised’. There will be no formal lessons or sports programs until further notice.

We are working hard to transform our face-to-face teaching to an online model. The process is not simple and my staff have been heavily focused in preparing in all elements of this change to ensure there is good continuity in the event of an extended stay away from school. They have been doing this in addition to their full time responsibilities in delivering face-to-face lessons.

I urge for calm and patience as we get this right and happening.  It is a challenging time and anxiety across the community is high especially where the impact is being felt in different ways with families and with our own staff.

Our kids have been fantastic and we will soon settle into an online environment of substance where they will show their great form in different ways. We will be precise in the communication as it becomes available.

We will continue to communicate by:

• Emails to families
• Information in the Student Feed https://gymeastudent.home.blog/
• Notices on Google Classroom and Moodle as material continues to be set.