Head of Secondary School

Remote Learning and Teaching

The impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak on our community continue to rapidly evolve and we are doing our utmost in the Secondary School to respond to this changing educational landscape in an agile, supportive and productive manner. Over the past few weeks our Subject Coordinators and teachers have been working tirelessly to transform our educational programs in order for them to be delivered remotely, and we are pleased with some of the early feedback we have seen in this space. Yesterday, the Senior Campus was eerily quiet, and I can speak for all teachers in saying we missed the buzz and energy of students in our classrooms, rehearsal spaces and the wider playground. (I have included some photos of teachers from the Remote Learning and Teaching Day last Friday. As you can see, yours truly did, however, enjoy having the basketball courts free of students at morning break!)

Please note that as of today, we have given teaching staff the option of working from home and an increasing number of staff will be working remotely. If you need to make contact with any individual staff members, it is best to email them directly instead of a phone call.

It has also been great to see the rich educational opportunities which have been created with our remote learning and teaching platforms, and we are proud to see that our high quality educational delivery has been able to continue – albeit in a far different environment. We have further reviewed some of our practices after our successful trial of remote learning and teaching last Friday and your feedback was valuable in this review. We have changed some aspects of the programs (such as designating longer breaks between classes) and will continue to do so as we evaluate these new systems. A reminder for parents to provide any feedback through feedback@redlands.nsw.edu.au and to also regularly check the School’s COVID-19 Redlands Pulse page for further updates regarding cancelled or postponed activities. We are aiming to maintain timely, open and transparent communication during this time, and your feedback, as we are regularly reviewing and updating our approaches, is appreciated.

Yesterday, parents and students would have received some specific tips to assist in a successful transition to remote learning. These tips were an additional resource to the Remote Learning and Teaching Protocols which have previously been disseminated. (These documents can be found on the Secondary School page of Redlands Pulse.) We have been reviewing and learning from a number of different school systems around the world who have moved to remote learning and teaching in recent months so that we can institute what we believe will be best practice for the education of our students in the Secondary School. I would like to just highlight a few important reminders for students and parents as we move to remote learning:

It is important that students continue to follow as much of the “routine” of school as possible during this time. That is why we are following our regular timetable – with some additional breaks built in. That is also why we have asked students to wear their PE uniform for Zoom classes.
Students should have an appropriate space for learning. This would ideally be an individual desk or table where they can remain organised and avoid distractions. They should not be lying on a bed or couch during a lesson.
Students should ensure they are well prepared for the school day. While many are probably enjoying a little bit more of a sleep in, they should ensure they wake up in time to have a good breakfast and have all of their belongings organised before they start the school day.
Students should minimise distractions in their home learning environment during this time. For example, we would expect students to follow the same school expectations around mobile phone use as they do at school and would encourage parents to ensure that students do not have their mobile phones with them during scheduled class time. It would also be good to check in on them to ensure they are not finding other potential distractions on their computers.
We also remind all students that they are expected to follow our ICT Responsible User Guidelines when working remotely at home. We have been pleased thus far to see their responsibility and maturity while working remotely.
It is important that students find ways to continue with their physical activity during this time, so they do not become sedentary. They should literally get up and have a stretch or a quick walk outside for some fresh air during the break times in the day; they should find time to take the dog for a walk before or after the school day (pets are a beneficiary of family self-isolation during this time); or they could join in one of the Sports Department fitness sessions before or after the school day via Zoom.

We realise that this current disruption can be challenging to students in terms of their mental health and wellbeing. That is why we are continuing with our regularly scheduled Pastoral Care and Wellbeing program, including Chapels, Year Group meetings and (hopefully coming soon) assemblies. Much of this time will be spent in Tutor Periods and the primary aim of these periods is for Tutors to have a check in with the students in their Tutor Group. If students are struggling, please encourage them to reach out to their Tutors, either during these Tutor Periods or via other channels. In addition, the Year Advisors are also available, and there are additional resources for support available on the individual Year Advisor Note Day pages. Finally, our Counsellors are continuing to provide support for students remotely and further information will be available for all students to access on the Counselling iLearn page which should be published to students early next week.

It has been exciting to see many Cocurricular activities transform into the remote space over the past week. I know Music lessons have been occurring via Zoom; many Music Ensembles have been rehearsing remotely; Dance classes have been trialled via video; and Sports trainings have been occurring remotely. We are reviewing all of our Cocurricular activities to see how they can best move to a remote environment and are hoping to run as close to a regular Cocurricular timetable as possible starting next week.

Once again, I want to thank the many of you who have taken the time to share words of support and appreciation for the efforts of the staff during this time. They have meant a lot. I talk a lot about the importance of a partnership between school and home and that partnership is now more important than ever as we navigate this quickly changing landscape.

International Day Mufti Day Tuesday March 31

While International Day has been postponed until later in the year, we will have a few International Day activities in Tutor Period on Tuesday 31 March. In addition, we will still have our International Day Mufti Day on Tuesday. Students can dress in clothes representing their heritage or their international connectedness. We would ask students to only wear clothes they currently own and not to go out to purchase any additional belongings. If students are not dressing in mufti for International Day, we would ask them to wear their PE uniform.

Cross Country Carnival

While the Secondary School Cross Country Carnival has been cancelled for next Thursday, we will be encouraging as many students as possible to take part in a remote cross country challenge during their sports time next Thursday afternoon. More information will be sent to students in the coming days or can be found on Redlands Pulse.

Yr 11 Parent Teacher Night Wednesday 1 April

Over the past week we have determined that we will still run our Yr 11 Parent Teacher Night on Wednesday 1 April as we believe having this check in with home is as important now as ever. However, we will now do so remotely via Zoom meetings between individual teachers, students and parents. We will also be moving forward the time for these parent teacher meetings and they will now run from 4.00pm – 7.00pm. More specific information has been sent to Yr 11 parents and carers.

Mr Sean Corcoran
Head of Secondary School
scorcoran@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9870