Dear families,
There has been no change to our advice overnight from the Victorian Chief Health Officer that schools remain open. This advice is constantly under review and we will update you if it changes.
Students are expected at school and ready to attend classes on Friday morning, but we do respect that this is an individual family choice.
Today is a calendared Professional Learning Day for staff and a student free day. Our focus is on remote teaching, the IT tools required for that and the curriculum requirements should it come to a point where we need to teach and learn from home.
In the event of school closure, our school has worked on a Remote Learning Plan that will be implemented as needed and which we wish to share with our students and their families.
In essence: Trinity College has chosen to adopt a flexible model that mean that classes will not run as usual according to a set timetable. We are mindful that families will have their personal time demands, which means that learning and teaching will need to occur within these time restraints.
Teachers will place coursework in the various Class Teams for students and students will need to continue their work off campus. We expect that students will check their Class Teams every day and will attempt to complete the work set for them in their various subjects. Various technology guides will be posted to students that will remind them how to operate within these various Teams.
The main source of communication between:
- teachers and students will be through Class Teams and Class Note
- teachers and parents will be through PAM on SIMON
The Remote Learning Plan lists various web links that may assist our families. Please read through the document that may also give clarification about whom to contact with your queries. The school will be contactable via our usual telephone number (52339200).
Kind Regards
Paul Clohesy
Principal
March 18, 2020
Dear families,
The current advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer is that schools remain open. This advice is constantly under review and we will update you if it changes.
In response to COVID-19, our first priority continues to be the safety of children, families and staff. Our College website will continue to be our main source of information although we will, at times, send text messages or use email to communicate with our community. Any updates on social media will be abbreviated information snippets.
We will also communicate our Remote Learning Plan with the community should this become necessary. In the meantime, please be assured we are working very hard to put various strategies in place to support our students’ learning.
Self-Isolation – Who Decides?
The existing advice remains that students, staff and visitors are to be excluded from schools, if the following applies:
the person is a confirmed case of novel coronavirus
the person is a close contact with a confirmed case of novel coronavirus in the past 14 days
the person has arrived into Australia from overseas from midnight, Sunday 15 March
A close contact is someone who has been identified by health authorities as having at least 15 minutes face-to-face contact or sharing a closed space for more than two hours with a confirmed case.
There is no need to self-isolate unless an individual has been identified by health authorities as a close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
Unwell students and staff (other than confirmed cases or contact with confirmed cases)
In accordance with the DET’s standard Infectious Diseases Policy, the school is required to send unwell students or staff home. Unwell students and staff should remain at home until symptoms resolve and seek medical assistance as required.
The following advice is from the Catholic education Council of Victoria and provides some excellent resources:
Supporting school communities
We are all aware that some people in our school communities have heightened levels of concern and anxiety regarding the many impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
These thoughts and feelings are normal and understandable.
Most adults and children will be able to manage these feelings through being resilient and practising positive coping skills.
However, some may feel overwhelmed and unable to adequately express their concerns. This may result in escalated levels of distress or worry.
Conversations with children and young people
Families and caregivers of children and young people should discuss news of the virus with those in their care in an open and honest way.
Try to relate the facts without causing alarm, and in a way that is appropriate for their age and temperament.
It is important to listen to any questions they may have, and to let them know that they are safe and that it’s normal to feel concerned.
If the media or the news is getting to be too much for them, encourage them to limit their exposure.
Resources
A range of key resources, including videos and tips for young people, have been collated for you to share with your staff, students and families to help promote ongoing wellbeing and good health across your school community:
- SPECIAL REPORT: Coronavirus – Dr Michael Carr-Gregg developed this video for parents and school staff. Catholic Education Melbourne acknowledges the generosity of SchoolTV in making the report accessible to parents and staff in Catholic school communities
- How to talk to your children about coronavirus – ABC News article
- Worried about your child getting coronavirus? Here’s what you need to know – The Conversation article
- Talking to children about natural disasters, traumatic events, or worries about the future – This Emerging Minds video introduces ways for parents and carers to manage media coverage of traumatic events, and talk to their children about their worries and fears
- Traumatic events, the media and your child – This Emerging Minds fact sheet provides guidance on how to support and reassure children during ongoing media coverage of COVID-19.
Try to maintain a practical and calm approach
Familiarity, predictability and stability in the school environment enhance children’s sense of safety and capacity to manage emotional responses. Refer to:
- the Australian Psychological Society’s advice for maintaining positive mental health during the coronavirus outbreak
- Beyond Blue’s information about mental health in relation to the coronavirus, facts about anxiety, and other practical advice and resources at beyondblue.org.au
- the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Melbourne’s keeping healthy and staying safe video with Infectious Diseases Physician Dr Andrew Daley
- headspace’s information for young people and Tips to maintain a healthy headspace.
Kind Regards
Paul Clohesy
Principal
March 17, 2020
Dear families
I would like to inform you of several significant changes to our school program due to updated advice received today from the Catholic Education Office and Department of Education.
We have cancelled our Open Day on Sunday due to the scale of the public gathering. This decision impacts our planned year level excursions on Friday afternoon. These year level excursions will not take place on Friday afternoon. Year 11 and 12 students are required to remain at school for the whole school day. Normal classes for all students will be held on Friday.
Our House Athletics Sports was planned for this coming Wednesday and this event has been postponed. Normal classes will be held on Wednesday. We will look to reschedule our athletics to later in the year.
The directive is that all excursions and camps are to be cancelled at the moment. In the next few weeks, this includes the Year 9 Beechy Rail Camp, the Year 11 Retreat and the Year 12 Retreat. We will look for alternative dates, if possible, later in the year for these events.
We will also be modifying our internal assemblies and gatherings to comply with the current advice received from the relevant authorities.
At this point, we have no indication of early school closures or extended school holiday periods. We will continue to update you as more information is provided to us.
We request that any family intending to travel overseas communicates with us regarding their travel arrangements. We request that families ensure they follow the 14-day isolation requirements as imposed by the Federal Government. We also request that the school is notified by families as soon as possible should there be a case of confirmed COVID-19 amongst our students and whether there is the likelihood that any of our students have had close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
We thank you for your assistance during these challenging times and for your understanding that we may be required to make some late changes to our learning programmes as the current situation evolves. Please be assured that the safety and health of your children are at the forefront of all our decisions.
Kind regards
Paul Clohesy
Principal
