Regent College. No fear here (2 Timothy 1:7) No images? Click here March 25 2020 Dear Regent Families, When we embarked on the Regent College building project in 2018, I could see how disruption could be utilised as a catalyst for creativity and growth. We’re now facing an even greater challenge, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing us to rethink how we will deliver educational services while preserving those qualities which make our school unique and nurturing for students. BRINGING FORWARD TWO STUDENT FREE DAYS We are immediately bringing forward two Student Free days, currently scheduled for the middle of Term 2, to be rescheduled for this Friday 27th and Monday 30th of March. This will allow teachers to intensively plan for a shift to a Distance Learning Programme. On these days, we will have capacity to accommodate (limited) students whose parents must attend work (particularly parents in essential services workforce) or who do not have any other option for childcare on this day. Important: You must register your child using the following link if you require them to attend school on these days. SHIFT TO DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM Our plan was to remain open and operational until we were instructed to close by the State or Federal Governments. Our mindset was that we are in a marathon rather than a sprint and we wanted to minimise the time spent out of school as much as possible from both a learning and parental fatigue perspective. The challenge in remaining open is providing school work for students at home while maintaining the curriculum for students still attending. We are now reaching 50% (voluntary) absenteeism of our student body which is necessitating a rethink of our initial strategy. We intend to focus our energies on the development of a Distance Learning Programme that allows for students to engage from home or from the classroom. Being a primary school, shifting “on-line” is not the same as for older students. Younger students will require facilitation, supervision and guidance at home in order to maintain the learning objectives. Our Distance Learning Programme will grow over time, anticipating several weeks/months of COVID-19 affected learning. In the period of time between Tuesday 31st March and the end of term, which is Thursday 9th April, students who are onsite as their parents must attend work, will participate in the Distance Learning Programme rather than the traditional instructional model. You must register your child for attendance (using the 'Register Attendance' tab above) on these dates so we can prepare effectively. ACCESSING THE CONTENT An essential component of the Distance Learning Programme is students being able to access the content on a daily/regular and ongoing basis, initially through Seesaw. Please notify your child's teacher immediately if you have had technical or device difficulties. OUTSIDE SCHOOL HOURS CARE For students attending the College on Friday 27th / Monday 30th March (out of necessity) or on the remaining days of Term 1, Before School and After School Care will continue to be available. Note this is only available if students are formally registered and booked to attend (as per the normal booking process). TERM BREAK The dates of the term 1 school break encompasses Friday 10th April (Good Friday) until Tuesday 28th April. TUITION (INSTRUMENTAL/MANDARIN) CHESS AND SPEECH PATHOLOGY We will notify families tomorrow concerning each of these. In summary, we will continue to be guided by the Government about whether a formal school closure is mandated. We are planning to maintain onsite supervision of learning for students whose parents have no other option and/or they are employed in an essential services workforce. We are modifying our lessons so that they are compatible with a Distance Learning Programme. For students who are remaining on campus, we will continue to utilise all COVID-19 infection control precautions. Yours sincerely Derek Nicholls. Principal REGENT COLLEGE |