COVID-19 Update

• How will students access the learning activities for their subjects?

  Students will be required to log into Microsoft OneNote and Microsoft Teams to check their work that has been assigned by their teacher. If they can not find or access this through these platforms, they should contact their classroom teacher via email.

  What sort of learning activities are students undertaking in lessons?

  Each individual subject and class may differentiate their learning activities due to the nature of the subject. Some activities Years 7-12 could include but are not limited to:

  • Short video explanations
  • Clickview videos
  • Worksheets
  • Reading and analysing text
  • Comprehension questions
  • Mini class quizzes
  • Posting ideas, thoughts or questions in Teams (chat).

  Year 11 and 12 students may be offered the opportunity to engage in video conferencing with their classroom teacher via Microsoft Teams ‘Meet Now’ function.  

  If you or your child are experiencing difficulties, what do you do?

  In the first instance, contact the class teacher for that subject via Microsoft Teams (students only) or email.

  If your query is an overall academic one, please contact the relevant Head of Year.

  If your query or difficulty is wellbeing, please contact the Mentor Teacher or relevant Head of House.

  How often can parents/students expect to hear from staff?

  Class teachers will be balancing the need of providing feedback, collaborating with colleagues, and preparing new online resources. Class teachers will be spending their time working with students online, feedback on tasks, and generating resources for their courses. Class teachers will check emails intermittently between 8am and 4pm.

  In the event that your child’s class teacher is absent or unable to respond to emails within a reasonable time frame, the student will be notified via Microsoft Teams or email and in this event the contact person will be the respective Head of Faculty.

  • English – Mrs Kate Dwyer
  • Mathematics – Ms Angela Roughan
  • Science – Mr Andrew Roberts (Acting)
  • Commerce and Geography – Mrs Amanda King
  • History and Philosophy – Mrs Katie McCloskey
  • PD/H/PE – Mr Gareth Hawgood
  • Technology and Applied Science – Mr Owen Redhead
  • Agriculture – Mr Ian Bryson
  • Languages – Mrs Sharon Cashen
  • Music – Mr Johnston Parkinson
  • Drama – Mrs Jennifer White
  • Art – Ms Nadine LaPalma
  • Academic Services – Mrs Jennifer Thompson

  Students have a wide range of activities to work from. Students are encouraged to move onto another activity if they are awaiting feedback from a teacher, or for technological issues to be resolved.

How will students access the learning plan for their year level/class?

Daily continued learning plans will be emailed to parents.

What sort of learning tasks can I expect next week?

Tasks will include all Key Learning Areas, including lessons from specialist teachers, as well as home-based play and learning.

• Tasks will include:
  • Literacy/English
  • Numeracy/Mathematics
  • Unit of Inquiry Learning
  • Specialist Lessons

The School stresses that, at times like these, doing things like helping with baking, or investigating the life in the garden, or reading with a parent are genuinely worthwhile things to do.

If you or your child are experiencing difficulties, what do you do?

In the first instance, contact your class teacher as you would by email.

If your question is regarding learning from a specialist teacher you can email Miss Madeleine Smith smithm@hvgs.nsw.edu.au

If your question is regarding online learning in general, you can email Miss Madeleine Smith smithm@hvgs.nsw.edu.au

How often can parents/students expect to hear from staff?

Class and specialist teachers will be balancing the need of providing feedback, collaborating with colleagues, and preparing new, online resources.
Class and specialists teachers will be spending their time working with students online, feeding back on tasks, and generating resources for the following day. Class teachers will check messages intermittently between 8am and 4pm.

In the event that your child’s class teacher is absent or unable to respond to messages within 24 hours, you will be advised by email.

Students have a wide range of activities to work from, hands-on and online. Students are encouraged to move onto another activity if they are awaiting feedback from a teacher, for access to a device, or for technological issues to be resolved.

• HVGS Online Learning Senior School Student Expectations

• HVGS Online Learning Junior School Student Guidelines

• HVGS Tips for Parents Supporting Students in Online Learning

The HVGS School Psychology team remains committed to the support of students and families in our school community. Individual support to students, in partnership with parents, carers and teaching staff, remains the heart of the work we are undertaking with our students, as follows:

• students continuing their day-to-day learning on campus can continue to access individual support time with their psychologist during the school day
• for students whose families have prioritised learning from home, continued care will take the form of email exchange and/or telephone consultation

As we approach the school vacation period, psychological care will focus on the development of adaptive coping through the acquisition and use of self-management skills. Evidence-based interventions that support and structure continued learning; fostering positive mood states and general wellbeing; and enhancement of strengths-based, solution-focused problem solving and use of family support will be key.

Collaborative work with teaching colleagues continues in the form of the planning and implementing of wellbeing programs and activities which align strongly with our HVGS values, PYP/MYP curriculum, and Positive Education principles.

If you have concerns about your child’s learning or psychosocial wellbeing, please contact the relevant teaching staff in the first instance; in Junior School, your child’s classroom teacher, and in Senior School, your child’s Mentor, Head of Year or Head of House. Requests for service may be directed to the HVGS School Psychology Team, and/or, external avenues for professional support. In the case of immediate concern with imminent risk to student safety, please contact your GP and/or the emergency department of your local hospital.

• Any student or staff member who over the last 14 days has been overseas should be in self-isolation for 14 days after they returned. They are excluded from school and should not return to school or child care (ELC) services for a period of 14 days after arriving, as the COVID-19 incubation period can be as long as two weeks.
• Students who have been identified as close contacts of a person diagnosed with COVID-19 during their infectious period must also self-isolate at home, and should not attend school or childcare settings until 14 days after their last contact with the infected person
• If a student is unwell with respiratory illness, they should remain at home until symptoms resolve and, where appropriate, seek advice from a medical practitioner

• If parents/carers choose to keep children home from school as a precautionary measure these students will receive appropriate support for learning from teachers.
• If parents are keeping children home as a long-term precautionary measure, please contact the school to let us know.

• HVGS continues to remain open and we have no foreseeable plans to close. However, we do ask parents and students to prepare themselves in event that HVGS is directed by the Government to close.

• We continue our current and enhanced hygiene practices to minimise any risks with the COVID-19 virus.

• It is important that students are prepared for home learning in the case that the school is required to close.
• For students in K-4 that would mean parents having a device with reliable internet to receive learning resources that is emailed by teachers.
• For student in 5-12 that would mean a student having a device with reliable internet and log ins and knowledge of how to use OneNote or MS Teams.

Any practical lessons would be rescheduled.

• NO external visitors are permitted to enter or visit the School unless an emergency, or critical to the School’s operations
• Parents and carers are asked not to come onto the grounds unless your child requires your urgent attention, which would be notified to you by the School. The exception to this is to drop children at school, and collect children. Please remain in your vehicles for this.
• All incursions, events and ceremonies on-site that involve visitors have been cancelled
• All assemblies have been cancelled

• Take all steps and precautions to combat Coronavirus, and to press home the relevant messages to children and students;
• Supervise hand hygiene; regular hand hygiene routines when at home (using soap);
• Enhance frequency and cleaning for high touch surfaces at home; and use outdoor environments; and

• When dropping off and picking up students from Kindergarten through to Year 12 parents/carers must stay in their vehicle. This includes for regular school times, co-curricular activities, and late arrivals. The exception to this is;
  • Dropping off or picking children up from TeamKids.
    These exceptions are due to legislation requiring children to be signed in and out.

• From Monday 23 March, parents/carers will be required to drop off and collect their children from the front of the ELC. This will assist to minimise the volume of visitors who attend our setting on a daily basis. Staff will be on hand to sign children in and out of the ELC and assist children with morning and afternoon routines.

• You may have noticed the ELC’s Coronavirus Policy on display in our foyer area. Here is a digital copy of the policy which outlines the steps we are taking to minimise the spread of any infectious illness, links to the latest Government information and requirements, as well information regarding the payment of fees.

• Parents are allowed on-site to collect, given the legal requirement that student be signed out
• TeamKids will be wiping down the iPad used for signing out after each use
• TeamKids will implement a sign-out location the enables social distancing between parents and students upon collection

All activities outside of timetabled lessons, before and after school have been cancelled until further notice.

All school camps planned to occur in Term 1 have been cancelled. The Year 9 Urban challenge is postponed and likely to go ahead later in the year.

The planned tour to Europe in April has been postponed to later in the year.

 NSW Health COVID-19 current Information

Tip Sheet of dealing with anxiety around Coronavirus