Our bi-weekly check-in surveys and daily home group online for 30 minutes have also ensured our home group teachers and grade teams can continue to monitor student wellbeing. Our students have and will continue to have access to support through these platforms along with our Wellbeing and Support Team having their own Canvas page for students to access. If students or family members have any concerns, there are many ways to seek support from school.

• Canvas links (Home Room and Support Team)
• Through regular Teams meetings
• Emails (teachers, staff or the main admin)
• Schoolzine notifications
• Phone calls

We are certainly missing everyone immensely and are really looking forward to when we can have everyone back on campus. I would like to continue to thank those families who are able to continue to support your child’s learning at home though, as per the Governments request, and also for letting us know if circumstances change with 24 hours notice.

Currently student learning at school continues to be the same as students learning from home in an online delivery mode. This will continue until Tuesday 9th June when schools will be open for all students to return. Current advice from the Health Department and Education Department regarding at risk ‘vulnerable’ students with pre-existing medical conditions remains unchanged in that families can continue to keep children in these categories at home and our school will continue to provide their teaching and learning program. This may look slightly different to what it has been so far this term, but we will certainly continue to support your child. 

You can access COVID-19 Advice for People with Chronic Health Conditions and further information on immune system conditions, medical treatments and chronic conditions that may increase the risk of illness via the DoE website.

Parents and carers of children with complex medical needs are required to seek medical advice, where the needs are not already known by the school, from a registered health practitioner to support informed risk assessment and decision-making regarding the suitability of on-site education wellbeing for their child.  Medical advice is defined as the provision of a formal professional opinion regarding what a specific individual should or should not do to restore or preserve their health.  This may be provided in the form of a medical certificate, but it is not compulsory for this to occur.

We will be sending a survey to families regarding returning to school soon, which will enable us to have a real accurate understanding of who will be on campus and who will be at home and any further supports we need to put in place.

The clear message is and always has been that schools are safe, and we will continue to have all the necessary hygiene and wellbeing protocols in place to ensure everyone’s safety. However, families are asked not to send their child to school if they are showing any signs of cold or flu like symptoms or are unwell.

Why Our Schools are Safe Places

Tips to Prepare for Returning to School

Social Media Video

Important information regarding school from 9th June:

Arriving and leaving school:

To reduce the number of people and adults on our site (and all school sites), the DoE have instructed us to inform parents of the STOP, DROP and GO message. Parents are asked to drop students safely near the gates of the school or if needed via the school car park turning circle and leave immediately. 

Buses:

The DoE continues to work closely with the Department of State Growth and Department of Health regarding safety precautions on school buses. School bus timetables will not change even if schools change their start and finish times. Please see the attached letter regarding buses received from Department of State Growth.

Bell at 8.40am – Students to move to Grade Areas and wait to be signalled in via our staggered “coloured dot locker” system to allow for staggered entry to small locker areas.

Class Teacher - 9.00am - 9.30am (for the first week and to be revised after this)

Block 1-   9.30am -10.20am

Block 2 -  10.20am - 11.10am

Recess

Block 3 -  11.30am - 12.20pm

Block 4 -  12.20pm -1.10pm

Lunch

Block 5 -  1.50pm -2.40pm

Hygiene Routines:

• Hand washing routines before breaks will continue as per Term 1. Students are expected to wash their hands on returning to class after breaks.
• All classrooms and grade areas have hand sanitiser available for student use.
• All classrooms have mobile cleaning kits for equipment to be wiped after use (e.g. computer keyboards).
• Cleaning staff will continue to regularly clean high touch point and hard surfaces (e.g. door handles and flat surfaces).
• Sport equipment will be required to be cleaned after use and students undertake a strict hand washing routine.
• Students are very welcome to bring their own sanitiser if they choose but there are plenty of supplies across the school.
• Students are not to be sharing equipment such as pens and pencils and need to be prepared for their own learning requirements. Grade Teams will assist if needed.

Physical Distancing:

• Whilst school are not required to physically distance students in classrooms and playgrounds, we are certainly encouraged to maintain physical distance where practicable. This means we will continue with our staggered entry and exit system (“coloured dots”) in our corridors and locker bays.
• Students will be strongly encouraged to remain physically distanced with others whilst in the playground and in activities where it is possible.
• HPE and Dance classes are not permitted to undertake activities that are deliberate contact activities. 

Canteen:

• Students will be allowed to access the canteen daily as always but will be required to enter in limited numbers and in one line in and out, adhering to physical distance rules.
• They are not permitted to remain in the canteen to eat their food.
• We strongly encourage students to utilise the new QKR ordering APP to ensure easy and quick access to food.

Learning:

• Students will return to our “new normal” on 9th June and engage back with their teachers in a face to face manner.
• We will continue to embrace the positives from our time learning online and continue to share curriculum materials and learning opportunities in a blended learning manner. Students will be able to access their learning through Canvas as per normal.
• The priority will be to re-establish students' connection with school and learning and support them in areas that are needed. Families will receive communication regarding student wellbeing and level of learning achievement by the end of July.

Finally, I would like to sincerely thank all families and carers for your continued support of your child’s learning at home. We know that it has no doubt presented many challenges for you and your family, but we certainly are appreciative of your ongoing support. 

I would also like to pay particular thanks to the amazing team of staff here at Kings Meadows High School for their wonderful work in continuing to support our learners. The hours of planning and preparation to ensure that the units of work are conducive to online learning and engaging and rigorous that staff have been doing is testament to their outstanding commitment to our students. To be able to stay connected with our learners and their learning has been wonderful and we certainly can’t wait to see them return on 9th June.

Warm regards

Maree