Next week students will commence their school holiday early whilst staff attend to Professional Learning. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the whole school community for their strength and positivity during, what is possibly, the most challenging term we have faced. From the commencement of the year to now- we have experienced unprecedented times. Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. We already miss you, and your children's, friendly faces around St Mary's!

I would like to thank our staff for working with a solutions-based mindset - for being determined to make the best of a difficult situation. A farmer friend of mine said the other day, "I know I can't drive a tractor and muster sheep at the same time, so I don't know how teachers are managing at the moment." He was referring to teachers working face-to-face in a classroom and providing remote learning for students at home. Our staff are working long hours to enable learning, both theirs and their students. I sincerely thank them for their hard work.

Moving to remote learning will be an ongoing journey for all of us, however, we are determined to work with each of you to make it a success. Your feedback, comments and questions will assist with this process.

I would like you all to take a break from school learning over the next three weeks. Please enjoy the time together and take a breath. For those of our parents who will be working through the break, we thank you for this, we appreciate the sacrifices you are making. 

Below is a very and true pertinent quote for each one of us to consider, provided by our inspirational Assistant Principal, Sally Croker. 

Remote Learning - Q&A

Will the school be open next term or will you be providing just Remote Learning?

At this stage, we have not received an answer to this question. We have been told to prepare for Remote Learning to commence in Term 2.

Will Microsoft Teams replace Google Classroom as the remote learning platform? 

We have been told that Microsoft Teams will sit under our current platforms to add a layer of extra security. We have been advised that Google Classroom will work hand-in-hand with Microsoft Teams.  We will have more of an understanding of the impact of Microsoft teams on our current set-up after our training next week.

Do we need to complete all of the online tasks each week?

At this stage, it has been hard for teachers to gauge how much work to upload for students. As the week has progressed we are realising that students are not going to be able to complete as much as we would in a face-to-face school day. 

Please complete what you are able to. Tasks can also be modified to suit your home situation. Learning happens in the home all the time that is unscripted. We really do not want families to worry - whatever you can manage is fine with us. Your relations and mental health is your first priority. 

How do I access the Remote Learning Resources?

Links and instructions to our Remote Learning platforms can be found at our St Mary's Remote Learning Hub, accessed from our school website www.stmarysc.nsw.edu.au.

Go to the Education option in the navigation bar and then choose 'Remote Learning Hub' from the drop-down options. When this page opens click on "St Mary's Remote Learning Hub'. This will take you to our weebly site http://stmarysc.weebly.com/

Handing in student work can be done in many ways.

Completed print work can be returned to the Old School Hall each week. The student trays will be in the Old Hall. Pop your students work in there for their teacher to collect. Materials to collect will also be placed in the trays. 

You could also scan or photograph work and email it to your classroom teacher. Your teacher's email address is in the following format - Jane.Robson@cg.catholic.edu.au.

You could upload files to the Google Drive through Google Classroom tasks - these can be done on google documents or uploaded as PDF's. I will run a Parent Video Conference on how to do this next term. 

My child has print materials, do I need to access the online materials as well?

No, we understand that not everyone has suitable access to the internet, data or devices at home. Print resources will be provided to students unable to access the internet. Please let Belinda know if you require these. 

Next term we are aiming to provide a blend of print and online activities. 

I am getting inundated with Google Classroom email notifications, can I turn these off?

Yes, you can. Go to the landing page of Google Classroom, and click on the three lines in the left-hand corner. Circled in red below.

Scroll down to the end of this list, and click on 'Settings'.

Here you choose to turn off either all settings or just turn off notification for one or more classes.

CleverTouch Interactive Panels

Our new Clever-Touch panels are up and running! They have a finger touch screen, height-adjustable electronic stand, instant messaging and inbuilt operating system. The staff will receive PD on Monday to become familiar with their many fantastic features.

A huge thank you to our P&F Association supporting us with funds for these new panels. 

We are giving away two more interactive whiteboards with projectors to anyone who would like them, the only catch is you will have to remove them yourself. Call Belinda if you are interested.