Gisborne Primary School CHALK TALK · Dr Carr-Gregg’s presentation will run for 45 minutes. This will be followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session in which parents and

Gisborne Primary School

20th August 2020 No. 24

CHALK TALK

Diary Dates

2020

TERM THREE:

AUG 2020

*Wed 26th Aug School Council Online Mtg

SEPT 2020 *Fri 18th Sept Last day Term 3. 2.30pm finish

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Dear families,

Learning in 2020 As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, David Howes, Deputy Secretary, Schools and Regional Services, has been talking over the past couple of weeks about perceptions of our students’ educational experience in Victoria in 2020. He spoke of a narrative that could take hold over the year that ‘students have lost a year of learning’. This semester we will be focusing and assessing our students’ abilities in their personal and social capabilities. This is their ability to self-regulate and manage their own learning appropriately for their stage of development. It is their ability to use all the resources provided by the teacher to improve their pieces, practise new skills and refine the work they are producing. It is their ability to revise, edit and check their pieces of work without prompting or expecting their teacher/parent to edit for them. It is also their ability to use the modelled example, the success criteria or rubric that outlines ‘what a good one looks like’ to evaluate their own work and how they can improve it before submitting to the teacher.

There are a variety of styles of delivering remote learning across the state. Some schools are providing hard copy work and no online face to face contact at all for a variety of reasons. Other schools (especially secondary) have a virtual classroom for each of their teachers/subject areas so that students are online with their whole class for 2-3 hours per day or more. After evaluating the different approaches taken by year levels at Gisborne PS in Term 2 these were our findings:

>Only a small number of students in a whole class WebEx stay engaged for more than 5-10 minutes; the number of students attending whole class WebEx meetings diminished considerably over Term 2.

>Whole class WebEx Meetings do not address every child’s level of learning so many are listening to information about concepts they already have or skills they are not yet ready to learn.

>Teachers who were initially using whole class WebEx Meetings found they had no real evidence of the level of understanding and learning of the students in their class, and found assessing and reporting much more difficult.

>Students, families and teachers have told us that children engage and learn much more effectively when supported in small group conferences at their point of need.

Our Remote Learning Instructional Model is very close to our in-class model; whole class long WebEx Meetings do not provide this effective teaching and learning i.e. 1. Explicit teaching is provided in a small group conference, via a teaching video or

PowerPoint that can be watched several times when children are doing the task. 2. Students spend the majority of the hour working on the task and using resources

provided by their teachers to learn and improve their work, self-regulation and agency. 3. The teacher works with small groups of students, and individually, at their point of

need. 4. The teacher assesses each child’s task (via SeeSaw or Google Classroom) to

determine the level of understanding in learning the new concept or skill, then plans new work accordingly.

We are very aware that our students will not be getting the same amount of explicit teaching as they would face to face in their classrooms. The teachers are constantly trying to build and share banks of videos to overcome this. However, we are hoping to see some fantastic gains in their agency and independence which will serve them well throughout their life of learning. Stay safe Julie Soutter

THE BUDS ON THE TREES ARE BURSTING! NEW LEAVES AND FLOWERS WILL SOON BE SPLURGING

MESSAGE FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Caring Hearts, Caring Minds, Caring Actions Sleep tips for children

We know maintaining routine during remote learning can be difficult. Please

read the information below from Michael Grose including tips and thoughts

about the importance of good sleep habits.

Regularity and routine are the agents of sleep. It takes discipline to adhere to

and commitment to making sleep a high priority. Helping kids understand how

their body clock works, assisting them to work out their optimal bedtime and

putting lifestyle habits in place can help them get the sleep they need to

maximise their learning, wellbeing, development and overall performance.

Understand the body clock

Sleep is regulated by a 24-hour body clock that manages the secretion of melatonin to send us to sleep

and cortisol to wake us up. This amazing body clock is reset every day when light first hits our retinas.

Sleep in late and the clock goes out of synch. When your child works with the rhythms of their body’s

24-hour clock they will give themselves the optimal chance for sleep success.

Stick to sleep recommendations

The Raising Children’s Network recommends between 10-11 hours for primary school children and 8-10

hours for secondary school-aged kids. As every child is different, you may notice that your child needs

more or less sleep than is recommended.

Develop good sleep hygiene habits

Start a regular bedtime routine at least 45 minutes out from bedtime to help kids get ready for sleep.

Eat and exercise at the right time. Sleep likes a relaxed body and a calm nervous system, so schedule

exercise and active movement before mealtimes.

Create a sleep sanctuary. Restrict bedrooms to sleep and relaxation quarters and find other places in

the house for time out and reflection, school work and active play.

Keep bedrooms cave-like. A child’s bedroom should be cave-like – that is, dark, cool and free from

electronic devices. Darkness encourages melatonin, which regulates sleep-wake patterns.

Get up at a regular time. For optimal sleep, bed and wake up times need to be as regular as

possible.

Lifestyle habits that promote sleep

Teach your child or young person to put away digital devices at least ninety minutes before bed

Minimise weekend sleep-ins and limit them to an hour more than usual, to keep the sleep clock

operating on a regular basis

Encourage your child to go outside every day – take a walk, meet a mate (subject to COVID

restrictions) or do an errand

Keep homework out of bedrooms, or at least out of beds. The brain associates activity with location,

so if kids work while on their beds, it will be hard for them to mentally switch off from their schoolwork

when the light finally goes out.

Sleep is a critical component of enhancing a child’s wellbeing, learning, development and overall

performance. Helping your child to get enough quality sleep will ensure that their brain and body are

being used at full capacity.

By Michael Grose. For further information, see

https://www.parentingideas.com.au/blog/sleep-tips-for-kids/

Thank you for the continued positive home/school partnership.

Enjoy the weekend and all the best for the week ahead.

Regards, Lisa Maxwell

2020 review of the Disability Standards for Education

A chance to have your say & input The Disability Standards for Education 2005 are currently being reviewed by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment. As part of the 2020 review, an extensive community consultation process is currently underway to seek feedback about whether the standards are effective or if any improvements can be made. Current, former and prospective students with disability, their families and carers, advocates, educators, and other members of the public are invited to share their experiences, views and ideas to inform the review of the standards. Due to coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, engagement activities will mostly be held online via a dedicated 2020 review Consultation Hub. The hub offers a range of different ways that participants can share their views and ideas, and will be open until 11.59pm on Friday 25 September. A series of webinars is also available for interested participants to share their experiences and opinions. The webinars will be fully accessible, and will include Auslan translation and captioning. The webinars are open to the public, and each will have a different theme. These are:

Educators webinar on Wednesday 19 August, 3.30-5.30pm Tertiary education webinar on Thursday 20 August, 3-5pm

Early childhood webinar on Thursday 27 August, 4.30-6pm.

For more information about the upcoming webinars visit the frequently asked questions page.

A discussion paper has been developed with guiding questions to help interested participants have their say.

For more information email [email protected]

PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE — CLOSING SOON!

Just a reminder that Gisborne Primary School is registered for the Premiers’ Reading Challenge (PRC). We have a short time left to finish up reading. Parents need to send their child’s name to Mrs Hickingbotham in the library as she must verify all details on the website. Email [email protected] More information is available at the PRC website. Go to https://www.education.vic.gov.au/prc

DID YOU KNOW?

The Challenge encourages children and students from birth to year 10 to read a set number of books over the year and record their efforts online. Since the Challenge first began in 2005, more than 3 million students have read nearly 50 million books!

A FREE WEBINAR ON ‘MANAGING THE CORONACOASTER’ FOR PARENTS & CARERS

Dear parents and carers, On Tuesday 25 August, the Department of Education and Training is presenting a free webinar for parents and carers by renowned child psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, on building family resilience during coronavirus (COVID-19). Parents and carers play a vital role in helping children feel safe through uncertain times. Dr Carr-Gregg’s webinar is aptly named Managing the Coronacoaster – Tips for building resilient families in the coronavirus era. In this webinar, Dr Carr-Gregg provides tools and strategies for parents and carers to help manage the lockdown and remote learning. Topics include: - your supportive role - setting the emotional tone - focusing on what you can control - how to deal with disappointment - further resources and where to get help. Dr Carr-Gregg’s presentation will run for 45 minutes. This will be followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session in which parents and carers can ask Dr Carr-Gregg questions. Webinar details When: Tuesday 25 August Time: 7:30pm Duration: 45-minute presentation followed by 15-minute questions and answers session Format: online via WebEx Cost: free How to register: To register and for more information visit https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/managing-the-coronacoaster-tips-for-building-resilient-families-registration-116837404823.

A REMINDER ABOUT SCHOOL FEES — IF YOU HAVE NOT PAID ALREADY: NOTE If you are experiencing financial hardship, please speak in confidence with the Principal.

Reports from the home classrooms

during remote learning

Reports from the home classrooms

during remote learning

Reports from the home classrooms

during remote learning

SPRING IS CLOSE BY. I HUG MYSELF WARM AS I WONDER . ABOUT THE BEAUTY OF NATURE AND HOW IT DOES NOT EVEN HAVE TO TRY.