Dear Parents and Carers,
There have been a number of important announcements concerning the operation of Early Learning Centres and Schools in Victoria.
The Victorian Government has now advised that all schools will move to remote and flexible learning at the start of Term 2 on Wednesday 15 April.
This means that all students who can learn at home must learn from home. This is a very clear directive by the Victorian Government based on the advice of the Chief Health Officer.
This is to reduce movement within the community and minimise contact between individuals as a means of reducing the potential spread of COVID-19.
If you can stay home you must stay home.
There are only four reasons to leave your home. These are:
- To shop for food and other necessary goods and services
- To access medical services or provide caregiving – for example, this includes shared parenting obligations or providing care and support to an unwell, disabled, elderly or pregnant friend or relative
- To attend work or education where you can’t do those things from home
- To exercise
You may also leave your home in an emergency or if required by law.
For Doveton College this means
- The Early Learning Centre remains open to care for children of essential workers, with exceptions in extremely limited circumstances for vulnerable or disadvantaged children.
- The school will move to remote and flexible learning where children learn at home unless their parents are essential services workers and there is no-one at home to care for them, or those in extremely limited circumstances of vulnerability or disadvantage.
On Tuesday 14 April we will be calling all families to discuss the remote and flexible learning arrangements and what this means for your children. We will help you to understand how your children can access their learning materials. Information will be available for parents and carers on the Doveton College website to support learning and to help you access support for your family if required. We will try to identify students who do not have access to digital technologies at home and where possible will loan devices such as laptops and tablets to ensure no student misses out.
All parents and carers will receive a letter to follow up the phone call which details how you can communicate with teachers and contact the College, and the ways in which we will continue to maintain contact with you and your children.
We have already distributed packages to all school children with enough work for the next two weeks. Packages will be distributed to children in the ELC Red and Green rooms over the next two weeks.
Most of our teachers and educators will also be working from home. They have been working hard to put curriculum plans in place to ensure continuity of learning and to support the wellbeing of all our children.
Please make sure that your contact information is correct, it is essential that we have your current phone number, current email address and correct residential address.
Thank you for working with us during this challenging time. We will need to continue to work closely together as we provide support to ensure the ongoing wellbeing and learning of your children, and in curbing the spread of the coronavirus.
Please take care of yourselves and your families.
Yours faithfully
Debra Gibson