VHHS COVID-19 update - 30 April 2020

Dear Families

As the week draws to a close and COVID-19 appears to be slowing down, I thought I would give you a short update.

SCHOOL IS OPEN

Firstly, the school is open to all students and we have students following their full timetable. This decision has been made on the back of the Department for Education’s advice as informed by expert, official, national and state based public health and education advice.

Whilst restrictions remain in place for various visiting personnel, assemblies, camps, excursions and sport the LEARNING program is available for all students. The teaching staff are keen to return to “normal” conditions which includes having all students back in our learning spaces. At the same time, we acknowledge and respect each family’s decision to remain at home because there may be an issue connected to COVID-19.

HYGIENE

We continue to have hygiene products and the school continues to be cleaned multiple times each day. Posters communicating healthy approaches during this time are published across the school and staff are reminding the students of their responsibility in this area.

ATTENDANCE

School attendance this week has hovered around the low 50th percentile. We would like to see this improve next week. We share the Department for Education’s view that education is best delivered by professional teachers to students in the classroom at school.

The Teaching and Learning Guide remains a useful source of information except for page 6, which is now replaced by each student’s personal timetable. Students whether learning at home or learning at school should be reporting into each lesson.

If your child has not “checked in” as present each lesson, the subject teacher will mark your child as an unsatisfactory absence and will be contacting you personally.

To avoid this happening and to report illness please continue follow the school’s normal absence reporting process. Should the absences continue to increase the House Leader will be in contact and if absences still remain a referral will be made to the Attendance personnel in our region.

DEVICES & ACCESS to the INTERNET

This week we have started the delivery of devices and internet access to year 11 and 12 students whose learning at home is being compromised because of access. The school is grateful to the Department for Education for sourcing the refurbished devices. Currently, we are liaising with the Department for Education to meet the demand for year 8 – 10 students. The devices and internet access resources remain the property of the Department for Education.

We are looking forward to improving the attendance percentage next week. If you are in doubt about anything please contact your House Leader or a member of the Leadership Executive. The contact details are available in the Teaching and Learning Guide on pages 12 and 13.

PS if you have misplaced your Teaching and Learning Guide it is available on the school website www.vhhs.sa.edu.au

Stay Safe and Healthy

Amanda O’Shea

Principal