birrong public school

Birrong Public School Learning at Home Update

Dear Parents and carers,

I would like to thank our school community for being so supportive of everything that has been put in place to protect everyone’s health and safety. I understand that the move to learning at home has been challenging for the students, parents and the staff.

I am extremely proud of how our community has risen to the challenge of this new world of learning at home and working from home. I am proud to lead this amazing school but simply could not do it without your support. Even during such a worrying time, I have seen our community spirit grow stronger than ever and we are continuing to work through this together.

Term 2 The Department of Education has indicated that Term 2 will commence in the same way we have operated over the last couple of weeks, that is, students engaging in learning at home. It is unclear how long this will continue during Term 2, however, I anticipate that we will operate this way for quite some time or at least until the threat of COVID-19 has passed.

What have we done and put in place to prepare? As a school we have created a plan in preparation for the continuation of the current operational frame-work of learning at home. My staff have worked hard to create two week blocks of work for students to ensure continuity of learning based on class programs. All blocks of work are based on our core units for each stage and follow the classroom teachers’ programs. We have:

Commenced contacting families and students to check on student/family wellbeing as a priority and to enquire about work completion.

Established identification of students who need additional support where work will be modified and adjusted in Term 2.

Set up Google Classroom for all classes (K-6). Google Classroom is a platform where work can be uploaded and accessed by students. This may include video clips to demonstrate particular elements of learning and content, for example fractions for Stage 3. Information on Google Class-room will be released at the start of Term 2.

Surveyed student needs in terms of access to technology. In Term 2 a system for loaning devices will operate. Priority will based on need.

Continued to develop tasks that do not necessarily need a computer / access to internet.

Followed all Department of Education and NSW Health Protocols in regards to social distancing and working from home options for all staff across the school.

Set up virtual meetings with staff to discuss, plan and deliver learning at home that allows our students to work to the best of their ability under new and challenging times.

School Holidays Friday 10 April—Monday 27 April During the school holidays I am directing our staff to take a break from school work and the pressure that they have been under over the last couple of weeks. This will mean that teachers will not be on school site nor will they be accessing school work on a computer etc. It is important that they look after themselves and be ready for Term 2.

Birrong Public School The school holidays is a time for students to take a break from the schoolwork and enjoy doing some other activities in and around the house. It is also your time to take a break from the schoolwork too!

Learning at Home Plans We are printing copies of the learning at home plans for Weeks 1 and 2 of Term 2. These will be posted to your home in the second week of the holidays and should, therefore, arrive in time for the start of Term 2. We will also hold a pick up point for these packs on Tuesday 28 April outside the Hall COLA should your children’s packs not arrive in time. You do not need a printed copy if you are happy for your child to access it online. It is the same work.

Please observe the following pick up times and ensure you follow social distancing measures when you come on site.

Surname starting with A—F 9:00am

Surname starting with G—M 9:40am Surname starting with N—S 10:20am

Surname starting with T—Z 11:00am

A couple of points to note: Please follow the suggested timetables that have been set by the stage teams. We do not want the students working 6 hours straight through the day. Our school staff understand that for some families the reality is that the school day of learning at home may look very different to the traditional 9:00am—3:00pm school day and not all learning will take place between these hours. Students are encouraged to be active and enjoy their learning, whatever that may look like in your home. Remember that some outside fitness and creative tasks are all part of the curriculum. This might include some painting, drawing, cooking (with adult supervision), learning to sew, playing a boardgame or completing a jigsaw puzzle. Like adults, students need some fun and downtime too.

Please ensure that students are only completing the work allocated as teachers are not in a position to provide additional work or tasks. The blocks that have been planned are to be completed over the two week period. If students complete all set tasks, encourage them to do some additional research on a topic of interest, complete additional reading, keep a journal or develop a new skill or hobby. We are not asking students to be on the devices all day throughout the school week. Students can map out their day of learning and can still complete pen and paper tasks or read an actual book.

I will let the community know further information at the start of Term 2, including Google Classroom access details, communication protocols (how you can access teacher support and what to expect in terms of communication from the school, and attendance monitoring procedures.

Once again, I thank you. I cannot express enough my gratitude and appreciation for our community and my amazing staff. Personally, my own family and I have greatly appreciated the messages of support and care that we have received from everyone. It has helped my son to understand why ‘mum’ needs to be at work to support and lead her community through this extremely challenging and difficult situation while he learns at home.

Please remember that we can be contacted if you have questions or concerns as that is what we are here for. We are going through the same experiences, frustrations and concerns for ourselves, our families and the greater community.

Please take care and stay safe.

Kind regards,

Jodi Devine 9.04.2020

To our wonderful students, parents and families of Birrong Public School, How much you are all missed is beyond description. You are all special and deeply cared for and we will get through this together! To my amazing students of 2 White, I have missed each and every one of you dearly. I have missed the laughs, the learning, the smile on your faces and the ‘aha’ moments that happen everyday. I can’t wait for you all to come back and fill our classrooms with your chatter, laughter and happiness! Lots of love being sent your way, May Issa

Hello 3 Lime! It feels so long since I have seen you, but it has only been a few weeks. I have loved calling you all every week and hearing your stories about what you have been up to at home. I'm so impressed with how hard you have all been working and I can’t believe how many books you have read on Get Epic! How amazing! I hope you enjoy your holidays, have lots of fun with your families and stay safe. I’m looking forward to this ending so we can see each other again. Ms El Ali

I hope everyone

continues to stay safe

and well over the school

holidays. I miss your

smiling faces and

inquisitive minds and I

look forward to the day

we will see each other

back at school.

Ms Morris

It’s been a while since we’ve seen you We hope you’re safe and well Take a long, relaxing break And you’ll be back at school soon, we can tell Well done on the effort you’ve put into your learning And congratulations to Mum and Dad too Be kind to yourself and each other And we really miss you. Mrs Lopez

Messages from Birrong Public School Staff—We Miss You!

Daisy and I would like to wish the Birrong community a safe

and happy holiday. Over the last few weeks I have really

missed seeing everyone’s smiling faces both on the playground

and in the classroom. It has made me treasure the

memories I have made with you all just that little bit more.

With love, Miss Clarkeand Daisy.

To my 5/6 Ruby Students and Families, Thank YOU for a beautiful beginning of 2020. We were able to accomplish so much in such a short amount of time. We will continue to keep our positive attitude and together as a TEAM(TogetherEveryoneAchievesMore) be strong and supportive to each other. I WILL SEE YOU SOON....Pinky Promise ! I MISS - Your stories - Your jokes - Your hugs and smiles - Your laughter - Your giggles - Your out of the box thinking - Your Ideas - Your voice reading out loud - Your willingness to try new things - Your face when you accomplish a goal - Your kindness - Your friendships - Your imagination and creativity - Your smile - Our class-room family - I MISS YOU ! Ms Jeni Vekic

Hi 4 Mint,

I hope you're all well and happy!

I wanted to share this photo of

me on my first road trip to New-

castle (head in an ice freezer) as

a reminder that times may be a

little difficult now but we will

get back to those good times.

Know that your school commu-

nity are here to support you

through this period and your

wellbeing and learning will al-

ways be our priority! Have a safe

and happy break and enjoy

spending time with your family!

Most importantly, stay positive!

Life is what you make of it!

Hope to see you all soon!

Miss Omar


To our students, we are all missing you at school! Remember to be kind to each other, try your best with your learning and have some fun with your family. To our parents, as Wonder Woman would say, “You are stronger than you believe. You have greater powers than you know.” I hope to see you all soon! Mrs Wright

Hi from Mrs Fletcher Hi to all the students and families of Birrong PS. I hope you are all safe and well. I hope you enjoy the holidays spending time outside and sharing some reading of your favourite books. Take care.

Hi All, We have all had to adjust to many changes and do so very quickly. I hope you are all well and remembering Safety, Respect and Learning at home as at school. I look forward to seeing you back at school. Take care, Ms Mastorakis.


Hi boys, girls, parents and carers, I miss you all. I hope you are well and adjusting to learning at home. Thank you so much for all your hard work in continuing the learning in your homes. I wish you all the very best for the holidays. Take care of yourselves. Stay safe, healthy and happy. From Mrs Zajakovska (1 Aqua).

Hello 1/2 Gold! I hope you have all been happy and healthy

since we last saw each other. I miss you all very much, and

cannot wait to see your bright faces again very soon! Keep

up the incredible effort to learn and complete activities at

home. Remember our class motto: 'We DO NOT give up in

1/2 gold, we ALWAYS try our best!'.

To all the parents, you are doing an outstanding job teach-

ing and supporting your children to learn at home. Your

efforts are recognised, and I would like to thank you for

everything you are doing!

Have a safe and fabulous holiday!

From, Miss Kazamias.

I miss you! I miss you! I miss you!

This certainly hasn’t been the term that we thought it would be, has it?

I miss all of your happy, smiling faces, our great chats and teaching you

each day.

I want you to know that even though we aren’t all together at school,

we are still part of 4 Emerald and connected in that special way.

I am super proud of all the work you have been doing on your learning

at home and have loved talking with you on the phone and hearing

about the tasks you have been working on. It’s the best part of my day!

I know your families have all been working hard too, so I hope you are

all able to relax a little bit more during the school holidays and spend

some fun times together.

My family and I will be spending lots of time with our puppy, Lola,

that’s for sure.

I have been busy planning some great new work for you for Term 2 and

I can’t wait to speak with you after the holidays to see how you are and

get started on some great new learning. It might still be from home but

nothing can stop 4 Emerald from shining bright in our effort, attitude

and learning!

Best wishes from Mrs Wedgwood

Dear boys and girls of Birrong, I miss you all so much! I hope you are reading and keeping safe. I can't wait to see you all again soon. Ms Lam

TOGETHER WE WILL

OVERCOME THIS


I am missing all the smiling faces from 5 Magenta. I hope

you are all well and working hard. Enjoy the Easter

holidays and I look forward to seeing you all again very

soon.

Ms Mosey

Hello 5/6 Crimson! I hope you are all well and are making the best of the home schooling experience. As you can see from my photo, I like to spend a lot of my time in my garden. When I'm not on the phone with you and guiding you all through the online learning I'm in my back yard. I hope you can do the same find some-thing that you really enjoy and take the time to perfect it. Wishing you a wonderful and safe holiday. When this is all over we will have many things to share and discuss. All the best Ms Nemra

Hey 6G!

Stay safe.

Connect on Google

Classroom.

Mr Cole

The students in the New Arrivals Program are having a daily session via the phone. The NAP students are learning how to write a narrative with the orientation, events, a problem and a solution to the problem. The students are coping well with the new learning mode although sometimes this requires a lot of effort to clarify and get the correct message. I feel happy and contented that the NAP students are doing well and they show great interest and enthusiasm in the learning. Mrs K. Leung

The bells are still ringing,

But we miss the joy

The laughing and singing

of the girls and the boys.

The empty chairs

and lonely rooms

Makes us wish

To see you soon!

We miss you very much.

Miss Nguyen


Although you’re not at school and learning in the same way

There’ll come a time, when once again you’ll be with your teachers and friends each day

Until that time there are many things that you must remember to do

Read, write and do some maths, just to name a few

Respect your parents, exercise and wash your hands all the while

It’s also very important that you laugh and share a smile!

Take care and stay safe,

Mrs Kelly

We all miss you at school

and hope you are taking

care of yourself and your

family. Keep doing some

learning every day and find

time to get outside for

fresh air and exercise.

See you soon.

Mr Unicomb

Greetings to our school community and especially to the students of 3 Eucalyptus. When you return to school, you will be sur-prised by some beautiful changes to our class-room! Over the holidays, have fun playing games, sharing stories, exercising and giving hope. Choose to be happy and take time to laugh. Kind regards from Mrs Veikoso

Dear 3 Teal,

I hope you are all well and that you are

enjoying your home learning experiences

with your families. Remember we are here

to help you if it gets tough. Like you, I hope

that the community isolation will be soon

be over and that life can get back to normal.

I am also truly grateful that in Australia we

are quite safe and that our leaders are

trying to keep us healthy until this

pandemic is over. I hope you all have happy

and safe holiday.

Mrs Ferrara.

A big warm hello to everyone! I hope you have all been working hard on your learning frameworks. I'm so proud of how our Birrong Public School community is working together during these strange and uncertain times. Remember to keep asking questions about things, and take the time to do something that interests you, especially during the holidays. Stay safe and take care of each other. Miss Brown

STAY SAFE. TAKE CARE.


Hello Birrong Public School community. My name is Mrs Ghamrawi and I teach 1 Orange. I miss my class very much and can't wait to see them again.

Hi 3/4F, Just wanted to say hello and tell you that I miss you all. The classroom is very quiet without everyone. I miss the laughter, curiosity and joy that you all bring to our class. This term has been very different for all of us, we have needed to change the way we do things. I think this makes us all stronger and will help us with any new changes that may happen in the future. I hope you have enjoyed the home learning activities. Term 2 brings more learning with the introduction of Google classroom. You now have just over two weeks of holidays to re-lax and enjoy your time with your family. Play lots of games and keep active. When we come back to school you will see some great new furniture in our room. So exciting! Remember I am here for all of you with anything that you help with or if you want to talk. Enjoy your break Mrs Mucenski

Dear Students of Kinder Yellow and families, I hope you are all staying safe and you are with your families at home. I have missed seeing you in class each day and learning with you. I look for to having a break over the holidays and I hope you do too. I wish you a restful school holiday break where you can do fun things at home and be ready for learning in Term 2. It has been a different time where we are learning from home and after speaking to your parents it sounds like you are all doing and amazing job and I am proud of you all. Thank you to the Mums and Dads for being so patient and supportive as I know this can-not be easy. I look forward to hearing about your holidays and learning with you next Term. Warm wishes , Miss Gavan

Dear Kindergarten Green, Whilst we are away from school I want to let you know that I’m missing you all. I miss seeing your happy faces each day and I miss doing arts and craft with you. I miss hearing your jokes and stories and I miss watching you learn and grow in our classroom. I hope you and your families are well and you have an enjoyable break. I can’t wait for the day we are back in the classroom together. Take care and keep smiling, Miss Hodson

Hello Kinder Blue. It has been wonderful talking to you and your parents over the past couple of weeks. I am so impressed and excited by all the amazing learning you have been doing. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and have some time to relax and watch all your favourite movies.

Stay safe and take care. Miss Mendis"

Hi Kindergarten Red, I would like to start off by saying that I miss you all and hope you are safe and well. I am beyond proud of all that you have accomplished this term. From speaking to you and your parents, I know that you are doing an amazing job at home with your learning. I hope you have an amazing fun-filled break and I look forward to working with you in Term 2. From, Miss Dabliz

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