COVID-19 UPDATE

We hope this finds you and your families safe and well during an immensely challenging time. 

As we write, we are working through updates from the Victorian Government regarding an extension to the current lockdown, as measures continue in the attempt at minimising the spread of COVID-19 through our community.

At this stage we expect to see a return to school for all students on Wednesday, July 28th. Over the coming days, we will share more updated information, advice and guidelines on Compass and through our College social media platforms, but please feel free to make contact with us in the meantime for specific enquiries. 

Finally, please encourage your young person to check Compass every day for all of their subjects, and for them to be in contact with their teachers and student support leaders wherever they have questions or concerns. Please stay well, remain positive and keep in contact with us.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Please note, all forms of school communication, from administration and teachers will be accessible via Compass. It is important that all members of our community stay connected to Compass and, in particular, students visit their Compass Class Dashboards daily to learn of the details of their class activities and set tasks. Each subject is unique and as such teachers will inform students of what means for which learning will take place and support offered. Some classes may involve self-directed learning, others may include Google Meet tutorials. Some subjects have Google Classrooms set-up and others will use software such as Maths Pathways to continue student learning.

Finally, Newcomb Secondary College will continue to provide as much support to all members of our community during this time. If you, or your student, are experiencing challenges with accessing or completing the learning, don’t hesitate to reach out to teachers, student support members or our wellbeing team.

REMOTE LEARNING

Dear Parent/Carer,

Please be reassured that you are not expected to be teaching your young person in isolation during this period of lockdown – that will remain the priority of our classroom teachers. Rather, we are just hoping that you will work with us to promote the highest possible engagement with our online learning programs, and to support the creation of healthy educational routines and habits for all of our learners.

Key points of advice to consider:

• Encouraging your young person to maintain a healthy sleeping pattern, in order to be awake and ready to commence their online learning at 9am.
• Trying as much as possible to follow the timetable that they would have for regular onsite learning. (It might be helpful for a copy of this to be in a highly visible space, such as on the fridge door.)
• Having a designated study/work space, including a desk or table, where some learning materials can be permanently kept. (Preferably in an open space to permit a level of supervision).
• Reminding your young person to log into Compass and check their messages each day.
• Ensuring that your young person’s laptop is plugged in and charging at the end of every day.
• Supporting your young person to proactively contact their home group teacher, subject teachers and year level support team leaders if they have any inquiries or concerns.
• Managing your young person’s screen time regarding gaming and social media interactions.
• Ensure you have a discussion with your young person about the appropriate protocols around online Video Conferencing.

Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences

In Term 3 we will conduct two Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences allowing for rich discussions to take place regarding student growth and achievement. The first will focus on students in Year 12 (July 22) and the second will focus on the remaining year levels, Years 7-11 (Aug 26). We invite and encourage all students and their guardians to take up the opportunity to book Conferences and have a discussion with the student's teachers. Bookings can be made on Compass for the Year 12 conferences up until the day of the conferences (July 22). 

Due to the current lockdown, these will be run remotely, bookings are therefore essential. We will use Google Meet as the conferencing platform and connection instructions, meet codes and links will be communicated prior to the event taking place.

Term 3 Parent/Teacher/Student Conference Dates

• Year 12 Conferences- Thursday July 22 – Remote sessions only. Please book on Compass.
• Year 7-11 Conferences- Thursday Aug 26

Phil Honeywell, Principal
Scott McLeod, Assistant Principal
James Murphy, Assistant Principal