It is important to check about how your children feel about learning away from their classroom. Daily conversations allow you to talk about your children’s learning and the support that they may need to adjust to learning at home.

Your children may require additional structure or guidance with their learning. Depending on their ages, they may require a structured routine to continue their learning. Parents are encouraged to print a copy of their child’s timetable (secondary) or weekly schedule (primary) so that they and their child can follow along with the regular structure of the routine. Please keep in mind that teachers incorporate movement breaks and mini fun interactions throughout their lessons.

You can help your children continue their learning away from their classroom by asking questions that will assist their child to take responsibility for their own learning such as:

• What are you learning today?

• How will you plan your day?

• Do you need support to create a timetable? What materials do you need today?

• How can I help you today?

• What was one thing that was difficult today? What could you do if this difficulty comes up again? What strategies could we put in place?

• What went well today? Why? How can you make sure these successes happen again?

• How are you feeling? Do you need help planning tomorrow to make sure it is successful? Is there anything you need to check-in with your teachers about?

You may need to adapt these questions, depending on the age of your child and their level of independence. It is important to keep communication lines open with your child to ensure their learning is continuing and that they are coping with the alternate learning environment.

To support your children to continue their learning away from their classroom, establish routines and expectations and ensure they have access to equipment and stationery required for learning at home. This includes pens, paper, devices (including internet access), printers, etc.

While it is possible that reduced school days may apply, you can support your children’s learning by setting up or following a timetable to give structure to their day.

• School-provided timetable: This will include lesson times, and breaks.

• Home-developed timetable: This can be similar to the hours and times of your children’s typical school day. High school students can follow their school timetable. Primary school aged children may benefit from working in roughly one hour long blocks of time, so that they can concentrate and complete tasks.

Create a quiet and comfortable learning space. A space for extended learning should be a family space, rather than a bedroom. Your children may have a regular place for doing homework under normal circumstances, but this space may not be suitable for working in for an extended period of time. It should be a place that can be quiet at times and if possible have internet access.

Remember that your child is used to being in a classroom of 30 students; due to this they are very good at working independently and completing set tasks without having an adult sitting next to them. There are very few situations where the teacher sits alongside the student all day and helps them with each task or question. We encourage you to set tasks for your child and then move away allowing them time to complete it. Your child is already very skilled at putting their hand up, you may find that there are relevant times for your child to practice this skill at home. What is important is that you as a parent don’t feel overwhelmed by the need to one-on-one teach all day, and that your child does not get used to being one-on-one taught all day. Remember your child will be back in the classroom soon, therefore skills such as waiting for the teacher to be available, moving on to a different task, turn taking, working independently and self-control need to be maintained.

Most students already have experience in working online, although the virtual classroom environment will be new for some. Our school has been working with teachers and students to help build the skills needed to work in an online learning space. This will mean children will know how to use the online learning platform they will need to access should schools close or traditional learning is disrupted. This will also be helpful for students who are absent to prolonged illness or injury.

At all times we wish for students to be safe when working online. Parents and caregivers can access resources which support students to use technology appropriately and responsibly and behave in ways that keep them safe online is available at www.esafety.gov.au

Teachers may communicate with your children using video chat applications. They may also be emailing or communicating within a learning management system or a virtual classroom. We will work with students to ensure they are able to access and use these digital resources.

It is important to remember that teachers will be communicating with many families and that you may need to remind your children to be patient when waiting for support or feedback.

How to communicate with teachers - If your child requires academic support, please contact their teacher via email.

Our teachers use many great strategies to support your children to focus throughout the school day. We have collated some of these strategies for your use at home.

1. Teacher to develop awareness of warning signs from Student when mood is elevated, low or angry; anticipate prior to Student shutting down or physically reacting.

· Arrives at school late/poor attitude/ without lunch, book, hat

· Trying repeatedly to tell the same story

· Student more withdrawn than usual from peers or in conversation

· Any behaviour which is different from the norm (at back of line, tapping, messy hand writing, avoiding eye contact, arms crossed, calling out/ or not calling out)

· Be aware of timing – does emotions escalate early in day, when hungry, when tired

2. When speaking to student, teachers are recommended to approach them one-on-one and get down on his level in order to speak with a calm and soft voice to provide redirection.

3. Student benefits from visual kinaesthetic learning style – this includes providing concrete aids such as having an example in front of them.

4. Student will perform best at academically demanding tasks in the morning/afternoon session

5. Where possible provide a breakdown of tasks with tick boxes for completion rather than an overview

6. When completing a written task Student will benefit from verbally planning their narrative before beginning to write

7. Spare time activities which encourage reading and spelling such as find-a-word, spelling list or mathletics etc.

8. Student omitted from answering questions in front of the class.

9. Provide regular breaks especially if Student is completing demanding tasks (lap around oval end of each hour, drink or task for teacher etc.)

10. Ensure you have Student’s attention before giving an instruction; ask them to repeat it back to you to check their understanding.

11. Break down the class tasks (ie circle task to be completed) to specific sections requiring only one to be completed at a time. Encourage Student for meeting each smaller goal. This will build Student’s sense of achievement and encourage them to continue working.

12. AD/HD symptoms can be pronounced when the student is stressed. If Student is particularly problematic, check if everything is okay with them first.

13. During class activities which require high energy provide a location in the classroom (ie. A chair to side of room or behind teachers desk) where Student can go to calm down and reduce likeliness of hyperactivity.

14. Strict routine and class rule expectations briefly outlined each lesson (refer to posters).

15. Provide Student with regular (every 15 mins) encouragement and feedback on their progress

16. Student responds well to humour and a supportive and caring environment. As much as possible teaching staff are encouraged to develop a positive individual relationship with Student.

17. When providing praise name the behaviour you expect and like “Ie: well done Student I know you are ready to begin work because your eyes were on me”

18. Be accepting of some movement and restlessness. Where appropriate the provision of physical movement during learning activates is encouraged. Appropriate fidget tools or medicine balls for seating are recommended.

19. Teacher to verbally encourage Student to make good choices, use ‘calm down’ strategy (counting, deep breaths) and assistance to self-manage emotions.

20. In instances where Student is getting hyperactive (calling out, silly behaviour) during class request Student complete a small task or have a quick drink break to resettle. Guide Student to consider “what will you do when you return to class.” Taking a break can actually provide more of a distraction so please consider where they will be going for a drink/task or whether 2 mins in the back of the classroom to put their head down is a better alternative.

21. Teacher to use Silent Signals to redirect student if calling out, jumping in with an unrelated story or vying for teacher’s attention. Teacher to make time later to ask the student to share story.

22. Teacher to rephrase their responses to use ‘Yes’ Statements. Eg. Yes you can read a book, when you have completed your handwriting. Yes you can go and get a drink, as soon as you have shown me your finished work.

23. Student will use a sticky note SOS to signify to the teacher that they requires help on a task.

24. Student responds well when they feel like they are ‘helping the teacher’; it can help to explain what the teacher is doing (their part) and then the task the student needs to do (their part). Alternatively giving the student a task is also a good idea – “As soon as you have completed your spelling words, can you help me out by collecting some whiteboard markers from Student Services”.

25. Teacher to give student 5 seconds to say what is wrong (count down) and then walk away.

26. Teachers encouraged to use fun/humour to redirect student momentarily during early stages of shutting down (this usually deescalates situation). Googling some basic jokes, taking a joke book to class (or starting class with a joke) or asking student ‘how things work’ are good strategies for encouraging student to reengage.

27. Where applicable buddy student up with someone in the class that they can peer-teach a specific concept.

28. Student to be provided with a fidget toy in the classroom to increase concentration where appropriate.

29. Teacher/aide to provide verbal planning in regard to entering new environments, ie. When returning to class discuss how will you go back, where will you wait, what will you say, then where will you go, what will you do etc)

30. Teacher to provide group work roles so that student can clearly identify what they are responsible for in group work. A visual display in the room related to Group work role is an additional reminder to refer student back to during group work tasks.

31. When speaking to student check that they are committed to the conversation or if they are just trying to ‘move on with it’.