Continuity of Student Learning

March 24, 2020 0 comments

Dear Parent / Caregiver, 

I would like to thank our students, parents and staff for their understanding at this difficult time; official advice regarding COVID-19 is being regularly updated and requires changes to our practices and more frequent communications across our school community. 

For our most up to date information about COVID-19, parents are asked to check their emails regularly and visit our website at:  https://playford.sa.edu.au/

STUDENT LEARNING

I would like to assure parents and students that the College has prepared for the continued support of students’ learning during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Our staff have developed strategies to support families in the event that: 

  • They choose to keep their children at home 
  • Playford International College is closed for a short period of time (1-2 days) 
  • Playford International College is closed for a longer duration 

Whilst online platforms cannot replace quality teaching and learning, we hope to provide continuity for your child’s learning during this difficult time using Canvas. 

At Playford International College we are committed to ensuring learning continuity for all our students, Years 8-12, and to keep all students as closely connected to the school community and our teachers (virtually if required) as possible during this time. We want to ensure our young people experience high-quality teaching and learning despite self-isolation measures or potential school closures. As a result, we have developed Continuation of Learning Routines which will provide our young people and families/caregivers with some continuity during this unprecedented time. More information will be provided as required. 

TEACHERS

You can contact teachers via email using the Canvas Inbox feature, or alternatively, please feel free to contact our teachers via email.  
Email addresses for staff can be found on our website at the following link https://playford.sa.edu.au/staff-email-addresses/

Teachers will continue to use Canvas to provide their students with: 

  • Clear and detailed instructions and learning expectations for each course
  • Ongoing feedback and communication 
  • Links to any course materials (including external sites) 
  • Potentially video guides, and live video conferences. 

Teachers will continue to connect regularly with students to support their learning through a range of methods (online, phone call, video conference etc) 

For general information about accessing Canvas, username and passwords please feel free to email our ICT team at dl.0910.ictadmin@schools.sa.edu.au 

Teachers are currently using the existing flexibilities within the Australian Curriculum (Years R-10) and the SACE (Years 11 and 12) to provide learning and assessment materials for our students. 

STUDENTS  

To be successful in engaging with a Continuation of Learning, it is recommended that students: 

  • Follow a daily routine that enables them to continue with learning
  • Log into Canvas daily and access learning resources and follow instructions provided by teachers
  • Be on time to virtual classes when they are provided as part of learningThese will occur in regular class times. 
  • Connect with Mentor Teacher every Wednesday
  • Complete the learning and assessment tasks that are outlined on Canvas
  • Communicate with teachers regularly (through Canvas) about progress and seek advice and feedback when needed
  • Connect with each of their subject teacher at least once per week 
  • Present appropriately in online learning environments and engage in respectful online behaviour 

If you are a Senior School student, this is a fantastic opportunity for you to take responsibility for your learning and engage in independent learning as a young adult. We are taking all steps to support you to achieve your SACE this year, but it is also up to you to commit to your learning and your SACE as well.  

In the event of school closure, it is recommended that students engage in online learning daily using the following guidelines 

  • JUNIOR SECONDARY students 2-3 hours per day
  • MIDDLE SECONDARY students 3-4 hours per day
  • SENIOR SECONDARY students 4-5 hours per day 

In the event you can’t access learning materials through Canvas please contact your teacher and organise alternative methods for access.  

SACE Stage 1 and 2 (Years 11 and 12)

The SACE Board has assured us that where evidence is provided, no student will be disadvantaged by amendments made to assessment tasks resulting from COVID-19 issues. The SACE Board will communicate any further guidelines to schools should they deem it necessary. https://www.sace.sa.edu.au/

Student Guides for using Canvas 

https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10701-canvas-student-guide-table-of-contents 
 

PARENTS 

Teachers will put all necessary instructions and learning resources for your child’s continued learning on Canvas. 
Should you or your student misplace their username and password for Canvas please email: dl.0910.ictadmin@schools.sa.edu.au 

Canvas Guides for Parents / Caregivers (Observers) 
https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-14069-67952724279 

 
ATTENDANCE 

If your student is absent from school, while the school remains open you will need to add an attendance note on Compass. You will need to use the ‘F’ code if you are choosing to keep your student at home. 
For information about how to add an attendance note please visit: https://playford.sa.edu.au/compass/ 
Alternatively please contact the school to notify our staff about the absent student on 08 8255 7566.  
For more information about attendance please visit our website:  https://playford.sa.edu.au/parents/attendance/ 

 
REPORTING

We will keep you updated with reporting and assessing as things progress. 

STUDENT WELLBEING

In times of uncertainty, it is important that families know how that they can access additional support. If students or families require support around their wellbeing, the school has information about external services on our website.  
https://playford.sa.edu.au/wellbeing/ 
 
These services are recommended by Playford International College and provide links to resources, online counselling and important information.  

A good starting point for all young people is www.reachout.com, as this service connects to many other services but also has student friendly information about COVID-19.  
 
Our student wellbeing team can be contacted via emailminnie.bal585@schools.sa.edu.au 

 

FURTHER INFORMATION

This information is correct as of Monday 23 March; further information updates will be uploaded as necessary to our website at https://playford.sa.edu.au/ 


 
 CLICK HERE to download the document

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Return to Uncategorized