REMOTE LEARNING FAQs FOR PARENTS

Please refer to the Remote Learning Expectations of Students HERE and the Online Behaviour Expectations HERE.

 

Remote Learning Student and Teacher Expectations – Amendments

Our feedback surveys from parents, students and teachers on the week of remote learning allowed us to audit and review our expectations for Term 2. Overwhelmingly the feedback was positive, affirming, inspiring and encouraging. Some of the actionable feedback included:

  • There was too much work for students to complete.
  • Weekly Schedules of Work were well received, but got lost in the thread of the channel.
  • Instructions for lessons were not always clear.
  • Students enjoyed the Meet Now videos with teachers.
  • Students found it difficult to complete work during the Meet Now sessions.
  • Students are most worried about staying engaged as we move further into the space.
  • Parents are most worried about their child’s organisational ability.
  • Everyone thought that too much time (in one sitting) was spent in front of the computer.
  • Parents wish to be kept in the loop as much as possible.

 

In response, a team made the following amendments to our expectations:

  • Reduced amount of work for students to complete.
  • Dedicated ‘Schedule of Work’ and ‘Class Meetings’ channels have been created in each Team to help students with clarity and organisation.
  • Meet Now lessons to continue, but to be at most 40 minutes of the entire period. Meet Nows are now focused on collaboration, consolidation, interaction and connection building (replacing classroom discussion and rapport building). Where possible, no new content to be introduced and no work is to be given during Meet Now lessons. Ideally, teachers will remind their students to get up and stretch.
  • Greater attention will be paid to the instructions for the completion of activities to ensure clarity and scaffolding.
  • Teachers were upskilled on the latest and most engaging learning technologies for remote learning and when appropriate, will embed these tools within their lessons.
  • SETQA notifications were set up allowing teachers to more easily inform parents if their child missed a Meet Now, if the child failed to complete the weekly set work and to receive affirmations and commendation about the child.
  • Students and teachers can complete most of their work in a flexi-time arrangement. For example, the only concrete periods of time that a student or teacher must be in front of the computer is for the scheduled Meet Nows and PCG. All other lessons and activities can be scheduled for when it suits the participant and/or their family. We suggest students use Outlook to schedule all of their Meet Nows first thing on a Monday and also schedule break, leisure and exercise times in.

 

Before the start of Term 2, the above information will be given to students via a short demonstration video on Teams. We will also send this home for parents to watch.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

    • Where will my child find their schedule of work for the week? 

    • The schedule of work will be posted in the Class Team on Mondays by 9am. Although not anticipated, if teachers experience any issues with Microsoft Teams, they will utilise email to send the schedule of work to students.

    • Where will my child complete their work?
    • Primarily in their work folder in OneNote Online. If students are experiencing any issues with Internet connectivity, they are advised to complete the work in one of their local desktop apps (e.g. Word or Pages) and then to copy-and-paste the completed work into OneNote Online once Internet connectivity has improved. 
    • What if my child is sick?
    • Attendance will be recorded by the teacher in SEQTA as normal. If your child is sick, you should notify the College by email, the College app or SMS (not by telephone).
    • Is my child still expected to wear a school uniform?
    • No, students are not required to wear the College uniform during this time – however, it is highly recommended that students wear the College House shirt or College Sport shirt during remote learning video calls. The normal expectations and standards as per the College Code of Conduct apply.
    • What if I have a poor internet connection?
    • Your home internet connection cannot be improved by the College but a few items that may help are:

      • If there are multiple students in the home, encourage them to stagger activities that will utilise significant bandwidth (e.g. streaming video, video meetings, etc).

      • Improve your bandwidth by reducing the usage of other services during class time (i.e. Netflix, Spotify, YouTube etc).

      • Contact your internet provider to increase your plan speed.

      • Turn off video during video calls and use audio only.

    • How do I view my child's Teaching and Learning Program?
    • Teaching and Learning programs can be accessed directly through SEQTA Engage.
    • How can my child seek IT Support?
    • Please note support for students will be limited to assistance with the Microsoft Suite of products (Teams, OneNote, etc.). The College is unable to assist with internet connectivity issues at home – parents are advised to contact their Internet Service Provider.

      To log a Support Request, students are asked to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with their full name and a detailed description of the problem. In the event of a school closure, if the ICT Office is still able to remain open, support can be accessed by calling 9246 8222 between 8:30am and 4:00pm.
    • Does the school's cyber security extend to our home?

    • Unfortunately, no. Firewalls and filters used by school are not active on student devices while they are at home. We encourage you to make sure you are aware of the very basics of cyber security (see tips below) and how to set parental controls. Students may be exposed to adult content and other things depending on the filtering you currently have in place.

      Parents can currently sign up for https://www.familyzone.com/anz/families and get a 20% discount.

      For information on how you can help keep your children safe while they are partaking in remote learning at home, visit COVID-19: an online safety kit for parents and carers.

    • Is it important to keep my child's device and software up to date?
    • Installing software updates for your operating system, apps and programs when prompted is critical and a great habit to get into.

      Always install the latest security updates for your devices as soon as possible after you are notified of them. This includes app updates on your mobile devices, Playstation, Xbox etc. These updates always include 'security patches' where they fix any security vulnerabilities. This is particularly important when your credit card details are stored in your account details.

      On your computer, always make sure you turn on automatic updates for your operating system. Use web browsers such as Google Chrome, that receive frequent, automatic security updates and make sure to keep browser plug-ins (Flash, Java, etc.) up to date.
    • Distance learning with Office 365: Guidance for parents and guardians?
    • Click HERE for some guidance.
    • What is Microsoft Teams for Education?
    • From Microsoft: Your child's learning can happen anywhere with Office 365 online. Get to know our tools made to support learners of all ages and abilities and see how your child’s core subjects and class discussions can happen with support from Microsoft Education. Protecting your child's data is always Microsoft’s top priority. Read more about privacy in Office 365 apps HERE.MS Teams Note: The guidance below is meant to introduce some of the many possibilities for students learning remotely using Office 365. Your student’s school may determine different app settings than those referenced below, and their teachers may use Office 365 in different ways that work for their class.
    • What does my child need to sign in to their Office 365 account?
    • Any student with an eligible school email can access Office 365 for free. Students can log into their school accounts at Office.com, where they’ll have access to Microsoft Teams, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and so much more. From this home base, students can open Office apps in their web browser or choose to download Microsoft Teams to their home or mobile device. Office 365
    • How will my child communicate with their teachers and classmates?
    • Using Teams (and Outlook email). Teams is an online classroom hub, where your child can chat with their whole class, in groups with other students and their teachers. Through Teams, your child can also join video calls initiated by the teacher.
      Tip: Read more with your student about communicating in Teams. Communicate Each of your child's classes (if they have more than one) gets its own team, which is set up by a teacher or an IT Admin.
    • Team
    • How do they know if they're part of their class team?
    • Different schools and teachers may manage the Teams setup process differently. To explore Teams and see the class teams they're in, your student can sign in to their school Office 365 account at Office.com and select the Teams app. Students will also receive an email notification when they've been added to a team.
    • How is my child's communication and activity monitored in Teams?

    • Since Teams for Education is designed to serve as a digital classroom hub, it features many ways to support teachers in classroom management. Teachers can mute students who may add distracting or inappropriate messages to group discussions, and they can delete those unproductive messages entirely.

      As a communication platform with specific features to support teaching and learning, Teams is a great opportunity for students to build and practice digital citizenship alongside their academic learning.

      Monitor

      Tip: Learn more with your student about collaborating and creating great work in Teams.

      For other ongoing work, every class team has a Class Notebook, where your student has their own private notebook space to take notes, reference resources, and even practice math equations!

      Class Notebook Students can find both Assignments and Class Notebook as tabs in the General channel of each of their class teams.
    • Where can my child access help on how to best use Microsoft Education tools?
    • Students have a help centre made just for them! From covering the basics of using Teams all the way to project ideas, this Student Help Centre is all about showing students how they can leverage Office 365 for their learning, engagement, and creativity.