UPDATE 14 – Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
College’s Response to COVID-19
18th January 2022
Dear parents/caregivers
The Premier, and the Chief Public Health Officer, have announced a range of changes to the start of the 2022 school year in order to help minimise the peak of COVID-19 cases in South Australia and undue strain on the SA Health system.
YEAR 12 STUDENTS – START OF SCHOOL
Year 12 lessons will begin face to face at The College on Wednesday the 2nd of February. Year 11s will start on Monday the 14th of February.
To minimise the spread of COVID-19 SA Health have advised that the following measures be put in place:
- Please keep your child home if they are unwell, even mildly;
- Masks are required for all adults when indoors (except if it is hindering our staff’s ability to communicate effectively while teaching);
- Masks are strongly recommended for students when indoors and strongly encouraged;
- Natural ventilation will be maximised by leaving doors/windows open;
- Physical distancing requirements will be maintained where possible;
- Student intermingling will be minimised indoors, for example across class groups;
- Non-essential visitors will be limited on site.
We appreciate that you may have some questions about these changes. Further information will be provided closer to the start of term.
ORIENTATION SESSIONS
While the State Government is recommending that Year 11 students commence remote learning on the 2nd of February 2022, due to the fact that all Year 11s are new to The College and its systems (i.e. email access, Moodle, shared files etc.) we believe this will be extremely difficult for students. Therefore, we will be running 4 brief orientation sessions on Monday the 31st January and Tuesday the 1st February for our new students.
- Students will be allocated a session to attend (students will only need to attend 1 session)
- They will go for no longer than 2 hours
- There will be no more than 15 students in each session
- There will be social distancing and masks will be recommended for students
Students will be introduced to their teachers and informed of how the first week of school for them will work. Students will be shown The College’s electronic system, given any hardcopy materials they might need and also have their photo taken for their student ID card.
We are having these sessions on the Monday and Tuesday so as to minimize the number of people on site, as Year 12 students will be starting face to face classes on Wednesday the 2nd February.
YEAR 11 STUDENTS – START OF SCHOOL
Year 11 lessons will not formally start until Monday the 14th of February. After the orientation sessions, Year 11s will have pupil free days until Monday the 7th of February.
The week (7th to 11th February) will not have structured online lessons but rather the students will be preparing for their formal lessons the following week. Teachers will give students readings, small tasks, the subject outlines and assessment plans. This information will be passed from teachers to students via email, Moodle and online shared files. We encourage students to ask teachers questions this week via email. This will hopefully engage the students into their subjects and they will be ready to get straight into formal lessons on the 14th February without the normally introductory period.
The reasons we have chosen to do this and know that we can teach the Year 11, Semester 1 curriculum in a shorter period is due to the nature of The College. We have longer lesson times, smaller classes, students have more one on one time with the teachers.
The other reason is that the students normally have a 3 week break in the middle of the year, rather than start Semester 2 before the mid-year break as other schools do. If our teachers believe they need longer to teach their subjects, then we will continue to teach in the extra week and students will only have the normal 2 week mid-year break in July. Also Semester 1 is typically a longer semester at 21 weeks (opposed to the 17-18 week Semester 2) due to time given to schools to do introductory and orientation procedures at the start of the year.
FURTHER DETAILS
You will be sent an individual email with your students orientation session time shortly. Students who are also studying a Year 12 subject will be sent information regarding their start date.
We normally hold a Parent Information Night early in Term 1, we will look at rescheduling this later in the term, however if you have any questions at all about please do not hesitate to contact the office or me directly.
We look forward to seeing your child face-to-face at The College.
Yours Sincerely
Dr Barbara Harding, Principal
UPDATE 13 – Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
26th July 2021
Dear Parents & Caregivers,
As announced by the Premier this morning, as of midnight Tuesday the State’s lockdown will end. This means that come Wednesday morning classes will resume as normal. Let’s hope that this week’s lockdown is all that is needed and that life can resume with a sense of normality once more.
If for some reason your child/student will not be returning to the college on Wednesday can you please let us know.
It has been great to see most students have checked their emails and participated in their remote learning sessions whether that was through Zoom, Moodle or Microsoft Teams.
Unfortunately, this lockdown has meant the postponement of the Year 11 trip to Kingpin bowling and laser skirmish which was scheduled for this Friday the 30th July. This will be rescheduled for another more appropriate time.
If there are any late minute changes to the end of lockdown and the resumption of classes you will be immediately notified.
The College’s phones, 8212 4342, are still operational so if you ring through during office hours your call will be answered.
If you should have any queries please email me directly at bharding@muirden.sa.edu.au
Yours Sincerely
Dr Barbara Harding, Principal
UPDATE 12 – Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
20th July 2021
Dear Parents & Caregivers,
Well as you are no doubt aware the State will be in lockdown for seven days, effective from 6pm tonight.
You will still be able to contact the College on our main phone number 08 8212 4342 if you have any questions.
In the meantime lessons will continue as per the current timetable, Stage 2 Timetable Stage 1 Timetable. While lessons will continue, obviously they will be in a remote format. To facilitate e-learning students have been given permission to borrow laptops and power chords. (These must be returned as soon as the lockdown finishes.)
All class will automatically go to e-learning however these will take on different forms depending upon the subject. What is important is that students actively engage in these classes. They will have to check their student emails and the College’s Moodle to ensure they appreciate what is required of them. If they do not check in they will be marked as absent. Absences will be followed up as per normal.
Teachers will be available to answer student’s questions during the scheduled class times.
These are challenging times but rest assured that the College is committed to ensuring that learning will be delivered to all students as effortlessly as possible.
Hopefully it will only be for a week and that next Wednesday the 28th July, will see the resumption of face to face classes as normal.
I will be updating this information when necessary. I am in contact with the SACE Board and AISSA who will let me know of any changes occurring to the SACE, particularly Year 12s. I will write another letter prior to students returning to the College on Wednesday of next week. In the meantime if you have any queries please email me directly at bharding@muirden.sa.edu.au
Yours Sincerely
Dr Barbara Harding, Principal
UPDATE 11 – Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
19th July 2021
Dear Parents & Caregivers,
Given today’s changing circumstances I thought it was best to let you know how the recent COVID 19 outbreaks may affect your child’s education.
As of 4:45pm today, classes and general school life will be as per its current form at Muirden Senior College for the time being, this is following SA Health and SA Police directives. Rest assured that if there are any changes to the formal delivery of classes you will be notified via email immediately. Also be assured that the staff are well prepared to deliver the curriculum remotely at a moments notice.
This newsletter will be updated on the website on Friday unless new changes occur in the meantime. If you have queries I will be more than happy to answer them, please contact the front office or email me directly.
Yours Sincerely
Dr Barbara Harding, Principal
UPDATE 10 – Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
11th January 2021
Dear Parents & Caregivers,
I am just letting you know that as of this moment there are no changes to the scheduled start of the school year because of COVID19. If this changes you will immediately be notified. All visitors to the college will have to sign in either manually or using the SA Government COVID-SAFE CHECK-IN QR Code.
I do ask that if any students have been to any of the NSW or Queensland hotspots that they do self-quarantine before attending the college. If this does interrupt their studies then they must contact the College and we will help organising alternative study arrangements.
I will keep you updated if anything should change and will keep you updated regularly regarding the commencement of the 2021 school year and alerting you to any necessary changes to our COVID plan.
Yours Sincerely
Dr Barbara Harding, Principal
UPDATE 9 – Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
19th November 2020
Dear Students, Parents and Caregivers,
Because of yesterday’s announcement by the Premier of a 6 day state wide lockdown through to midnight Tuesday 24 November, the year ended quiet dramatically for all students. We were lucky enough to be able to hold our Yr 12 Presentation Night albeit just for the students. The night was really lovely and we hope all Yr 12s enjoyed themselves. Unfortunately for our Yr 11s they are not so lucky and their end of year break up has been cancelled, however, we will make up for this in 2021!
Due to the sudden announcement and that we had to close the school early to prepare for the Yr 12 Presentation yesterday, there was also no extra time to allow all Yr 11 students to access to their laptops and H:Drive and anything they need to continue their learning from home. However, all teachers have emailed their students regarding what is required of them, if students have not received an email they should email their teacher(s) directly as it is important they appreciate what work remains or please email Kate on officeadmin@muirden.sa.edu.au
COLLEGE AVAILABILITY
The College will remain contactable in the normal business hours of 8am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and 8am to 3pm on Friday. Please either call 8212 4342 or 0423 048 097 or email the above admin email address if you have any questions.
YEAR 11s
The English Exam scheduled for tomorrow, Friday the 20th November between 10am and 12pm is still going ahead remotely. Please check your emails for more information.
Any students who have not finished their Research Project (RP) and were required to attend the College next week must email their teachers who will ensure they finish the RP this year, as is required prior to commencing Yr 12 studies in 2021 if it has not been selected as one of your 2021 subjects.
Any students who have not finished their Research Project (RP) and were required to attend the College next week must email their teachers who will ensure they finish the RP this year, as is required prior to commencing Yr 12 studies in 2021 if it has not been selected as one of your 2021 subjects.
SACE RESULTS
Stage One (Year 11) results will still be sent to the SACE Board by the end of next week (Friday 27th November) and moderation will continue as normal.
Stage 2 (Year 12) and Stage 1 results will still be released on 15th of December 2020.
2021
I will be sending out a letter to all returning students within the next few weeks with details concerning 2021.
This is a very sudden closure but we respect that all South Australians are making sacrifices to ensure that the state remains as safe as possible. We appreciate that this is a significant undertaking for you and your family. Your child’s teacher, our support staff and I are here to support you where we can.
There is not much more to say except I am still contactable via emails if you any questions. As soon as more information comes to hand you will be notified.
Yours Sincerely
Dr Barbara Harding, Principal
UPDATE 8 – Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
16th November 2020
Dear Students, Parents/Caregivers,
Unfortunately, South Australia has had a major upset regarding COVID19 and restrictions put into place. This unfortunately means an upset to some of the College’s plans in relation to end of year celebrations which we are still getting clarifications on.
However, one directive remains clear schools will remain open. Therefore, Year 11 exams and classes will go ahead this week. The timetable for this week remains the same and all students should have a copy of it.
As for the Year 12 Presentation Night that is scheduled for Wednesday night, we are waiting for clarification. The Government stipulations at the moment are ambiguous, as it is unclear which category the events falls under, though we are hopeful that more will be known as this evening progresses. As soon as we know we will notify all Year 12s and their families.
Yours Sincerely
Dr Barbara Harding, Principal
UPDATE 7 – Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
7th October 2020
Dear Students, Parents/Caregivers,
Despite some minor setbacks during the first term, COVID19 has had very little impact on students or their education at Muirden Senior College. Terms 2 & 3 were without interruption and all students are now well prepared for the end of the school year.
There have been no students or staff that have tested positive with the virus, and any students or staff who exhibit flu like symptoms are not permitted to be at school. We thank everyone for adhering to this rule and other restrictions we have had to implement at the College, such as reduced use of the shared student kitchen.
At this stage in South Australia, there does seem that there will be further disruption due to COVID19 for the remainder of the school year or for the SACE Year 12 Exams. Please refer to the Term 4 Newsletter for further details on Year 12 exams and Term 4.
Yours Sincerely
Dr Barbara Harding, Principal
UPDATE 6 – Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
25th June 2020
Dear Students, Parents/Caregivers,
This term has gone very well at Muirden Senior College with regards to COVID19, given the past few months have been very difficult elsewhere in Australia and the World. We have had no students or staff contract the virus, which is excellent news!
However, we are concerned about the increased rate of spread of COVID19 in Victoria at the moment.
**It is still a South Australian Government requirement that if you have arrived from NSW, VIC or the ACT and are a non-essential traveller that you self-quarantine for 14 days from your arrival in South Australia. This restriction MAY be lifted from the 20th July 2020**
I must warn all parents/caregivers and students that if they travel to Victoria over this upcoming holiday period no matter if they return after the 20th July they will not be allowed into the College for 14 days on their return to South Australia and must isolate themselves from other students who attend the College.
I trust that you understand and respect the College’s position on this matter. I am hopeful that next term will see a return to normal activities at the College. This will mean that we can again enjoy the simple pleasures of sausage sizzles, complimentary toast and fruit, and the full use of the student kitchen facilities.
Yours Sincerely
Dr Barbara Harding, Principal
UPDATE 5 – Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
8th May 2020
Dear Students, Parents/Caregivers,
First of all I must say it was brilliant to see so many students back at school last week. We recorded at least 90% attendance overall in the first week and this week it has improved.
I must let you know that after next week no more classes will be offered via Zoom. If any students are still unable to return then you must notify the College as special study timetables will have to be drawn up. Overall most students are happy to return to face to face classes and it certainly suits the study of SACE subjects.
While the Government is prepared for a second wave of COVID-19 infections they, along with the Association of Independent Schools South Australia (AISSA) and the SACE Board, do not anticipate the need for school closures again. In light of this the College is preparing and delivering lessons as per usual.
However, the sad news is that the Harry Potter Room, the student’s kitchen, must remain closed next week, as the sharing of a kitchen space is still not permitted.
Hopefully restrictions will continue to be lifted and a sense of normality will continue to return.
Yours Sincerely
Dr Barbara Harding, Principal
UPDATE 4 – Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
22nd April 2020
Dear Parents/Caregivers,
I do hope you all had a lovely Easter break, albeit an isolated one. We do appreciate the difficulties many have faced during this period of isolation and know that for many students it has not been a great way to learn, particularly when coupled with the lack of socialisation.
Moving forward on the latest advice from both the Federal and State Governments, as well as from The Association of Independent Schools of South Australia (AISSA), and the SACE Board, The College will resume classes as normal (face to face) from next week, beginning Monday 27th April. We realise that this may present difficulties for some and with that in mind all classes will still be on Zoom to allow each student to participate.
The small size of classes, the large classrooms and also the number of couches and ‘social’ spaces within the college will allow for students to maintain their social distancing while still actively engaging in their education.
Many of the social events scheduled for next term have been cancelled or modified and I will let students and you know of alternative arrangements.
If there is any reason that will prevent your student from returning to classes next week can you please let me know via the front office either on 8212 4342 or officeadmin@muirden.sa.edu.au
Yours Sincerely
Dr Barbara Harding, Principal
UPDATE 3 – Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
3rd April 2020
Dear Parents/Caregivers
As we go into the extended holiday break there are just a few things I would like to make you aware of. Firstly, some Stage 2 Subjects are continuing with their classes next week while other classes are expecting students to continue with work, particularly on their long term assignments. While attendance will not be monitored, students should be aware of what they need to do. They can always check on Moodle or email their teacher, or the front office if they are unsure.
Secondly, I must emphasise that though classes are on Zoom, student’s safety and privacy are of paramount concern to us. I would like to assure you that all Zoom classes are by invitation only, this is to prevent ‘Zoombombing’ which is now a worldwide cyber problem. Who would have thought!
It is also very important that students are ready for all of their classes, just as they would be if they were at school. They must be dressed appropriately; they must be sitting at a desk, not lounging on couches, beanbags or beds. Psychological studies have proven that students who work from their beds begin to associate beds with stress. It is important that beds remain a place where students can feel calm and will associate with rest and sleep. This will hopefully alleviate any extra anxiety that they may already be feeling.
Self-Isolation is particularly difficult for teenagers as they typically do like to be social and need contact with their peers. It is important that we remember this as the social shutdown continues and the longevity of the situation begins to take its toll.
Term 1 Reports
Reports will be sent out next Thursday 9th April, as per normal. These reports will reflect student’s grades and progress at the end of Term 1.
Term 2 – Start Monday 27th April
At this stage we are still anticipating that classes will resume as normal on 27th April, however, we are prepared for classes to still be delivered via Zoom, it will really depend upon what happens over the next couple of weeks. I will keep you and students updated in the next 3 weeks; letting you all know exactly what will happen in Term 2.
Also remember that the office will still be open next week should you wish to make contact.
I sincerely hope you are all well and remain so. Remember to email me or call me with any concerns you may have.
Yours Sincerely
Dr Barbara Harding, Principal
UPDATE 2 – Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
27th March 2020
Dear Parents/Caregivers
I apologize for bombarding you with information, however soon after my last communication the State Government announced that it was extending the holidays by one week.
Therefore at the end of next week the College will be on holidays. The last day of this term will be Friday 3rd April. Teachers will still be available via emails during week 11 but timetabled lessons will not be held. Teachers will talk with their students about the early finish of this Term and what that means for the scheduled subject content, some teachers may still have assignment deadlines or tests during the week of Monday 6th to Thursday 9th April.
All classes will recommence next term, and I will keep you appraised as to whether this will be via Zoom or whether classes will held physically at the College. The first day for Term 2 is Monday 27th April.
The Year 12 school camp, which was scheduled to be held in May, has been cancelled. However, we will be looking at ways at substituting this later in the year with an activity that will make sure our Year 12s don’t miss out on the fun aspects of their last year of school.
I do hope you all keep safe during this very difficult time and if you have questions concerning the extended holidays, or anything else please do not hesitate to contact me at bharding@muirden.sa.edu.au
Yours Sincerely
Dr Barbara Harding, Principal
UPDATE 1 – Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
26th March 2020
Dear Parents/Caregivers,
First of all I must bring your attention to our new section on the Website, ‘Our Response to COVID 19’. This can be accessed on the front page. You may need to scroll down a little to see it. All communications will be posted on this webpage, on Social Media and of course emailed to you.
At this moment in time it is our intention to return to normal (face to face classes) at the beginning of Term 2 (27th April) however this could change, I will keep you all appraised of any changes.
As you would by now be aware the college is transitioning to online learning. So as of Monday there will be no classes at the college. Teachers will be working from home, delivering all classes via Zoom. Students have all been sent there subject links via email and are expected to logon to all of their classes.
Student timetables remain normal and they are expected to attend every lesson. Failure to attend a class will result in a phone call to parents to find out where they are. Therefore they must be up and ready to learn. It is imperative that they take these Zoom classes seriously just as they would if they were physically attending classes. They have to remember that this is their SACE, their final year(s) of schooling and nothing has changed in that they still need to do work, commit to their studies and meet the same criteria. In order for teachers to ensure they are in attendance students will need to have their cameras on and remain working for the entire lesson. This is not just to catch students out but so that teachers know where all of their students are with their learning and be able to offer help when needed.
The SACE Board have provided some direction as to how senior students can fulfil their study requirement while studying remotely. As we do not offer P.E. or Drama or other subjects in which physical collaboration is a necessity, we are well placed to assist all of our students. The SACE are offering advice on individual subjects on how to remotely keep up group work, collaborative learning, supervised tests and supervised assignments. If you want to know more here is the URL link that will provide you with further information https://www.sace.sa.edu.au/covid-19-coronavirus
(any student studying a VET subject will have to follow the directions of their provider).
Also please remember that while all classes are online the office will still be open. Kate, Lynne and myself will still be here to answer phone calls, and to trouble shoot any problems students may have with Zoom.
Stay safe and I will keep you updated as to further developments.
Yours Sincerely
Dr Barbara Harding, Principal
Muirden Senior College Response to the COVID-19 Virus
19th March 2020
Dear Parents/Caregivers,
Due to the uncertainty created by Coronavirus, the College will be transitioning to online learning. Next week, Week 9 (March 23rd – 27th), will be our transition week. This means that during that week students will have the opportunity to work from home using the meeting program Zoom or they can attend classes. Other schools have implemented this for senior classes to ‘flatten the curve’ of spread of COVID-19 and this is our primary concern.
The use of Zoom allows students to connect with their teacher and class to allow the teacher to deliver the required content during their normal lesson times. For students who still prefer to come to school, they will be able to attend throughout Week 9 and will be in the classroom with the teacher engaging in the same content that the teacher will be delivering online to their whole class. This way all students will receive exactly the same content, whether they are attending classes in person or not. It also provides the opportunity for students to get whatever they may need from teachers for specific classes – i.e. Art students may need folio and paints. From Week 10 and 11, the intention is that all students will be using online learning and teachers will also be working from home. Lynne, Kate and myself will still be at school if students or parents need to make contact with us.
I do acknowledge that the current government stance is for schools to remain open, however we believe we have a unique set of circumstances such as:
- we are a senior school so our students do not require parental supervision at home
- most of our students use public transport to get to and from school – this requires them to be in very close proximity with large numbers of people, something that government suggests we avoid
- some families are choosing to self-isolate and this will result in inequity for our students
- because we are a senior school, the quality of the learning experience is paramount, particularly for our Year 12s, so we are ensuring that students have access to teachers at normal lesson times via Zoom which will allow consistent delivery of content despite the current uncertainty.
There will be no change in recording student’s attendance. I must stress that classes will run according to the current timetable, and the end of this week all students have practiced using Zoom in their classes. Therefore as usual, student attendance will be recorded and parents contacted if the student does not connect to the meeting at the required time. If they experience any problems they must contact the school immediately so the problem can be addressed. The transition period will allow us to iron out any problems with online delivery and to reassure students and their families that content delivery is still to a very high standard. In subjects that require collaboration and the completion of tests, teachers have modified the timing and/or delivery of tasks so that students are not disadvantaged.
Our intentions are to return to a normal school program with face-to-face delivery from the beginning of Term 2, however, we will be closely monitoring the situation and will make a decision closer to the time. We are communicating with SACE to ensure that Year 12s will not be disadvantaged and will inform students and parents of any developments that SACE announces.
If students have access to a computer with a microphone and camera at home, we strongly recommend they use that. If students need to borrow a computer from the school, parents must sign a waiver (see attachment) that they will be responsible for damage to the school computer and be prepared to pay for any damages that may occur. No computer will be borrowed unless the waiver is signed.
Unfortunately these are uncertain times and the situation is changing hourly. We are encouraging students to wash their hands regularly, use hand sanitizer and reduce the number of times they touch their face. On this note I must stress that our decision has not been made lightly. It has been made to maximise the health and wellbeing of our staff, students, and their families, while continuing to deliver high quality content and support for our students.
If you have any questions please contact our front office on 8212 4342 or officeadmin@muirden.sa.edu.au