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Henry Kendall High School

Henry Kendall High School

Developing confident, responsible citizens who strive for excellence.

Telephone02 4325 2110

Emailhenrykenda-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Latest Update From Your Principal

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Dear Henry Kendall High Community,

As many will be aware a number of significant announcements were made at this morning’s Premier’s Press Conference, which was also attended by the Minister for Education and the heads of our three schooling sectors. Following the Press Conference the Department of Education provided Principal’s with a livestream briefing which gave further detail to our operational mode for Term 2. This was the first time that Principal’s have been made aware of these details, so there is much that now needs to be planned and thought through.

The key messages that you need to be aware of as parents and carers are:

• Tuesday 28 April has been announced as an additional School Development Day, meaning that both Monday and Tuesday of next week are pupil free days.

• Weeks 1 and 2 will continue as online learning from home under the same arrangements as we concluded Term 1.

• From May 11 every student will have the opportunity to start attending one day a week, aiming at around of 25% of students in attendance on any given day. This will need to be a rostered system with each student attending only on their designated day. The Premier has asked parents to ‘respect the guidelines’ that will be established by our school in this regard.

• There will be ‘one unit’ of work provided by teachers for each class. This will be online as it is not possible for us to deliver in two learning modes concurrently.

• It is recommended that schools stagger recess and lunch breaks.

• It is important that we maintain social distancing across the school, including the playground. Classrooms will be limited to 10 students at a time.

• Guidelines will be provided by the department that will give direction on issues such as health requirements, attendance and curriculum. We have only just received these, so more information will be provided once we have an opportunity to unpack and plan for how they will be applied in the Henry Kendall High School context.

• A priority will be placed on Year 12 with a particular focus on supporting students with major works or who need access to specialist equipment, however the majority of learning will continue to be delivered online.

• Additional sanitizers/soap and extra cleaning will be provided.

As you can see this will now require a substantial re-organisation of our operational model – something that will require a great deal of flexibility and some ‘out of the box’ thinking. This will also take time to establish. However, I will get information to you on how we will operate throughout the remainder of Term 2 as quickly as planning allows.

I ask all parents to keep your children at home each day during weeks 1 and 2 to allow myself and my team the time needed to establish an alternate operational model. As per the Premier’s announcement, parents can then expect their children to be given the opportunity to attend one day a week for the remainder of term, however all learning will be provided online.

This continues to be a difficult time for us all and I envisage further challenges as we unpack what is now required. At all times the wellbeing and health of our students is paramount. I thank you for your enduring patience and support.

Yours Sincerely,

Andrew Backhouse

Principal