Please find attached the letter from the Minister of Eduation. Parent letter – non government services 2020-04-08 (1)
For parents who would like to translate the text in the attached pdf document please find the letter content below. You may turn SchoolStream translation feature on to read the letter in your language.
Dear parent/caregivers
COVID-19 has thrown up all kinds of challenges for us, as individuals, families and communities.
In South Australia we can be proud to say that our teachers and support staff have risen to the occasion. Despite anxieties they might have as members of the community, they are putting their students’ continued learning at the forefront.
Schools and preschools are an essential service. Public health advice from the senior experts around Australia remains that they can and should stay open.
We will continue to be guided by the health advice, and their recommendations on social distancing and hygiene practices in classrooms and play spaces. The safety and wellbeing of students, staff and school communities is a top priority as we continue to support high quality learning.
But we know that this year the learning is taking place in a different context. Teachers, early childhood educators and principals are all working hard to support families and carers in these unprecedented times, especially with so many of our children now learning from home.
As Minister for Education I have been very impressed by the way in which our schools have already demonstrated their professionalism and innovation, and there is more to come! It is critically important that our families stay positively engaged with their children’s school. We’re all in this together and everyone is trying their hardest in the circumstances.
In addition, in the last fortnight we have launched Our Learning SA, a website designed for use by all South Australian students and their parents. It includes hundreds of resources to help children and young people keep up with their learning when they’re at home. We are adding new resources to the site every day, and it is freely available for all at www.education.sa.gov.au/our-learning-sa.
The site includes a section which has videos and fact sheets focused on advice for families who are supervising their children’s learning at home, including setting up a learning environment, staying happy and healthy while learning at home, reading at home with your child, preparing for online learning, and talking to your child about COVID-19.
Finally, as we approach the Easter break, I want to thank you for the role you are playing in our efforts to contain COVID-19. Everyone has a role to play, whatever their situation in life, and so far South Australia’s community has been a global exemplar in doing what has needed to be done.
Best wishes for this school holiday period which promises to be unlike any we have experienced before. Hopefully it will be a time we can all remember in the years ahead as one where we found new and positive ways to support our families, friends and communities.Yours sincerely
Hon John Gardner MP
Minister for Education
8 April 2020