Goulburn High School staff and students adapt well to home learning

Having been in the same situation last year, school principal Yogesh Mani said the staff and himself were better prepared this time around.

"With the Greater Sydney area in lockdown since late June, we were working on a plan for our school prior to the regional lockdown, to ensure we were ready for remote learning if and when it became necessary," Mr Mani said.

"Having experienced remote learning previously, we were confident that we were well prepared to manage the current period of learning from home.

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"Our staff's response in switching over to online learning and ensuring our students have access to high quality education during this period of remote learning has been amazing."

Although students in year 7 to 11 don't meet with their teachers in person, they are able to learn though the school's online learning platform 'Compass' and also through Zoom meetings.

"We are following the regular school timetable with reduced lesson time where students are required to complete the work assigned to them for each lesson via our online learning platform 'Compass'," Mr Mani said.

"Students are still able to speak to their teachers face to face through various Zoom meetings each week and it has been excellent to see our students positively engaging with online learning.

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"Our teachers are available throughout each school day to communicate with students and answer any questions they may have."

Year 12 students, on the other hand, have been allowed limited access to face-to-face learning each week.

They have finished learning everything on the curriculum and are currently revising for their HSC exams which begin on November 9.

The main challenge during this period has been the lack of access to technology for some students, but there has been a way around that.

"We are using a mixture of online and printed resources to best deliver education to all students, whether they are learning from home or for those that need to attend school," Mr Mani said.

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"Providing families with hard copies of work materials is a key way we are able to support families with limited access to technology.

"We also recommend the NSW Department of Education's learning from home website.

"It has some excellent resources for both students and parents that will help them navigate remote learning as well as wellbeing resources."

While the school's key focus is on education, the principal knows it is a stressful time for everyone and he wants to support the families and their mental wellbeing in the best way possible.

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