01 Oct 2021
Dear Parent / Carer,
I hope you had a welcome change of pace over the holiday break and some time together without having to balance learning from home with other demands.
Term 4 returns with learning from home
As our school is in an LGA that is still under stay-at-home rules we will continue to learn from home for the start of Term 4. It is important that you continue to keep your children home if you are able to work from home. While we are planning for our return to face-to-face learning and our teachers are completing their COVID-19 vaccinations there will only be minimal supervision for students on site and all students will be provided with the same work as they would be completing at home.
I know we are all excited about the coming freedoms available to those who are fully vaccinated in NSW but I ask every family to hold on just a few weeks more to give us the time we need to complete our planning for your child’s safe return.
Return to school roadmap for Term 4
In Term 4, where stay-at-home rules are still in place, but high community vaccination and low transmission conditions are met, students will return to school in a staggered approach for prioritised cohorts, with no mingling or on-site activities.
In the majority of schools students will return to face-to-face learning with NSW Health-approved COVID-safe Level 3 plus settings on school sites in the following order as announced by the Premier on 30 September:
- From 18 October 2021: Preschool, Kindergarten and Year 1
- From 25 October 2021: Years 2, 6 and 11
- From 1 November 2021: Years 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
The return to school roadmap is subject to change depending on new information expected through the Public Health Order and additional advice from NSW Health. You can stay up to date with the most recent advice on our Advice for families page.
HSC
From the beginning of Term 4, Year 12/HSC students can continue to attend school for revision, learning and wellbeing support and to have access to their teachers in a limited way.
We’d like to remind our students and families that from 18 October, all Year 12 and HSC students will have access to school campuses and their teachers. This will support them in the lead up to their exams.
HSC exams will proceed for all students from 9 November 2021 in a COVID-safe way, in line with NSW Health advice.
Learning from Home
For families who are continuing to learn from home, the learning from home page has a wide range of curriculum-based activities to further support your child’s learning, if needed.
Thank you again for your understanding and support during what is going to be both an exciting, but also an anxious time over the coming Term.
Please take some time to check out our wellbeing resources for students and families. You’ll find useful tools for mental health and Term 4 preparation. Please do not hesitate to reach out if we can do anything to help you and your children to prepare for the return to face-to-face learning or if you have any concerns about the return to school.
We are spending the first week back at school finalising our COVID-safe plans for a return to face-to-face learning and I hope to share these plans with you in the coming weeks.
Shoalhaven High School thanks all our students and families for their continued support as learning from home continues. Please remember that we all in this together, stay safe and stay strong.
Kind regards,
Damian Rees
Executive Principal- Connected Communities
Shoalhaven High School