Letter from the Secretary
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of the Secretary
GPO Box 169, HOBART TAS 7001
OfficeoftheSecretary@education.tas.gov.au
Ph (03) 6165 5757
29th June 2020
Dear parents and carers
Thank you for your support and assistance during what has been a truly extraordinary Term 2. What our schools have achieved in response to COVID-19 has been nothing short of amazing, and it would not have been possible without us working closely with families to ensure our students and staff are safe and supported to continue to learn.
Since our staged approach to returning to learning at school commence on 25th May, there have been a number of changes to the way schools have operated in order to comply with Public Health advice and to limit the movement of people on our sites an din our communities. Thank you all for your cooperation with these measures; our first consideration has always been the health and safety of our staff, students and the wider community.
Schools continue to remain safe, and all students should now be learning at school unless they have medical advice for a medical condition. It is also very important to keep your child at home if they are at all unwell.
From Term 3 (21st July 2020), updated health advice and changes to national and state restrictions will mean that schools will be able to re-commence a number of school activities. Some activities are continuing to be considered. Activities that can re-commence, with relevant hygiene and health and safety requirements in place, include:
*All school sports and activities, including competitions
*Inter=school student events and competitions (eg. sport, debating, public speaking, performing arts)
*School assemblies
*Some excursions
*Launching into Learning
*School swimming pools
*Work experience for students
*VET and work placements
*Parent/teacher meetings
*Approved volunteering activities
School camps and large gatherings of adults such as parent functions and working bees are still on hold until further notice.
We value the role parents and carers play in our schools and as a critical part of their child's education, and it is important that we maintain and continue strong relationships with families and schools. While all adults must maintain physical distance from each other at all times (1.5 metres), from Term 3 parents and carers will again be able to drop off and pick up students on school grounds. Please ensure that your time on school grounds and interactions are brief.
Fore more information about these changes and detail around what Term 3 will look like, the Department has launched a handy guide for parents and carers about what to expect. This can be found on the Department of Education website at: https://www.education.tas.gov.au/parents-carers/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/
Thank you again for your support and cooperation during Term 2. All of the work our schools have undertaken, in conjunction with their school communities, has been truly inspiring, and we have both heard countless stories across our community from families who are so appreciative of how schools have responded to these uncertain times.
As always, our plans will remain in line with Public Health advice. We will continue to remain flexible and responsive to the situation, and will modify plans when we need to. It is wonderful to see our schools returning to their usual bustling hives of activity and learning, and we wish all our students and their families well for the remainder of 2020.
Yours sincerely
Tim Bullard Jeremy Rockliff MP
SECRETARY MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING