Dear Parents/Guardians,

As you are no doubt aware Dianella SC ESC is open for students as of Wednesday 29 April.

I have condensed some of the available literature for you.

What is the current DoE position on students with special educational needs (SEN) attending schools? The WA Chief Health Officer letter which was sent to all school staff states:

• Schools are safe for staff and students and should stay open
• That school staff and children are not at increased risk of COVID-19 by physically attending school
• That there have been no cases of student-to-student transmission in Western Australia and no cases of student to teacher transmission.
• Students with disabilities are entitled to attend school on the same basis as all students. 
• All parents/carers have the option of keeping their child at home or sending them to school.  This includes students with SEN.  It is advisable to seek medical/DRs advice if you are unsure whether your child should attend school.
• This means that parents/carers are authorised to consider their child’s individual circumstances and needs.  No judgement will be made of anyone who keeps their child at home.
• Tuesday 28 April is a pupil free day for schools.  Students, including students with SEN, will not attend on these days. 
• From Wednesday 29 April all schools are open and parents are able to send their children to school if they wish to. 
• Online packages/SeeSaw will still be in use for children who remain at home.
• PTA (Special buses) and Transperth school buses will be running as usual
• Parents are not permitted on site
• WPL, excursions, incursions.

What Can I do as a Parent?

• Keep sick children at home
• Maintain regular phone/email contact with your child’s teacher
• Follow new staggered start/finish times
• Use the drop off zones for pick up and drop of at the start and end of each day and keep traffic, moving in these zones
• Reinforce Personal Space and COVID- 19 hygiene plans – sent out last term

What we are doing:

• Adhering Health Department WA hygiene practices in our school at all times
• Maintaining Personal Space with all students and staff
• Therapists not attending until week 2 at earliest
• No visitors to site
• No parents at site
• Tribes sessions held in class
• Staggered drop off/pick up times outside the school gates
• Regular contact with parents who choose to keep students at home
• Staggered recess/lunch breaks

 
Kiss and Drive Instructions:

• No parent or their car is to enter school grounds
• Only special buses and staff cars will enter school grounds
• School gates will be manned by Dianella SC ESC Administration Staff each morning and afternoon
• Gates will be locked after the last special bus leaves 
• Parents who drive their child to school will adhere to the parking guidelines and staggered start/pick up times
• Students will be collected form parent’s cars and walked to their classrooms at the start of the day
• Students will be taken from their classroom to their parents’ cars at the appointed time
• The pedestrian gates will be opened at the start and end of each day
• The drop off/Pick up are will be identified by a series of Witches hats – parents are to follow Kiss and Drive rules- that is the child exits the car into the care of the classroom staff and parent drives off
• The staggered start times will be sent out to you via email, Facebook and school website
• NO student should attend site until 8:20 am at the earliest.

Best Wishes,

Jacquie Gellel
Principal
28.4.2020

​Dear Parents/Guardians,

Quality parenting is always hard work - in these uncertain times it's even harder. I thank you for your continued patience and devotion to your children who are all missed by our staff.

At school we have been focused on curriculum continuity and trying to make teaching & learning packages which meet each students' needs and interests. As we move towards Term 2, staff will continue to work in their class teams to ensure your child has meaningful work to complete. Let me reassure you that we do not expect students to complete these packages before Term 2 begins and that students are expected to take the holidays as a break from formal studies.

If you run out of work or feel we need to make some adjustments to the work provided, please do not hesitate to contact your class teacher direct via email, Seesaw or when you are scheduled to chat.

Staff will sort out how best to contact you over the next few days to confirm that you are able to access the packages and to check in on their students. Please keep checking the school website and emails/seesaw for latest updates from your child's teachers.

Staff are now on an IT learning journey and will be practicing WEBEX this week to test our capacity to use this tool effectively. We will let you know as soon as possible if this is the best IT platform for your child.

At present it is unclear as to what the future holds for this wonderful school, state and country. Be assured that a soon as I have clear directives regarding how the school will function next term I will let you know. At this stage I am preparing for a continuation of our current closure for at least the first 2 weeks of Term 2. I will use the school Webpage, Facebook and teacher communication types to keep you informed.

Whilst I have been ensuring that staff are kept busy with meaningful tasks I have also preparing some staff and student health and well-being activities. Please be assured that these activities do not impinge on our first duty to deliver quality curriculum to each student. Rather activities like a school song, crazy hair, gratitude e vents, and slippers day are intended to reassure our students that we are okay and waiting for their return. I believe that joining you in projecting a positive attitude to our students will contribute positively to their health and well-being.

I wish you all a safe Easter Break and hope that you are able to witness many positive human behaviours in your community during this challenging period.
 
Best Wishes,
 
Jacquie Gellel
Principal
7.4.2020

​Dear Parents/Guardians,
​
I cannot express enough on behalf of my staff our continued appreciation of your support during these challenging and changing times. We remain committed to ensuring that Curriculum continues but are very mindful that this is not always easy in your home settings for many reasons. We are here to help as best we can. Your student’s teacher will be in contact at some stage soon to identify a suitable time for them to make contact with you.  Please be understanding of the following:

• Work packages are a support for parents not a substitute for schools
• Parents are not expected to be expert teachers - rather parents are to assist with programs
• Staff are expected to share their expertise/tips with you
• It’s a parental decision as to how/if a rewards program is set up
• Staff cannot be expected to offer counselling services – we can refer you to appropriate agencies/people
• Staff cannot replace Therapists- please contact your therapists direct 
• Teachers cannot provide one-to-one sessions covering the whole schooldays and/or the curriculum
• We are using SeeSaw and Department emails as our main form of communication with parents- we will try to get back to you as soon as possible (probably within 2 working days)
• Teaching and learning is not just from books/resources - cooking sessions, gardening, pet care and so on- are also educational activities. I’m sure you have some very purposeful activities for your children to do around the home. These are valuable teaching sessions.
• You may not complete all the work provided – that’s Ok. Just do as much as you can.
• All assessments and reporting will resume when this COVID-19 process is completed. No child will be disadvantaged. 

 
I hope this has been helpful for you. We are here to support your children. Please contact us if you need more work or unclear as to our current role.
Thank you,

Jacqueline Gellel
Principal
Dianella SC ESC
02.04.2020

Developmental Disability WA:
https://ddwa.org.au/caronavirus-covid-19-information-for-families-and-people-with-disability-copy/
https://ddwa.org.au/covid-health-planning/​

​Red Cross:
​https://www.redcross.org.au/coronavirus
https://www.redcross.org.au/stories/covid-19
https://www.redcross.org.au/news-and-media/news/silver-linings-during-covid-19
https://www.redcross.org.au/get-help/emergencies/preparing-for-emergencies/get-prepared-app
https://www.redcross.org.au/news-and-media/news/talking-to-kids-about-covid-19
https://www.redcross.org.au/news-and-media/news/coronavirus-tips-for-self-isolating
https://www.redcross.org.au/news-and-media/news/covid-19-and-your-mental-wellbeing

Dear Parents/Guardians,​

As you are aware, families are now encouraged to keep their children at home if they have the capacity to do so. 
Education support settings are unique environments, that present a more complex environment for our students and staff in regard to the current pandemic threat. 

​Students who require close proximity with staff and those who have a cognitive or communication impairment that makes it more difficult for students to regulate their behavior are at greater risk of acquiring and/or transmitting the virus. This includes students who require toileting, feeding, dressing and manual handling and those who are unable to regulate social distancing and behavior. 

The Department of Education has been in close consultation with the Chief Health Officer throughout. Given the spread of COVID-19, and the vulnerability of our education support students, the decision has been made that our education support students should remain at home.

We recognise that every student has a unique situation and we will be working with families on the individual case management of your child with a view to safely supporting our students at home. Please contact us if you require our help in supporting your student at home.

We know our school is different to most schools, and our students have different educational needs. This undoubtedly will be one of the biggest challenges we face. Your child's education will continue, but it will look different. No matter what the situation, we will be staying connected with all our students. 

I understand this is unsettling news but I want to assure you that the safety of all students and staff is our number one priority. 

One of the best aspects of our school is our ability to look after one another. I am here for every one of you and your children, as are all the staff. These are unprecedented times and I know we will pull together and get through this. 

Kind regards,
Jacquie Gellel
Principal
Dianella SC ESC
30.03.2020

Parents of children are asked NOT to send their children to school if the child has returned from mainland China or Hong Kong within 14 days.  Even if they don’t have symptoms, it is advised that they do not attend school or childcare.  Although the risk to children is very low, this is a precautionary approach to ensure the safest possible environment for children.  Children do not require a medical certificate or clearance, but are asked to remain at home until 14 days after leaving mainland China or Hong Kong. More Information can be found in the download below.