Keeping connected in times of social distancing

Vanessa Prail with her daughter Emma is among the tens of thousands of Canberra children now being home-schooled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Catholic schools are remaining open until the end of Term 1 and we are encouraging parents to keep their children home if they are able. This is to support parents and carers, particularly those providing essential services, who are unable to provide care for their children.

Our dedicated teachers are committed to seeing their students through this difficult time with a sense of fun and creativity. Their focus is on providing a learning experience that brings their students closer together at a time of ‘social distancing’.

Year 5/6 teacher, Rebecca Casey, from Holy Trinity Primary School, Curtin, makes sure students working remotely from their homes feel connected to their school and those classmates who still need to be at school.

She prepared a fun vlog of her day to share with her remote students. The video follows her as she makes her way to work and walks through the school to her class. Teachers, office staff and students wave and send messages to the children.

This simple idea has had a very positive impact on some families who have made the decision to stay home. Parent, Vanessa Prail, whose daughter Emma attends Rebecca’s class, emailed the Principal a note of thanks.

“It was nice to see the smiles and laughter as our family watched the video. After the first week of being at home we were struggling with the isolation of not seeing friends and family. However, teachers have been working hard this week to keep connected with our kids sending them, not only school tasks, but also personal emails to check in with them. We are so grateful for this connection which has been important in keeping the kids happy and motivated.” She continued, “Emma was so amazed to see that there were not many people at school and told me how grateful she was that the teachers were still there working so hard for them.”

Sometimes it’s the little things that go a long way in helping children deal with challenges and uncertainty.