Principal: Questions still need answering GETTING A JUMP ON HOLIDAYS

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

WITH schools now closed from today, a local principal has given his insight into how the education system is adapting during the coronavirus pandemic.

Geelong High School’s Glenn Davey said that although the Department of Education had done a “good job” communicating daily changes, some areas remain grey.

“There are plenty of unanswered questions,” Mr Davey said. “Most of those relate to our VCE students, who are the most critical importance at this particular point.

“How we will go about completing SACs (school assessed coursework), ensuring authenticity and so on, we’re still waiting for clarity in that regard.”

The Victorian Government announced on Sunday that school holidays would start three days early in a bid to tackle the spread of COVID-19.

Mr Davey said he expected students to return to school next term, but has “clear” plans in place for remote learning if necessary.

“We’re anticipating that we will be advised over the holidays whether schools will actually reopen next term,” he said.

“Like all schools we’ve been planning to anticipate more flexible remote learning — for the last few weeks we’ve been working towards that.

“Our focus is on making sure we do the best we can to make sure we maintain the continuity of students’ learning throughout this situation.”

Mr Davey said the changing circumstances had been stress

WHILE concerns over the coronavirus have gripped the community, schoolkids were more than happy to finish school early yesterday to play their part in lessening the spread of the virus. Wallington Primary School’s Xavier and Ollie Boland, pictured, were jumping for joy to get a couple of extra days of school holidays.

WE’VE DEALT WITH SOME PRETTY CRAZY THINGS, BUT THIS IS RIGHT UP THERE — THIS IS NEW TERRITORY FOR ALL OF US.” GEELONG HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL GLENN DAVEY ful, but students and parents had been “very supportive”.

“We’ve dealt with some pretty crazy things, but this is right up there — this is new territory for all of us,” he said.

“It is a stressful time, teachers are no different in that regard. “We’ve just been keeping our focus on our work and we’re grateful that we still have employment.”

Mr Davey encouraged parents and students to keep calm and safe during the Easter holidays and follow the directions of the Government in terms of social distancing.