Coast school parents to expect new-look report cards

TODAY marks the start of two weeks of holidays for the Gold Coast’s state schools after what has been dubbed the “most trying school term to date”.

Most students only had five weeks of classroom learning, with children of non-essential workers “learning at home’’ for the first five weeks of term 2 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Education Department said preliminary data showed attendance on the Gold Coast was 91.3 per cent from weeks 6 to 10, up until Thursday, June 25.

State Education Minister Grace Grace thanked all state school staff for their commitment to providing continuity of learning for students during the pandemic.

“You have shown how successfully we can pull together to protect our community and adapt to challenging times,” she said.

“Our long-term investment in high-quality curriculum materials, digital classroom technologies and differentiated teaching and learning has paid off as we’ve worked to meet the needs of an incredibly diverse state.

“At this stage, term 3 promises the gradual return of school concerts, musicals, interschool sport and local school camps – an exciting step forward.’’

Year 12 formals were also back on the cards, as long as COVID safe plans were in place.

Report cards this term would only use evidence of achievement in term 1 and the last five weeks of term 2 for the four learning areas – English, maths, science and HASS (humanities, arts and social sciences).

Prep years would only report on English and maths.

Teachers would not be making comments and attendances would not be recorded on reports.

Meanwhile, The Southport School reported it was preparing to have “all of our country boys back for the start of next term, and as many overseas boys as possible”, with parents of boarders asked to monitor the latest updates on border crossing rules and COVID-19 hot spot areas.