Should students repeat a year because of COVID?
PV Executive Officer Gail McHardy was interviewed on 3AW recently on the question of whether students should repeat a year because of the COVID-19 disruptions in 20202.
Gail said that children are often more resilient than we might think, and that any decision to repeat should be carefully considered, in consultation with the student, parents and teachers.
Gail and host Tony Jones also discussed the importance of good relationships and communication between families and schools in managing the difficulties of remote and flexible learning.
Mindfulness resources for VCE / VCAL students
The Department of Education and Training has partnered with mindfulness program Smiling Mind to produce resources to support VCE/VCAL students to remain positive and engaged in their education during the coronavirus pandemic.
The first of six episodes launched today, and includes:
- A short video
- Online tip sheet
- Mindfulness meditations on taking care of yourself.
Parent payments: PV media comment
According to today's Age, "Government schools have been told not to pursue families who do not pay for essential learning materials such as textbooks, stationery and art equipment, but instead to find ways to pay from their own budgets."
PV Executive Officer Gail McHardy is quoted in the article.
Gail said many parents who previously had the income to contribute to schools’ fundraising efforts were in a worse financial position this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We support principals being able to deliver a quality service but they need to be very mindful that you don’t transfer the responsibility onto the community when the community is already hurting," she said.
COVID resources for Parent Clubs
Now more than ever, your Parent Club is a vital social hub for parents to support each other and share ideas.
Our new website page has tips on how to keep your Parent Club going during home learning.
There's also a chance to share the good things your club is doing. We know that Parent Clubs are coming up with creative ways to keep their vital activities going during the COVID-19 pandemic. Share those ideas around!
PV submission to Vic. Parliament
Parents Victoria has made a submission to the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee of the Victorian Parliament, about the Government's response to the COVID-19 crisis. PV's Gail McHardy also made a verbal submission to the Committee (transcript available below).
The submission focuses on clear communication and strong relationships between schools and families as critical elements in dealing with the impacts of COVID-19 in schools. The submission includes responses from our ongoing parent survey.
We're listening... tell your story
The COVID-19 situation is changing day by day, so we're keeping our parent survey form open... if you have something to say about the way COVID-19 is impacting your children's education, and how that impact flows on to you and your family... we're still listening!
We often have opportunities to advise government departments and other agencies on how the management of COVID-19 is affecting children and parents in the school system, so give us your views and we'll pass them on.
Recent submissions
- In June 2020 we made a submission to Engage Victoria on "Lessons learnt from Remote and Flexible Learning" , in part informed by our online survey.
- In August 2020 we made a submission to the Victorian Parliament's Public Accounts and Estimates Committee on the State Government's response to COVID-19, in part informed by our online survey.
Have your say
What is going well? What are the big problems for you? What could be done better?
We're keeping the format wide open - no questions, just tell your story.
Support services from Beyondblue
If you're feeling worried or struggling to cope during isolation, Beyondblue is there to help.
They are offering:
- Phone support
- Web chat support
- Online community forum
Help for parents of children with disabilities
The latest issue of NoticeBoard, the newsletter of the Association for Children with a Disability is out, and as usual it's full of great supportive information for parents of children with disabilities, including:
- Preparing for your Student Support Group meeting: details of a free online workshop for parents and carers. Student Support Group (SSG) meetings with your child's school are one of the best ways to find new, creative approaches to support your child learning from home. This workshop will show you how to prepare and get the best from these meetings. Choice of dates.
- "It's a marathon, not a sprint" - a parent's story of overcoming difficulties and working with her son's school to achieve a positive outcome for him.
- ...and lots more.
VCE assessment: PV media comment
PV Executive Officer Gail McHardy was interviewed by SBS News for a story on VCE assessment; specifically last week's announcement of special consideration for all VCE students.
Gail said:
"For the 2020 VCE cohort, everything's a bit of an unknown going forward. There's obviously a high level of anxiety among students.
"The impact has predominantly been about the pivoting back and forth, going on-site then back to learning from home and, not being able to share in the end of their secondary schooling life.
"When the anxiety is high, how can they remain calm and how can they continue to focus?"
VCE students, mental health: announcements
Education MInister James Merlino announced changes to VCE assessment at a press conference this afternoon.
Mr Merlino announced that special consideration for the impacts of COVID-19 will be extended to all VCE students. Special consideration has previously been available on a case-by-case basis, in cases of illness or injury, and students needed to apply for it. This year, every student will be assessed individually and the impacts of COVID-19 (including absence from school, family responsibilities and mental health) will be taken into account. Mr Merlino said that no student will be disadvantaged because of the impacts of COVID-19.
Extra support for vulnerable students
Mr Merlino also announced extra funding for programs to support vulnerable students and mental health programs.
The extra funding will help to boost:
- Mental health training for school staff
- Mental health practitioners in schools (they will be available in all schools including special schools)
- Programs such as Navigator that support vulnerable students
