Whittlesea schools safe-proof classrooms ahead of students’ return
Principals across Whittlesea have revealed the strategies they have put in place to protect students from coronavirus, with one primary school staggering start and finish times.
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Students at a Mernda primary school will start and finish school at different times next week as pupils across Whittlesea return to the classroom after weeks of remote learning.
Mernda Park Primary School will stagger start and finish times, as well as banning students from drinking from bubble taps, and giving hugs, high-fives or fist pumps.
The school canteen will be closed, while teachers will assign outside play areas for students.
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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced last week students would return to school on May 26.
Under the plan students would head back in a staggered approach with Preps, Year 1 and 2 and Year 11 and 12 students returning next Tuesday.
Year 3 to 10 students will return from June 9.
Northside Christian College assistant principal Fleur Tucker told Leader construction of new buildings at the Bundoora campus were completed last week — “just in time”.
The new middle school facilities were in the works for more than a year.
“Luckily we’ll be able to use that extra space to allow for social distancing,” Ms Tucker said.
“The reason we had these new buildings constructed is because we were seeing unprecedented growth in enrolment numbers of our primary school.
“Now these facilities can be conveniently used as students ease back into classrooms.”
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St Monica’s College principal Brian Hanley said students at the Epping campus would have carefully allocated areas for play and recreation.
Pick-up and drop-off times would be staggered at the senior campus and there would be“more vigilance” to move students along at the school’s junior site.
“The college is actively preparing for the return of students and staff,” Mr Hanley said.
“This includes planning for reintroduction of onsite classroom teaching, thorough cleaning of the campuses daily, and putting together procedures for social distancing, sanitation and specific guidelines for specialist subject areas.
“The end to this school arrangement is drawing closer: We all need to approach it calmly.”
Mr Hanley said students who could not be supervised at home, and vulnerable children already onsite, could remain at the school during the two-week period from May 26 to June 9.