Getting back to school has been a challenge for some, but students at Catholic Regional College Melton have relished the return to the classroom.
The school welcomed back it’s first students late last month, with more students set to return this week.
Principal Marlene Jorgensen said while there were some changes to how the school would run, getting back to some sort of normal was welcome.
“There was quite a lot of planning that went into the transition, and in a way a lot more than the transition the other way into distance learning,” Ms Jorgensen said.
“The students were really excited to get back into school, and the staff were as well. We did some student surveys and found that the group that missed face-to-face learning the most were our year 11 and 12s, so coming back to school has been very reassuring for them.”
With school common areas and classrooms cleaned constantly throughout the day, staff areas broken up to create more distance, and staggered start and finish times, things are far from normal.
However Ms Jorgensen said one of the benefits of a period of home learning has been an increased engagement between parents and the school.
“We know that the more engaged parents are with their kids schooling the better the learning outcomes, so that has been a real positive out of all this,” she said.
“We’ve always aimed for more connection, and we’re seeing a lot more of that since coming back. Now it’s about harnessing that and making sure we keep that strong connection going for the long term, which I’m sure we will.”
Ewen McRae
