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Online teaching success

NSW school teachers are having to adapt their teaching style due to Coronavirus health restrictions.Parents are being asked to make their own decisions about sending children into the school environment, while both the Commonwealth and NSW Governments have advised that educational facilities will be available to those who require them.NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the decision to keep schools open despite mounting pressure to close them is to specifically assist parents who have no choice but to send children to school.Sacred Heart Tocumwal has made the quick transition and its teachers are embracing the changed learning environment.“We are beginning to implement our Online Interactive Learning through different platforms such as Google Classroom and Seesaw,” Sacred Heart teacher Lyndall McLeod said.“Our children will take part in daily Zoom meetings - which is like an interactive online classroom.“Our teachers have been busy setting this up over the last few weeks.”In order to make this transition effective, the school had to provide the technology applicable and also rely on parents to ensure the children adhered to the learning.“The children have been provided with a device to support this new online learning,”  teacher Melissa Martin said.“The Kindergarten and Year 1 children will use iPads while the Year 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 children are learning on their Chromebook.“Seesaw is a communication platform where activities can be posted by the teacher and completed by the student.  It is then returned to the teacher for correction and feedback.“Parents have supported this style of learning and have embraced this online community at Sacred Heart,” fellow teacher Laura Walliss added.It has taken a team effort of Sacred Heart School teaching and administration staff in order to successfully transition into the online learning platform.Principal and teacher Pat Boake, Ms Walliss, Belinda Denny, George Martin, Mrs McLeod, Katie Hickey, Mrs Martin, teacher's aid Rebecca Bennett and school administration officer Beverley Babington have collaborated and shared ideas while making sure the children who are attending school have been cared for.