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The first day of school can help set the tone for the whole year and it’s totally normal to feel some nervous jitters. But there’s plenty you can do to keep from stressing out and make your first day a killer one. Spend some time preparing, and you’ll thank yourself for it later. If your new year involves some remote learning, or if it’s entirely virtual, it’s okay to feel a little anxious about it. But even if you’re learning from home, there’s plenty you can do to help your first day go more smoothly.

Preparing the Night Before

Lay out your clothes and school supplies. Pick out your outfit, or gather your school uniform and lay it out beside your bed so you can quickly get dressed and don’t have to scramble to find clothes. Spend some time choosing clothes that will make you feel confident and make sure they’re clean and ready to go. Pack your school supplies into your backpack so you can grab it and go.

• If you have to wear a school uniform, use accessories to add your own style to your look. Jewelry like necklaces or bracelets can really brighten up your uniform. Just make sure it’s not against the rules.
• Be sure to follow your school's dress code, even if you don't have uniforms. You don't want to get in trouble on your first day!

Figure out how you’re getting to school tomorrow. Decide if you’re going to be taking the school bus, if a friend or their parent is going to pick you up, or if your parents are going to drop you off so you can organize. Don’t wait until the last minute to organize your ride. 

• If you live close enough, you may be able to walk or ride a bicycle to school.
• Riding the bus allows you to talk to other students and make some friends.
• You could also join a carpool so you can ride to school with your friends.

Clean your room so it’s organized when you get home. It’s always nice to come back home to a clean and organized room, so spend some time tidying up the night before so you can relax and de-stress after your first day. Clear off your desk, put your clothes away, and run a vacuum over your carpet so your room is organized and clean. You’ll also have an organized space to help you study during the school year. 

• You might be surprised by how much clutter and junk you’ve accumulated during your summer break.
• Spray some air freshener so it smells nice as well.
• If you’re stressed or nervous, cleaning your room can help release some of your anxiety.

Set 2 alarms 10 minutes apart so you’re sure to wake up. Give yourself plenty of time to get up and get yourself ready for your first day by setting an alarm for about an hour before you need to get to school. Set 2 alarms on your clock or phone so you don’t sleep through or snooze the first one and wake up late. 

• Choose alarms that are loud and will definitely wake you up.
• Try placing your alarm across the room so you have to get up to turn it off, which can help keep you from falling back asleep.

Get at least 8 hours of sleep so you’re well-rested. Go to bed early enough to give yourself a full night’s rest so you wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day. Avoid distractions like smartphones, TV, or video games at least 30 minutes before you go to bed to help yourself fall asleep faster. 

Getting enough sleep is even more important if you're 16 or younger! Your body needs more time to rest while it's still growing.

• If you’ve been staying up late all summer, try going to bed earlier during the week before school starts to reset your sleep schedule.
• Read a book if you’re having trouble falling asleep. You’ll start to naturally feel tired.

On our previous post which are highlighted in Blue from 24 March, 2020

"We would like to encourage that our college still open only this week and if we can expand our time we will expand it until next week too due to a response of COVID - 19. As a college we will be working together with students and staff. We have notice parents who have their child at our school. For now please don't take any Public Transports for the safety of our students who took bus daily. This crisis has affected our whole school systems and Our Principal would like to advice on this manner that we have stored Hand Sanitizer and Hand soaps in all the toilets, All parents should pick up and drop off their child on the start of the day and the end of the day. 

We appreciate for your attention and support during this difficult time for you and students"

Attendance at School
Students have the right whether if they want to go to school or not. If students choice not going to school their parents need to inform the college by email or phone. On Tuesday 24 March 2020 was announced that schools are now optional for students, However parents can make decision about this issues to sending their kids to school. Students will not be penalised or not will be missed on any assessment or any other assignment that their teachers have put up for them. Therefore we will make sure that all of our students are not at risk of success at our college.

Information for parents regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

We are acting on the advice of the WA Department of Health to take the necessary precautions for schools and staff.

All Western Australian public schools are being supported by the Department of Education to implement a plan in relation to COVID-19.

Changes to public school learning from Monday 30 March 2020

The State Government has announced new learning arrangements in Western Australian public schools will be introduced to help manage the COVID-19 pandemic.

To assist our students, teachers and parents, from Monday March 30 to Friday April 3, all children who attend school will continue to be taught. Staff will continue to be present to ensure this can occur.

However, we encourage families to keep their children at home if they can access online or other resources for their education to continue.

Children of parents who need their children to attend school to enable them to maintain employment, and those children in vulnerable families, such as children living with grandparents, are encouraged to continue to attend school.

Teachers and education assistants will use the time between Monday 6 to Thursday 9 April to complete professional development to prepare for Term 2. For children who need to attend school during these four days, arrangements will be in place to allow students to continue to attend school and be supervised.

Independent and Catholic schools will introduce their own suitable arrangements.

Work will continue during the school holidays on developing a longer term education model for Term 2 and beyond in response to COVID-19.

School closures

If there was to be a confirmed COVID-19 case at a school, the decision to close a school is based on the expert advice from the WA Health Department’s Chief Health Officer.

The Chief Health Officer will, if there has been a positive COVID-19 test result in a school, close the school temporarily while assessment and tracing of exposure is conducted. A thorough school clean will then be carried out to make the school safe for the return of students and staff.

In this situation, all families will be immediately contacted by the school and provided with the relevant information.

Travel

All non-essential travel in and out of Western Australia will be banned from 1.30pm on Tuesday, 24 March 2020.

New restrictions and arrival requirements to travel to Western Australia from other Australian States and Territories in response to COVID-19 will apply unless exempted.

Arrivals from overseas and interstate will now be ordered to self-isolate for 14 days.

Parents/carers must notify their school that their child will be absent from school for the isolation period and confirm the date of arrival into Western Australia.

Students do not require a medical certificate or clearance to return to school but must remain at home until 14 days.

Curriculum support

The Learning at home website is now available and resources will continue to be added over the coming weeks.

Updates will be provided as any new information becomes available. Please check back regularly to ensure the information you have is up to date.

The Department of Education, Catholic Education Western Australia and the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia will continue to respond as a collaborative team to advice from the WA Department of Health and provide updated advice to schools and staff as appropriate.

For more information

• WA Department of Health: www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/coronavirus
• Call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
• For general or travel related queries about coronavirus please go to the healthdirect website.
• Visit the Australian Department of Health website or details about the novel coronavirus.
• You can also visit the World Health Organisation website for more information about coronavirus and for updates.
• Telethon Institute for Kids - Tips for discussing coronavirus with your kids

School students will not face national literacy and numeracy testing in 2020 because of the spread of coronavirus.

Education ministers made the decision to bin the NAPLAN tests at a meeting on Friday. The exams were scheduled for May.

The ministers said cancellation would help teachers and principals "focus on the wellbeing of students and continuity of education, including potential online and remote learning".

"Further, the impact of responses to the COVID-19 virus may affect the delivery of NAPLAN testing, including the operation of centralised marking centres and the implications for nationally comparable data if an insufficient number of students are available to do the test," they said in a statement.

But they reiterated the strong medical advice that schools should remain open for now.

"Education departments and systems will continue to closely monitor health advice and work with schools to ensure appropriate support for students and staff as the response to COVID-19 develops," they said.

The cancellation also means testing of the expanded online NAPLAN platform, supposed to start next week, now won't happen.

In 2019, the first widespread trial of NAPLAN online was plagued by technical issues, with many students unable to complete their tests first go.

Some states have questioned the usefulness of NAPLAN, with NSW, Queensland and Victoria reviewing whether the standardised testing gives parents and teachers diagnostic information in the most efficient way.

But federal Education Minister Dan Tehan has previously defended it, saying the tests did provide valuable information.