WIMMERA schools have been busy preparing to deliver remote learning as Victoria was sent into a five-day snap lockdown on Thursday.
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Despite the lockdown announcement coming in on Thursday afternoon, many schools planned for a potential lockdown, telling students to bring any learning materials home with them in anticipation.
St Brigid's College principal Gerard Raven said students and staff at the school were familiar with snap lockdowns, making moving back to remote learning much more manageable.
"While the timing of the announcement came after school had finished on Thursday, our students and staff have developed an agility that allows them to swing into different styles of learning quickly and mostly effortlessly," he said.
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"Our students continued to learn through a blend of self directed learning and Zoom classes."
Aware of the possibility of entering another lockdown in 2021, Mr Raven said the school had been looking at "keeping the pencil sharp" when it came to remote learning.
"This may seem at odds with our current thinking, however I believe the skills and mindsets our students develop during the interruptions will ultimately prove very beneficial to the agility and work readiness of our students," he said.
"At St Brigid's College, we very much believe that learning can occur anytime, anywhere, not just in the classroom.
"Our school has a positive education program that promotes a growth mindset among our students so that their preferred response is to be 'Brave and Not Perfect'."
Holy Trinity Lutheran College principal Daniel Weller said he was impressed by his school's ability to navigate in-school to at-home learning.
"With the unfortunate reality that statewide lockdowns will still occur, I commend our college community for the resilience and support shown toward one another during this time," he said.
"We have moved between learning platforms five times since last year and our staff have continued to positively respond with the students in the centre of all decisions."
Mr Weller recognised the emotional demand placed on students and staff by remote learning situations and said the school was working to provide support wherever needed.
"Moving from on-site to remote learning, and back again, places a great deal of cognitive and emotional demand on the staff and students. Over the past 18 months we have seen students thrive on both platforms but feel that a deliberate shift from one to another would not be suitable or sustainable in our context," he said.
"Holy Trinity Lutheran College has purposely invested in the wellbeing of its staff and students since the beginning of last year.
"With the inclusion of additional support staff and tailored programs focused on the mental health of members in our community, we have continued to strive for excellence in quality Christian education and care regardless of the learning platform."
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The latest COVID-19 cluster has also renewed calls for teachers to get priority vaccinations after the virus emerged at two schools in Western Victoria.
The Australian Education Union said that teachers under 40 could not be vaccinated, which poses a risk to them and their students.
Mr Raven said if the community expected schools to stay open, teachers should be essential workers.
"If we as a community expect schools to stay open, then teachers should also be seen as essential workers, and while the front line workers such as our nurses and doctors deserve the immediate support, teacher and school staff should be supported with vaccines as soon as possible," he said.
Mr Weller said he would like to see vaccination support for schools in the region.
"With an increase in supply I would like to see all school staff have the ability to be vaccinated, regardless of age. Our college will always need to provide on-site support to those students who are vulnerable, or of essential workers, so providing this to staff would be of great value," he said.
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