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Letter from the principal 12 june 2020

BY Mrs K. Stear

Dear Parents and Learners
We have come to the end of the first week of having the Grade 12 and 7 learners back at school. While this has been exhausting for the staff, the week proceeded remarkably well. The behaviour of the girls, in both Grade 7 and 12 has been truly commendable. They conducted themselves with great maturity and discipline and I would like to say a huge thank you to the girls. The staff have been beyond supportive and I feel humbled by the way they all were so totally absorbed in maintaining a safe environment at school. I say a huge thank you to them too.
The planning that went into receiving our girls back at school was meticulous and time consuming. The staff and I brain stormed every single day last week to ensure that we had procedures and protocols in place for all eventualities and the staff offered many suggestions. This paid off and the week ran smoothly. We are now fairly advanced in our planning to receive the Grades 11, 10 and 6 on the 6th July. I will be sending a further communication about this next week. The Grades 4, 5, 8 and 9 will only resume school on the 3rd August. In the meantime, we will be supporting the grades that are not back at school yet with homework on the D6, and WhatsApp groups. I need to advise you, though, that when we indicate the date for the return of the grade; it is not a full return. The regulations are restrictive and we will only be able to accommodate a limited number of grades on any given date which will result in platooning of learners attending school on certain days only.
We are also planning to open the hostel and aftercare in July, as additional grades resume schooling. Obviously the same strict protocol and procedure that is used at the school to stop the spread of the corona virus will be used at the hostel and aftercare. I will also be sending out more details of this next week.
Please consider whether you intend sending your child to school when her grade returns and send us an email to let us know as we need to know the numbers returning to facilitate our planning. The email address is info@riebeekcollege.co.za. Also, please consider filling in Instruction Note 20 – Application for full or partial exemption from school attendance, which can be found on the d6.
Parents of learners in Grade 7 and 12 are reminded of the Friday slot between 2 and 2.30 where the work of the work is distributed. It is vital, if we are to adequately support your decision to keep your daughter at home and adequately support your daughter’s academic progress, that you collect the work weekly.
This week we gave out hard copies of work done to the learners who requested it or who required it as they were unable to access the work online. Some parents were unable to collect the hard copies at the allocated times. I do understand that it is difficult for parents, especially when they are working. However, the teachers are very busy as the school day is not as it was before Covid-19 and the staff find themselves fully occupied while they are at school. For parents who have requested hard copies as they were unable to collect, please give the teachers two days to put together the copies for your daughter/s. Visitors are not allowed at the school, by Department of Education regulation, and therefore the request has to be emailed or left with the guard and two days later the work needs to be collected from the guard.
Because Grade 4,5,8 and 9 will only return in August, the teachers are putting together hard copies of July’s work and there will be a compulsory collection of these packs by 1 member of each family on designated days and times on 24 June (Grade 4 and 8) and 25 June (Grade 5 and 9) between 8.30 and 9.30. Please start making arrangements for someone to collect these notes, as this will be different to the previous handing out of hard copies which was for those who needed, whereas these handing out sessions will be for all learners to have work collected. The work for June will then not be provided digitally as it will have been collected. In some subjects and some grades, textbooks are also being issued at this time.
The Minister of Education, Angie Motshekga, published the amended school calendar yesterday. Schools resume teaching and learning for the second term on the 8th June until 7th August 2020. The third term begins on 12th August until 23rd September 2020 and the last term will run from 5th October until 15th December.
I would like to make a special mention of our support staff who have been outstanding in their sanitizing of the various venues between sessions. Throughout the day, there are teams of support staff making their way to sanitise and clean. It is a logistical wonder and quite astounding to observe.
I wish to remind our Grade 7 and 12 learners and parents that Tuesday, 16 June, is a public holiday and there will be no school on Tuesday but there is definitely school on Monday.
I hope and pray that Riebeek’s return to school continues in the same safe manner as it did this past week. I ask the girls, Riebeek families and staff to practice social distancing and to follow the correct protocol for Covid-19 even when you are not at school. Our safety protocols are not only about the measures we put in place at school. It is also about each of you and everyone around you.
Stay well and have a blessed weekend.
Kind Regards
Mrs K. Stear
PRINCIPAL

 June 12, 2020
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2020
Mrs K. Stear

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