Students and teachers "grieving" their normal daily interaction are going to new lengths to stay connected and preserve the happy experiences of school.
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As Term 1 ended in an unprecedented fashion and families and schools prepared for the challenge of the next term, Easter traditions were kept alive at schools including Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School in Amaroo.
The annual Easter bonnet parade was held from a safe distance, providing students and teachers an opportunity to come together face-to-face after weeks of remote learning.
A convoy of parents with students sporting handmade Easter creations drove past a crowd of their teachers on Thursday.
Principal David Austin said it had been a difficult transition to online learning with teachers and students "grieving" normal day-to-day activities.
"We had to totally change the way we educate students, so it's been a steep learning curve for us," he said.
"The biggest thing for us is the community, the relationships. When we do that remotely it's very challenging."
Mr Austin said many students were missing their classrooms, friends and the "life that they knew" before social distancing measures came into place.
He said it had been a tough semester and those struggles would continue when Term 2 began on April 29.
Systemic Catholic schools in the ACT will remain open next term, however, per ACT government advice, students are advised to stay at home if they can.
Director of Catholic Education Canberra Ross Fox said remote learning would be provided to students at home and schools would assess the needs of students on campus as to whether they would complete the same online learning or different tasks.
He said schools would try to assist students who required devices or WiFi connection for their studies by loaning equipment or providing alternative work that wasn't reliant on internet.
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Mr Fox said Canberra's Catholic schools were a safe space and would be open to any students who required them.
He said Year 12 students in the Catholic system would receive an ATAR score as was announced by Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan early this week.
Mr Austin said Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School would be providing remote learning to all students regardless of whether they were on campus or not.
Teaching staff would be at the school supervising and assisting students.
Around 20 per cent of the school's 700-student cohort had attended school at the end of Term 1 and Mr Austin expected to see similar numbers next term.
"There's still a lot of families out there that need their children to come to school," he said.
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