What will Term 2 look like for ACT schools?

Self-starter Lucy will work from her room, while younger sister Jess requires a bit more supervision from her parents.

On rotating work-from-home and work-onsite rosters, Emma and Adam will share school duties while caring for three-year old William when he's not at creche.

Mrs Davidson said her girls' final week remote learning at Palmerston Primary School had demonstrated the academic expectation was "really quite doable."

The public-school deputy principal said maybe it was because she worked with children, or maybe it was her "it will be what it will be" attitude, she wasn't concerned about next term.

"They're learning such a variety of skills at home," she said. "If we don't get it done one day, we'll get it done the next.

"Wherever they're at when this is over, their teachers will teach to that point."

Classes are set to resume for public school students after the long weekend on Tuesday, with families across Canberra logging in to access remote learning to start Term 2.

Students unable to learn from home will attend nine hub schools, while the territory's four specialist schools will also remain open. On Friday, more than 2600 students had registered to attend supervised school sites.

Of Canberra's 50,000 public school students, approximately 2000 students will be attending the sites across Canberra each day.

Despite the ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Association calling for clear direction over face to face learning ahead of the school holidays, Education Minister Yvette Berry created confusion towards the week by announcing "we are going to ask teachers and school staff to change again."

Ms Berry sought to clarify the directorate's position on Friday with the message that the first four weeks of term will "look at what a transition may look like" to face to face learning.

"This will happen whilst learning from the work of other states and territories, our own local circumstances, expert health advice and in a careful and considered way," Ms Berry said.

Parents and citizens association president Kirsty McGovern-Hooley said during this period of "high level pressure and stress" parents wanted more "structure and certainty" when it came to students returning to classrooms.

"All this mixed messaging is not being read. The ongoing debate is really not helpful. We need a lot more clarity," she said.

Ms McGovern-Hooley said while other social distancing measures were still in place, many parents found it difficult to accept that sending students to school was safe.

She said ACT parents deserved a less "ad hoc" arrangement than had been decided for NSW, where students will begin transitioning to one day a week in Term 3.

Following direction from the state, head of Canberra Grammar School Justin Garrick communicated to parents this week the school was "currently developing our plans" to do the same.

"A phased return will be necessary for virtually all schools in order to meet strict safety guidelines," Mr Garrick wrote.

Director of Catholic Education Ross Fox said the Archdiocese was unable to predict what the whole of Term 2 would look like.

"We will regularly review school operations in this context," Mr Fox said.

ACT education union secretary Glenn Fowler said an agreement was reached with the education directorate last month that any union member would not be compelled to attend a worksite.

"We remain concerned that our members are physically and psychologically vulnerable in worksites where we are not yet convinced it is possible to maintain appropriate social distancing and the highest hygiene standards," Mr Fowler said.

"We would need to reach an agreement to divert from this shared position."

Greg Terrell is the principal at Bonython Primary School. He said staff had trialled communicating through Google Meet last term and through the holidays to prepare them for remote learning in Term 3.

He said while there was understandably some anxiety from teachers as a whole they were a positive bunch.

"They're not thinking about this as a silo. They're working together, they're planning together," Mr Terrell said.

The father of three said finding "learning assets" in the home was equally as important as academic study.

Mr Terrell accompanied their course work with time in the backyard or around the house looking for opportunities to learn independently.

"There's lots of things that can happen around the home which we don't usually stop and notice," he said.

While ACT guidelines do not set out a prescribed amount of hours for academic learning, Mr Terrell said families should take the opportunity to be creative with what works for them.

He said this could include working on a group project or studying elements of nature.

"That's the art of curiosity. Curious kids are learning kids," Mr Terrell said.

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Are they open? All schools will be open for students who need cannot learn from home as of Tuesday, which is technically a pupil free day. Remote learning will start on Wednesday.

How will remote learning be delivered? Catholic schools will use different applications and resources including Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Seesaw and other resources. Those unable to access online learning will use workbooks and hardcopy materials. Some schools will provide physical resource packs.

Are uniforms required? Students attending schools will be expected to wear a uniform. Parents and schools will choose if they are required at home.

Will schools loan out electronic devices? Where it is possible students may have access to school devices.

How many hours will be required from kindergarten to primary school children? A starting point is to have 2-4 hours of structured learning across the day.

What about for senior students? Each school will manage this differently.

When will attendance be taken? All students will engage with their teacher every day. Teachers, students and parents will determine how this occurs.

Will temperatures be taken of those who attend schools? Schools may choose to take staff and student temperatures when and where this meets the needs of the school community.

Are they open? Classes start on Tuesday. Gordon Primary School, Caroline Chisholm School, Mawson Primary School, Red Hill Primary, Charles Weston School, Malkara School, The Woden School, Kingsford Smith School, Maribyrnong Primary School, Cranleigh School, Amaroo School, Majura Primary School and Black Mountain School will be open for children who cannot undertake their learning from home.

What will the use? Schools will use Google platforms to deliver remote learning, and the SeeSaw application for students in their early primary school years.

Are uniforms required? No. Students can wear their normal school uniform, but are not required to.

Will schools loan out electronic devices? In March the ACT Government announced all primary students in years 4, 5 and 6 would be given access to a Chromebook device, should they need one.

How many hours will be required from kindergarten to primary school children? K-2 will focus on play-based learning. Primary students grade 3-6 will do 45 minutes of literacy and 45 minutes of numeracy a day, alongside a mix of physical and other activities.

What about for senior students? College students are expected to maintain the notional hours of engagement to satisfy the Board of Senior Secondary Studies requirements. All activities posted in each course outline and on the Google classroom indicate the notional hours. Notional hours do not mean teaching time as research, reflection, discussion all contribute to those notional hours.

When will attendance be taken? This will be determined at the school level with teachers engaging with students and families at times that best suit them each day. A small number of activities might be live with teacher and classmates meeting via video conferencing.

Will students receive a physical resource pack? Students in P-3 will receive physical resource packs from their teachers. These will be tailored by each school and classroom teacher and could also include worksheets as well as other offline activities.

Will temperatures be taken at schools? No. The supervised sites will maintain good hygiene practices, physical distancing and cleaning to support the safety of all people at these sites. If any student or staff member is unwell they are advised to stay at home and seek advice from their GP.

What if a student who attends school shows symptoms or tests positive to COVID-19? The response will follow ACT Health guidelines, as was the case with the temporary closure of Lyneham High School.

Are they open? Yes, schools will remain open as they did for the end of Term 1, with classes resuming on Tuesday.

Microsoft Teams? The delivery of remote learning will vary across schools.

Are uniforms required? Some schools will require students to wear uniform while online learning. This could include regular school uniform or sports uniform. Students required to wear uniform have been notified.

Will schools loan out electronic devices? Each school will have its own support processes.

How many hours will be required from kindergarten to primary school children? This will vary day by day and school by school.

What about for senior students? BSSS requires specified hours of instruction for courses. Students are required to meet these hours.

When will attendance be taken? Each Independent school will have its own processes to follow.

Will students receive a physical resource pack? Generally no. If specifics are needed they will be provided

Will temperatures be taken of those who attend schools? No, federal government guidelines suggest it is unnecessary.

What if a student who attends school shows symptoms or tests positive to COVID-19? Schools will follow ACT Health guidelines should a student or staff member show symptoms. Should they test positive, they will be in self isolation, and the school will work with ACT Health to ensure correct cleaning protocols are followed.

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