Connections
Welcome to Connections - Issue 15 - 6 January 2021
Viewpoint
For College updates please visit our website: http://www.guernseycollege.ac.gg/wp/
COVID 19 - UPDATE/LATEST ADVICE
Maintaining our safety: As we all know, the Bailiwick continues to contain the virus very successfully and it is easy for us to de-prioritise a focus on infection-prevention and management . However, with new and more-contagious variants being detected in the UK and globally, we continue to adhere to our Operational Business As Unusual guidance, key points of which are noted below:
o Promote good respiratory hygiene (catch it, kill it, bin it)
o Maintain good hygiene practices with promotion/supervision of regular handwashing
o If anyone becomes unwell with any COVID-19 symptoms - headache, muscle aches fever, sore throat, cough, sneezing, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, unusual fatigue, diarrhoea or vomiting - they must stay at home
o Ensure anyone developing symptoms at college is sent home immediately and advised to contact the coronavirus helpline to arrange testing
o Encourage students and staff to remain respectful and mindful of personal space
o Ensure there is regular cleaning
o Keep a list of all staff, students and visitors who enter the school or college (avoid self-signing in/out)
Day 13 Testing: On 22nd December, the CCA announced that all travellers arriving from Category 4 regions and countries are now required to self-isolate until they have received a negative result from a Day 13 test. If anyone declines a Day 13 test, they will have to self-isolate for 21 days. Those who choose to self-isolate with someone who has travelled to the Bailiwick will also need to adhere to the same requirement. Please remember that the Day 13 test also applies to any of our students who have travelled and require a Day 13 test and that they cannot return to College unless they have had a negative test result.
Students being sent home after developing possible Covid-19 symptoms
Following advice from Education Services, any of our students who need to be sent home due to having possible Covid symptoms, and their parents/carers, should read the information in the leaflets links to which are below. These leaflets explain the situation and provide initial advice.
Leaflet for parents of students being sent home with Covid symptoms
Leaflet for Students & Apprentices being sent home with Covid symptoms
Information in the leaflets will be updated as advice from Public Health changes, so please do read them if your son/daughter/ward is sent home with possible Covid symptoms, even if they were sent home recently and you read the leaflets then.
Ongoing guidance
If anyone becomes unwell with any flu like symptoms (headache, muscle aches, blocked nose, fever, sore throat, cough, sneezing, shortness of breath or loss of taste or smell) they must stay at home. Anyone developing symptoms at the College will be sent home immediately and advised to contact the Coronavirus helpline to arrange testing.
Symptomatic individuals should isolate on their own until they have received a negative test result. Young children will require a parent or carer to isolate with them. Assuming family members have no contact with the isolating child and parent/carer, they can carry on their activities as normal.
If anyone becomes unwell with any flu like symptoms (headache, muscle aches, blocked nose, fever, sore throat, cough, sneezing, shortness of breath or loss of taste or smell) they must stay at home. Anyone developing symptoms at the College will be sent home immediately and advised to contact the Coronavirus helpline to arrange testing.
Symptomatic individuals should isolate on their own until they have received a negative test result. Young children will require a parent or carer to isolate with them. Assuming family members have no contact with the isolating child and parent/carer, they can carry on their activities as normal.
Information about testing is available here: https://covid19.gov.gg/support/getting-tested and these leaflets may also be useful to read:
ProPortal
Just a reminder about signing up to ProPortal so you can keep up to date with your son/daughter/ward's academic progress and attendance. To register, ProPortal please visit our website on www.guernseycollege.ac.gg, click on >>College Links from the drop down menus along the top and then >>ProPortal, which will bring you to a log in screen.
If new to ProPortal, you will need to click on >>Submit An Account Request; if you have already signed up but need a reminder of your Password, you should click on >>Forgot your password?
Then please follow the on-screen sign-up process to gain access (making sure you answer all questions as accurately as possible). Data protection is our priority and if you answer any questions incorrectly, your request will be rejected. The student can remove access to their data at any point and there may also be some occasions when access to this information may be suspended. If you require any of your details to be changed, would like to be removed from our systems/records, or you are having any problems accessing ProPortal, please email proportal@gcfe.net
College News
End of term Christmas Celebrations
We were joined by many students and staff at our end of term Christmas Celebration on the last day of term, for lots of fun and games. We were joined by the Rev Peter Graysmith, who as usual brought a fun activity which reinforced the Christmas message, and members of the School of Popular Music who accompanied us in our enthusiastic singing of carols and Christmas songs! The event finished with festive food being served, and the screening of the film Elf.
The judges had a very difficult job deciding on the winner of the Classroom Decorating Competition and were looking for creativity and innovation as they visited all three campuses on 17 December. Our Level 3 year 2 Engineering students won the prize for Room 201 at Coutanchez. They had created an ingenious device using laser coding which played Jingle Bell Rock whenever the classroom door was opened, which was very entertaining as well as being part of a unit they had been working on.
New Year, New Skill!
New year, new skill! Fancy trying your hand at furniture restoration & conservation? We have an eight-week course starting later this month on a Tuesday evening. Your up-cycling journey starts here. Interested? Email enrolment@gcfe.net
Maritime Courses
Childminding Course
Interested in becoming a registered childminder, childminding assistant, au pair or nanny? Then this new qualification is for you. Starting in January 2021, this qualification will be held over 12 weeks on a Saturday morning. Interested? Then we'd love to hear from you.
Contact Julie Jones at juliej@gcfe.net
BPEC Course
Tech Day 2021 - Can you help?
Our students are still on the look out for mentors to offer guidance and advice on their tech projects that will be showcased at the event. If you think you could help we would love to hear from you - please contact our IT programme leader Dan Hunter - danh@gcfe.net
UCAS Applications
UCAS has a really useful parent guide, with the option for signing up to newsletters, accessed via this link. Please take some time to look at this information if your son/daughter/ward is in their final year.
Here is the application timeline:
- Fri 15 Jan: Entry deadline for UCAS
- Thurs 18 Feb: Tracking offers feedback to Tutors
- Thurs 22 Apr: Offers progress report
- Thurs 24 Jun: Grade confirmation
Handbook for Students, Parents and Carers
Here is a link to our handbook for students, parents and carers. It is an invaluable guide to Guernsey College and contains dates and contacts that will be very useful for you to have to hand. ProPortal allows parents/carers access to further information on a student’s progress on their course, including attendance, punctuality, time table, targets and progression. Instructions on how to set up an account to view a student’s profile can be found in this handbook.
KEY DATES
Term Dates
Tuesday 5 January 2021 - Start of term
Monday 8 - Friday 12 February 2021 (inclusive) - Half term
Monday 15 February 2021 - INSET DAY (College closed for students)
Thursday 1 April 2021 - Term ends
Monday 19 April 2021 - Term starts
Monday 3 May 2021 - May Day Bank Holiday
Monday 31 May - Wednesday 2 June 2021 (inclusive) - Half term
Friday 25 June 2021 - Term ends
Parents' Evenings 2021
1 March 2021 - courses based at Delancey Campus
8 March 2021 - courses based at Coutanchez Campus
15 March 2021 - courses based at Les Ozouets Campus
Student Progress Reports and Parental Surveys
Survey 1: Autumn term
Survey 2: Summer term
Student Events
Future Workforce Recruitment Event: Date to be confirmed in March or April 2021
Apprentice of the Year Event: Monday 7 June 2021
Celebration of Achievement Event: Thursday 10 June 2021
Summer Ball: Friday 11 June 2021
More information on the above events can be found in the Handbook
Provisional Exam Dates - To Be Confirmed
iGCSE Maths: 27 May and 8 June 2021
GCSE English: 26 May and 10 June 2021
Contacting You
The College’s preferred method of contact with parents and carers is via email. Please add the email address of your child/ward's course Customer Liaison Officer to your list of ‘safe senders’ or to your contacts list/address book to ensure communications from them arrive directly into your inbox, rather than going into ‘junk’ or ‘spam’.
As you will be contacted directly by the relevant CLO regarding events specific to your child/ward’s course/programme area, it is important that they have an up-to-date email address for you. Their details are listed below.
Customer Liaison Officer Contact Details
- Hospitality & Catering/Hair & Beauty/Sport/Creative & Digital Arts/Performing Arts: Gillian McCartney gillianm@gcfe.net
- Business/Office Administration/IT & Computing: Fiona Girard fionag@gcfe.net
- Construction & Engineering: Fiona Fish fionaf@gcfe.net
- Health & Social Care/Public Services/Childcare/Progress to...: Julie Jones juliej@gcfe.net
- Access/English & Maths/ESOL/Student Support Services: Lindsey Hutchins lindseyh@gcfe.net
Apprenticeships:
Programme Leaders Contact Information
Creative & Digital Arts and Performing Arts: Jon Snow - jonathans@gcfe.net
Childcare: Paula Grady - paulag@gcfe.net
Business, IBCP: Cheryl Stevenson - cheryls@gcfe.net
Engineering: Mark Pratt - markp@gcfe.net
Access, Progress to...: Sue Lambeth - slambeth@gcfe.net
English & Maths: Philip Emberton - phile@gcfe.net
Construction: Timothy Le Tissier - timothyl@gcfe.net
IT & Computing, Office Administration: Dan Hunter - danh@gcfe.net
Health & Social Care, Public Services: Liz Curtis - lizc@gcfe.net (Kayleigh Baddeley is now on maternity leave)
GYM MEMBERSHIP
Our Sport department is also on the lookout for volunteers their students can undertake consultations with - interested? Get in touch with toma@gcfe.net
Visions Hair & Beauty Salon
Princess Royal Centre for the Performing Arts
Freaky Geese Production open their production of ISLAND LIVES on 14th & 15th January. Come and celebrate this festival of new writing with Guernsey themed stories brought to you by professional Guernsey based writers and actors! Starring Dennis Burns, Sapphire Brewer-Marchant, Harry Giubileo, Victoria Hart and Dan Le Friec.
Age: 18+
Venue: Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts
Tickets: £10
Available from https://www.guernseytickets.gg or call the box office on 01481 749999
Supported/Funded by the Guernsey Arts Commission
Follow PRCPA here to keep up to date with the latest developments:
https://www.instagram.com/performingartsgsy Alternatively visit the website, follow The Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts on Facebook or on Twitter @PRCPAGuernsey and now on Instagram @performingartsgsy
Wellbeing
Useful Links
https://www.facebook.com/GuernseyCollege/
TWITTER
Guernsey College@GuernseyCollege
WEBSITE
http://www.guernseycollege.ac.gg/
COLLEGE PROSPECTUS