Help and Resources / Support Resources
Secondary Supervisor Guides
Online learning at SIDE is a different style of learning requiring IT skills and a high level of independence. The following resources are intended to support parents and school-based supervisors in carrying out their important roles.
Parent Supervisors
Parent supervisors are responsible for the supervision and duty of care to support their child's success in their SIDE study programs.
Effective communication between parents, students, teachers and the Regional Coordinator is essential.
Parents are responsible for providing:
- A functional workspace
- Digital requirements and hardware
- Provision of adequate time for SIDE students to engage in their academic studies
- Resources as per the school Booklist
- Notification of student absences
- Active communication with the SIDE Regional Coordinator and teachers
- Support for SIDE students with day-to-day studies, including attendance at online lessons
- Support to ensure students complete scheduled work according to subject requirements, timelines and assessment policies
- Supervision of assessments, where applicable
- Details of approved supervisors for specialised external assessments and examinations
Go to the Supporting Student Organisation tab for details on how to support your SIDE student.
Teaching and learning at SIDE is heavily dependent upon technology. Students attend live subject lessons in Webex, and use Moodle to access course work materials and submit assessments.
Read Fast Track to SIDE for more detail about online learning at SIDE and support for your child's education.
Contact your child's Regional Coordinator, who enrols and monitors your child during their time at SIDE.
Be familiar with the SIDE website.
You can support your child to:
- Be organised
- Be effective in their time management
- Communicate regularly with their teachers and Regional Coordinator
- Ask questions
- Visit SIDE
- Stay connected by reading Moodle announcements, news and newsletter articles on the website
- Set up a suitable work area
A suitable work area should include:
- Required IT resources
- A phone
- Storage area for materials
- Desk, chair and general stationery
- Resources from the Booklist
Check Fast Track to SIDE for further details about IT resources.
If your child is new to SIDE, an email will be sent to the email address provided with Getting Started at SIDE in the subject line.
It is sent to the email address provided at enrolment. If this has changed, contact the Regional Coordinator immediately.
Some new students who are not based in a public school will be sent a second email about their password.
All SIDE students will use their Department of Education email for all further communication. Remember to check the Junk Mail folder.
Students who are:
- New to SIDE and commencing at the beginning of the school year will receive their start email toward the end of January
- New to SIDE and commencing after the beginning of the school year will receive their start email within a few days of enrolment
- Re-enrolling at SIDE will use their Department of Education username and password to access Moodle
When your child logs into Moodle they will see Launchpad or Student Services. These Moodle courses provide information about studying at SIDE and starter activities. Subject courses will appear as teachers add your child to their course.
Teachers will contact your child by phone or email regarding Webex classes and Moodle courses.
Webex classes will start by Week 2 of the school year.
Teachers will provide details about Webex lesson times in their Moodle course.
Teachers will also contact your child by phone, email or Moodle announcement about commencement of Webex lessons.
- Read Fast Track to SIDE , especially the sections related to technology and getting started.
- Check Booklist and buy stationery and textbook requirements.
- Be involved. Email or phone the Regional Coordinator and teachers rather than worry or wonder.
- Make sure that your child's DoE email is working.
- Read and access support materials and resources on the SIDE website. These resources are updated regularly.
- Help your child set up their work or study area and a list of SIDE contacts that includes their teachers and the Regional Coordinator.
- Check that all teachers have contacted your child. If you do not know who the teacher is, contact the Regional Coordinator.
- Print the weekly timetable and Due Dates Calendar templates.
- Assist your child to organise and complete a weekly timetable and a semester Work Completion Calendar that includes all Webex lessons and assessment dates.
- Read and discuss SIDE's assessment and attendance policies with your child.
- Check that your child has received an initial dispatch from SIDE and relevant resources from the SIDE Library Resource Centre.
Telephone SIDE reception on 9311 1400 as a starting point until you know your child's teachers.
Assist your child to make a list of all class teachers so you have a contact list that you both can use.
Contact the Regional Coordinator if in any doubt.
Yes. SIDE welcomes your contact. If you do not have email addresses or phone numbers, contact SIDE Reception on 9311 1400 and ask to be transferred to the teacher.
Use email and phone to communicate with teachers and the Regional Coordinator.
Regional Coordinators enrol and monitor your child's progress at SIDE. They should be contacted if:
- You have any concerns about your child
- Contact details are changing
- You anticipate any planned absences
- There are unplanned absences
- There are any changes in your child's life that may Impact upon their schooling
- You have any questions
Parent Connect is an excellent resource for parents. It provides access to information about your child's education, including:
- your child's classes
- assessment results for secondary subjects
- Semester Reports
Familiarise yourself with Parent Connect as it provides communication to parents about the school.
Contact the Regional Coordinator for a summary of progress in all subjects, if required.
Be familiar with the Attendance policy and respond to teacher emails or letters of concern.
Contact your child's teachers to discuss progress.
Use the Due Dates Calendar to monitor that your child is submitting work to teachers via Moodle.
If your child is continuing at SIDE:
- complete the re-enrolment forms for your child or inform the Regional Coordinator if your child is transferring to another school
- purchase the Booklist items for subjects and courses for the following year
- return all kit, library resources and unused learning materials to SIDE
School-based Supervisors
School-based supervisors are assigned by schools to support their students' success in their SIDE study programs. SIDE teachers teach the students through online learning.
School supervisors:
- actively communicate with the SIDE Regional Coordinator and teachers
- support SIDE students with day-to-day studies, including attendance at online lessons
- ensure students complete their work according to SIDE course and assessment guidelines
- where applicable, supervise assessments, tests and exams
The workload will depend on factors such as the number of students, year levels, geographic location, number of subjects or courses selected and whether SIDE provides some or all of the student program.
SIDE's timetable is structured around 40-minute periods. While schools have some capacity to request the best fit for their own timetables during the September-December timetabling period, the timetable reflects SIDE's own timetabling constraints.
SIDE teachers are in regular communication with schools and students.
SIDE uses two main platforms for teaching and learning:
- Webex is the SIDE platform for live, online lessons. Two Webex lessons per week are timetabled for many SIDE subjects or courses.
- Moodle is SIDE's 24/7 learning management system where students complete work independently, under the direction and guidance of their teachers.
School-based supervisors and students receive lots of SIDE communication by email, Moodle announcements and phone. Setting up your own way of organising these communications makes it easier to support students.
Some tips:
- If you are new to SIDE supervision, read Fast Track to SIDE to find out more.
- Check your emails regularly, at least twice daily.
- Store emails so that you can find them, for example in folders by student name.
- Consider keeping a diary for important details each week, for example student due dates or problems with IT.
- Display student timetables indicating Webex lesson times and other times spent in subject or course work, such as Moodle work and task completion.
- Make sure the SIDE Regional Coordinator has your phone number and knows when you are available for calls.
- SIDE Website is the best source of information.
- Contact the SIDE Regional Coordinator. They will usually contact you, however their details can be found at Help & Resources > Secondary 7-12 Support
- Confirm that students from your school are enrolled with SIDE, their subjects or courses and their SIDE timetabled lesson times. Lesson times are available on the SIDE website under 2026 Timetable Options.
- Ensure students have access to a quiet and well-equipped learning environment, including a workspace and suitable IT.
- Go to Help & Resources > Learning Online > Troubleshoot on the SIDE website for ICT assistance. If necessary, escalate issues to the relevant level, such as school IT support or the Department of Education Help Desk.
For students new to SIDE:
- Refer to the information under the relevant tab.
- Ensure students activate their Moodle account by logging in once. To log in, they require their Department of Education username and password.
- Once students have activated their Moodle account, they will automatically be enrolled in an orientation course called SIDE Launchpad. As soon as students have been allocated to a teacher and have an active Moodle account, students will be added to their relevant subject courses or classrooms.
- If required, ensure students have purchased texts or received materials from SIDE Dispatch.
Assist students to:
- Make a list of SIDE contacts including phone numbers and email addresses
- Create a composite Due Dates Calendar and double check these against the assessment dates provided in Moodle
- Create their own timetable reflecting their SIDE timetable and their school timetable
Resources to assist with student organisation can be downloaded from the Supporting Student Organisation tab.
Daily:
- Contact the Regional Coordinator about all student absences and ask them to advise SIDE teachers.
- Monitor student participation, especially attendance at Webex lessons and use of Moodle.
Weekly:
- At the start of the week, review with students work due during the week, changes in due dates, reminders and related items.
- Check students have written this information in their school diary.
- Encourage students to maintain contact with teachers, especially if they have problems.
- Identify issues that may impact on student performance and discuss these with the Regional Coordinator.
- Use a whiteboard for timetables or due-date reminders.
- Communicate with parents as appropriate.
Additional information relevant to Department of Education SIDE supervisors can be accessed in Connect Communities. Please access Connect and search for the SIDE Supervisor Support community.
Supporting Student Organisation
Parents and school-based supervisors can use the following documents, which have proved useful in supporting students to become more organised and effective.
Fast Track to SIDE to SIDE provides an overview of online learning and key strategies to assist students.
Read Fast Track to SIDE to SIDE to find out more about:
- Setting up a space for students to work
- IT requirements for SIDE students
- Online learning at SIDE
- Self-organising ideas
A timetable is essential for home and school-based students.
Students should build their timetables considering:
- SIDE Webex lessons
- Existing school timetable, for school-based students
- Morning tea and lunch breaks, homework and revision
- The student's most productive time
- Minimum time requirements for each subject and sharing these across the week
A Composite Due Dates Calendar assists students to submit required work on time.
Each SIDE teacher provides a Course and Assessment Outline and Course Calendar in the Moodle course. Where students study several subjects or courses, they should create an overview of all the due work across the semester.
Due dates may change and students should adjust their calendar accordingly.
Year 11-12 Due Date Calendar
Year 11 and 12 requirements vary. A blank calendar allows students to complete their individual due dates. Supervisors should assist the student to transfer dates for work completion into the composite calendar and assist in monitoring work completion.
Year 7-10 Due Date Calendars for Semester 2
SIDE Student Services has part-completed the due dates for five subjects — English, HaSS, Maths, Science and Health — on these composite calendars. Supervisors should assist the student to transfer work due dates for other subjects and monitor work completion.
Students need to maintain good communication with their SIDE Regional Coordinator and teachers. Some supervisors write contact information on a whiteboard in the SIDE classroom. Others prefer something in print.