Principal Message Week 8 Term 3

As the term draws to an end I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the learning that has occurred for all of us in our community. It has been quite an experience, to say the least.

And whilst smooth in some ways, because we already had the infrastructure in place from

the first experience, there has been much to learn during this time.

Earlier this term I shared with you the work of Dr Ryan Dunn from the University of

Melbourne. Dr Dunn speaks of the three phases of organisational response: crisis,

adaptation and opportunity. I feel that we are well past the crisis stage and I think we have

also managed to successfully negotiate the adaption phase during Remote learning 2.0.

Over the past two weeks, I have met with every level and teacher to discuss each child at our school. Staff know that teachers are more effective when they learn about what their

students know and can do. Our teachers are and have been consciously reflecting, analysing and adapting throughout the term. And with the strong communication between home and school, have been able to ensure the learning experiences are suited to the diverse needs of our children academically and socially emotionally.

Who would have thought that remote learning would provide us with such a rich landscape and new understandings of learning? Despite the obvious challenges of working from home, technology and limited social interaction, our children have and are showing growth. Growth that is not limited to academic achievement but also on the acquisition of attributes such as risk-taking, independence, resilience, perseverance, communication, reflection, inquiring, thinking and caring. There is much to be proud of and I know staff are. This is clearly visible in the animated way in which they talk about the children and their achievements this term and in the way the children want to talk about and share their learning during zoom sessions.

Education is a social or collective endeavour and a benefit to the community as a whole, as well as to the individuals within it. From Principles to Practice PYP

Never have words come to mean so much as now. Remote learning, I believe has been a

collective endeavour for our community. For without each and every one of us playing our

part we could not have achieved the outcomes that we are seeing for our children. By

sharing in the responsibility for their learning, health and wellbeing, and by prioritising

relationships we have built upon the home school partnerships that we know are so vital for success in children’s learning, connection with school and relationships.

I believe now is the time for us to jump into Dr Dunn’s opportunity phase. It is time to

reflect and decide on what have we learned, what to keep and what are the further future

opportunities this experience has brought to the fore for us as a school. The remote learning experience is not quite over yet, but we know there is much for us to look back on and be proud of. As we end the term and look to term 4 we know there is much for us to continue to explore and reap the benefits of, once face to face onsite learning becomes a reality again.

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