From the Leadership Team

Staying Connected and Motivated

Matt Brinson, Head of Senior School

At the start of this term, our Prep to Year 9 students returned to remote learning while our ELC and Years 10 to 12 students had a few weeks of onsite learning. Some students were disappointed by the return to remote learning and others were pleased at the prospect. 

It is OK to have both positive and negative emotions about this situation and we encourage our students to try and focus on the positive ones. We are all in this together so it is important to stay connected. Please let your Classroom Teacher, Mentor or Dean of Wellbeing know if your child needs support.

An activity we recently conducted during Senior Mentor Time was the celebration of Tanabata. Also known as the Star Festival, Tanabata originated from a Chinese legend called Qixi and was brought to Japan in the 8th century. It is celebrated to commemorate the romantic story of two lovers, represented by the stars Vega and Altair, who are only allowed to meet each other once a year as long as the skies are clear. 

In present-day Japan, people generally celebrate this day by writing wishes, sometimes in the form of poetry, on small pieces of coloured paper, and hang them on bamboo. Often people write wishing for good health and good fortune. 

Our Senior Mentor Groups participated in this celebration and were asked to write their wishes, hopes and dreams for the future or perhaps something they were grateful for. The papers were collected and hung on a small tree in the reception area of KCB. 

Here are some words of wisdom from students and staff that were placed on the tree for everyone to share.

• I wish for my family to stay happy and healthy during this time.
• I dream that all my students achieve their best for VCE and follow paths that make them happy and fulfilled.
• I wish to maintain a positive attitude throughout the rest of this year.
• I wish to excel in life, especially after School, and to experience life at its best.
• I wish for the end of the virus so I can be with my friends and family again.
• That the rest of the year is smooth sailing and less stressful.

Now, all students and staff have returned to remote learning, while we adapt to Stage 4 lockdown. 

I sent the following picture to all staff at the start of this term as an acknowledgement of the dedication and hard work that goes into shifting to remote learning. We all do it because we all genuinely care for the learning and wellbeing of your children. I think it is very apt.

I finish this piece with tips to help improve information retention for students, which might be particularly helpful during remote learning. Some of these suggestions are common sense, others are more advanced strategies that can improve efficiency of learning. 

• Healthy people learn better, so getting exercise and good quality sleep will aid and boost learning.
• Addressing mindset is equally important; be ready to learn and take time to focus on what you’re learning and studying.
• Visualise the big picture, and then break it down into more manageable goals.

Good luck to everyone for their learning journey over the coming weeks, and I hope to see everyone back onsite soon.