SECONDARY NEWS 

From the Assistant Principal 

Week 5

All students in Years 7 - 10 will again return this week from Tuesday to Thursday. On these days all students will follow their normal daily timetable.

There will be no practical classes this week.

On Thursday students may wear their sport uniform however there will be no sport until further notice.

Students are still following the online learning platform via Google Classroom and new material will not be taught when students are in classes. 

Teachers may discuss the material on the online platform and answer any questions students may have, however, new material will not be introduced.

On Monday students of Essential Workers continued to work on their online learning via Google Classroom; this will continue on Friday.

Week 6

All students in Year 7 - 10 will return full-time next week and online learning will cease. 

Uniform

From the beginning of June all students are required to be in full winter uniform. Many students are already wearing the winter uniform and are to be congratulated for their efforts in being dressed according to the uniform code. If students are not correctly attired they are required to present a note to their Pastoral Care teacher and to remedy the situation as soon as practicable.

Please be aware that representative sports jackets, cattle team shirts and other sweaters are not acceptable uniform for day to day wear. The uniform shop has a list of requirements for all students. If there are any queries please contact the school. 

May is an optional month for either summer OR winter uniform; not a combination of both.

How much work should I get through at home?

It is recommended that students in Secondary should be doing around 2 - 3 hours of schoolwork per day.

Students may choose to follow their timetable as a guide each day (bearing in mind that following this exactly is more than is recommended for learning from home; but does provide a structure for the day) OR they may choose to work on subjects or assignments in longer blocks.

If students are also attending online Zoom meetings this will impact on the amount of work they can get through in the day and these meetings count towards the number of daily hours of schoolwork.

TIPS FOR HELPING TO MANAGE THE TRANSITION BACK TO FULL-TIME SCHOOLING

1. BE GENTLE WITH EXPECTATIONS FOR QUITE SOME TIME

Everyone (parents, teachers and students) will be affected differently by the experiences this year and for different periods of time. We need to remember that this anxiety can manifest in many ways and therefore be gentle. We are better to err on the side of being uber-supportive this year. If you are concerned about your student's level of anxiety, reach out and seek help from a professional.

2. KEEP LINES OF COMMUNICATION AS OPEN AS POSSIBLE

Students who are anxious often will bottle up their worries and concerns. Without being annoying (and it is a fine line) we need to let students know they can talk about what is worrying them. Both parents and teachers need to create opportunities that give students permission to share in a non-threatening environment.

3. MINIMISE NEWS CONSUMPTION AND PANDEMIC DISCUSSION OR DIRECT FOCUS TO ENCOURAGING STATISTICS

If students are anxious, over-exposure to constant negative news can wear them down. Highlighting the positive and encouraging news and statistics can help students to focus their thoughts in a constructive direction. Make positive plans together for the future so students have good things to focus on instead and focus more on what they can control rather than what they can't.

4. RE-FOCUS ON THE PILLARS OF HEALTH: EXERCISE, SLEEP, HEALTHY EATING

Even though we will no longer be in complete lock-down, students still won't be able to do all of their usual activities for some time. We need to ensure students are still exercising in some way, perhaps snacking a bit less and more of a focus on healthy eating. Good sleep has been proven time and again to contribute to happiness, health and academic success.

5. ALLOW STUDENTS LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO RE-CONNECT

We need to be over-generous in allowing students to spend time with friends and extended family members for the rest of this year. Students may find the school day overwhelming and exhausting at the moment. After so much 'family' time, don't be hurt if they aren't that keen to socialise when they get home and just want to go to their room. Don't let them be a complete hermit, but do let them have time to themselves to decompress from the day. Many students will need to renegotiate the dynamics with their peers and this readjustment may be stressful for some students.

6. RESET THE ROUTINE & DAILY SCHEDULE

Routine creates certainty in an uncertain world. Having established routines and guidelines to follow is reassuring for students. Giving students a chance to contribute to the decisions as to what the new routine should be (such as bedtime) is also important. This will include starting to dial back screen time if it was increased during the last few months. In line with our 'take it slow' approach, you won't be going back to how things were earlier this year yet. It is more about reducing the screen time to make way for the schoolwork that will need to be done.

7. LOOK FOR WAYS TO SUPPORT STUDENTS' STUDIES

After they have been back at school for a week or so, ask your student directly if there is anything they have fallen behind in or need help with. Of course many students won't tell you, so if you do have concerns contact the school - either a form or roll teacher or a subject teacher directly. While we do want students to start getting into good working habits again, it needs to be a gently gently approach. This means they may not be doing as much work at home as they did earlier this year, and that is ok for now. 

Wellbeing Element

Ethical and Respectful

Gilbert Chesterton once said, “there are no uninteresting things, only uninterested people.”

To quote Howard Gardner from his book Five Minds, “I have nothing against excellence, but at the end of the day, the world doesn’t need more of the brightest and the best, but more of those of good character.” The five minds he describes are the creative, critical, synthesising, respectful and ethical minds.

For over a decade, the relentless pursuit of literacy and numeracy through standardised testing, has seen insufficient time allocated to building students’ social-emotional resilience, wellbeing, ethical mindsets and the capacity to nurture respectful relationships. This has seen a huge escalation in adolescent mental health and relationship issues. It’s time to put wellbeing ahead of data collection.

Teaching students about what living ethically looks like, sounds like and feels like, will sow the seeds to strengthen their characters. These include acting in ways which they know will benefit their and others’ wellbeing because they matter, and making choices based on what their minds tell them is the right thing to do for them. Also, not doing something for personal, material or prestige gain at the expense of others, being grateful for good things that happen and using their top strengths in their every thought, word and action to do good to feel good.

Acknowledgement: Kabat Zinn & Sinek

Wellbeing Measurement Tool:

Students and parents can measure the state of their wellbeing by taking the free PERMAH survey at https://permahsurvey.com

Acknowledgement and thanks: Dr Peggy Kern & Michelle McQuaid.

Learning @ Home 

Google Classroom

In Years 7 - 10 online learning will be delivered via Google Classroom. Subject teachers have either invited students to join their virtual classroom via email or have provided them with a code to join.

The majority of classes in the Secondary have already regularly been using Google Classroom this year and in previous years.

Students should be regularly checking in to their Google Classrooms and ensuring set tasks have been completed.

Hard Copies of Work

Hard copies of work for Weeks 5 are available from the Front Office.

Please contact Miss Bailey if you have any questions or concerns.

Staff Email Addresses

The email addresses for Secondary staff members are listed should you need to make contact.

HOTmaths

All students in the Secondary Department have a subscription to HOTmaths for 2020. Each student will soon have an individual log in, enabling them to complete set work or revise content they need assistance with. It also allows their teacher to set work and track progress.

What is HOTmaths? It is an interactive online maths teaching and learning program for students based on the NSW curriculum.

In a few words HOTmaths is:

• Connecting students, parents and teachers with each other and the world
• Making maths more meaningful and engaging
• Building confidence through success in learning
• Providing curriculum-based teaching, learning and assessment material
• A first-rate learning management system
• An effective and inexpensive home tutoring system
• An online resource accessible 24 hours a day

Students in Years 7 to 10 are encouraged to use their HOTmaths subscription. The program is a very effective tool for revision and consolidation of lessons taught in the classroom. We encourage all students to utilise their subscription and hopefully gain greater confidence in this subject.