Learning & Teaching News

Welcome Back

Last week we welcomed back our Years 7, 11 and 12 students with (hypothetical) open arms. We look forward to our Year 8, 9 and 10 students following in the next few weeks and having the normal buzz of the campus resume. 

Here are a few messages from some of our students about returning to campus: 

“I like that during remote learning, I got warm lunches! In remote learning, I learnt how to be organised and work around internet issues. I’m happy to be on campus because I can see my friends” 

- James Cortese, Yr 7

“Remote learning was exciting at first but did get a bit boring because I’m so used to seeing teachers in person. Learning online made me feel like I was ‘missing something’ I would normally get in person. I felt there was a lot I missed out on this year. However, I did have to learn how to be a bit more productive, and I have had to learn to take a bit more initiative. This will help me when I return to campus because being adaptable is going to help in my life in general’ 

- Matthew Sinclair, Yr 8 

“While remote learning, I enjoyed waking up a bit later, but I missed seeing my friends and teachers. I am really happy being back on campus and being able to see everyone” 

- Alexis Jackanic, Yr 7

“I’m looking forward to returning to campus as I really enjoy being in an actual classroom to learn, and seeing my friends. While Remote Learning, I had to learn to concentrate more and be more resilient. When I had a lot of tasks due, I had to make myself get into ‘school mode’ which was a bit difficult at home. When I return to school, I think these skills will be useful because I will be more confident to talk up and reach out for help if I need it.” 

- Kaylah Barrett, Yr 8

“While Remote Learning, I had to learn to be a bit more organised to get my work done without my teacher reminding me. I’m really looking forward to seeing my friends and teachers in the classroom. I think my biggest struggle in coming back to school is going to be not sleeping in!“ 

- Callum Wright, Yr 8

“During remote learning, a couple of things that worked well for me was that I frequently contributed to the class discussion, always showed up to zoom, early or on time and that I was able to do homework quite easily. A couple of things I did during maths class were conversions of fractions, decimals, and percentages and different equations using them, as well as reassuring MMMR, the methods of how to do them and different technical terms. I was happy to come back on campus as learning would be a lot easier face to face, as zoom limited the activities we could do, I was also able to properly meet my friends and teachers.” 

- Josh Bhatia, Yr 7

Tips for Returning to School

While the vast majority of our students seem to be very excited about returning to campus, it’s important to remember that this transition might be a little difficult for many. The Australian Psychological Society has put together a list of helpful hints to assist families as they navigate from remote learning to our ‘normal’ campus-based learning environment. 

1. Reassure your child that it is safe to go to school. Open a conversation and encourage your child to talk about their anxieties or worries. Reassure them that it’s normal to be a little apprehensive, and remind them that the decision to reopen across the Metro and Regional areas was based on the best medical advice that the State was given.
2. Prepare your child for changes to the usual school process. For St Peter’s, this means wearing masks and temperature checks in the mornings for the time being. It also means that we will remove the extended breaks between classes that we had while remote learning, and return to our original timetable.
3. Re-establish routines. This might mean waking up a little earlier to allow more time than usual to get ready for school. I’m sure there will be some students out there who might scramble to find their uniform after spending so long in their pyjamas!
4. Reach out for extra support if needed. If you feel like your child might need any extra support or assistance as they settle back onto campus, please reach out to their Tutor Group Leader or House Leader. We want each and every one of our students to feel safe, secure and supported, so please let us know if you feel they are struggling or might need an extra hand. 

If you’d like to take a look at the full article published by the Australian Psychological Society, please click the button below

Exams 

The Year 11 Exam period begins on November 4th and concludes on November 13th. Examinations will cover content from Unit 2 and will follow formal Examination processes and procedures. A timetable showing the dates, times and locations of these exams will be made available to students in the next few days in order to help students plan for undertaking this valuable method of assessment. Best of luck to our Year 11’s! 

Due to the constraints of remote learning, we have also made the decision to not run formal exams for our Year 10 students this Semester. I do strongly encourage any students who would like to participate in the ‘exam experience’ by asking their classroom teachers for resources and practising their skills during their own study time.

I would also like to wish our Year 12 students all the best for their upcoming Unit 3 & 4 exams (Tuesday, 10 November - Tuesday, 1 December). Despite experiencing what is arguably the most difficult final year of secondary schooling on record at St Peter’s, it is very encouraging for our middle and junior school students to see their seniors act with grace, confidence and maturity. Thank you to each and every one of you. 

Student Obligations Process

A gentle reminder that as we transition back to a stage of normality, the Student Obligations Process will return to it’s ‘on campus’ format. This means that any overdue or not submitted work will be put through a set of steps in order to try and support students in meeting their academic obligations. Next year, we hope to transition to an automated online system which will help us to track patterns in student behaviour and provide appropriate interventions to students who might be struggling with their work across a number of classes. 

Jade Smith                                                                     Mr David Hansen

Middle Years Curriculum Leader                       Deputy Principal - Learning and Teaching

Cranbourne Campus