Principal's News
We are already ONE, but we imagine we are not.
What we have to recover is our original UNITY.
What we have to be, is what WE ARE.
Thomas Merton
Over the past two weeks we have adjusted to the challenges that have been presented to us and it is great that we are all back together as a school family. The reflection above was one that we shared at last week’s Parents Association meeting. It is what we have continued to aspire to in each of the lockdown periods we have encountered in the past 18 months.
My sincerest thanks and congratulations for the positive way that you have responded to the recent lockdown. The reality is that it is challenging at times and as I mentioned in last week's message to parents, if we focus on ‘anticipatory worry and projecting too far forward it can cause ‘anticipatory grief’. This can be exhausting and unhealthy. We can find joy in the little things, when we can find perspective in our lives, when we accept things that we cannot change, when we develop a gratitude response to all that is good in our lives. We then have the opportunity to be supportive and available, for all those who we mix with. As part of our school programs we teach our children to be grateful. It is a protective device for our mental health and replaces negative self talk with a positive disposition. You may like to try this conversation of being in gratitude at home around the dinner table at night.
In the remote learning period whether the learning was at home or for the essential workers' children at school, our children continue to grow in independence and self responsibility as they continue to develop skills that will grow into deeper learning. I applaud our staff who have ensured that the flexible learning period was managed whilst managing the complexity of their own home lives. Thank you.
Mary MacKillop
This Sunday August 8, we celebrate Mary Mackillop’s feast day, our first Australian saint.
You may like to stop and reflect on the life of Mary. We could gain a great deal from her tenacity in times of challenge and uncertainty. Mary was instrumental in establishing many schools, mostly country schools that would never receive quality Catholic education if not for her determination and dedication to supporting the ‘other’. Her courage and persistence to establish vibrant communities against the odds was incredible. She did face great adversity, tussled with the institutional Church and left a wonderful legacy of establishing the order of the Josephite sisters who still have strong involvement in Australia today.
Mother Mary MacKillop, pray for us.
All loving God, we thank you for making Mary MacKillop a woman strong in
faith and courage, a person for all Australians.
We pray with grateful hearts for the spread of Mary MacKillop’s charism and for the
many women and men involved in working for the good of all through her influence.
We pray for Mary MacKillop’s people –
those struggling in their lives, those needing accommodation, justice, friends, safety,
understanding, comfort, advice and encouragement.
May they find in their communities the people and relationships they hope for.
Inspired by her example, may we strive to make our country a place free of poverty and
injustice, a place full of wisdom and learning and a land where you are praised in
love and peace.
Education News
The hyper link below will take you to a worthwhile article, which I encourage all parents to read. Tom Brunskill is the Director of Berry St and in this article presents five myths: Five myths of remote learning - Strategies that teachers know and every parent can learn.
PLEASE READ, AS I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN YOUR THOUGHTS
https://www.educationtoday.com.au/news-detail/Five-myths-of-remote-learning--5358
Remote Learning
In a series of meetings in previous weeks, our teachers have been in deep discussion of how we can continue to reshape the Remote Learning flexible arrangement in light of the fact that we may return to another lockdown period. Of course the timing and length of another lockdown is extremely uncertain. The staff and I have received information from a small number of parents, as well as a great deal of positive feedback, about how the children managed a different context of learning. Our teaching staff are also in constant communication through different types of communication to families.
The quality of our curriculum at school and at home with the flexible arrangement, is reliant on the quality and time of the teachers as they plan, deliver and assess.
Since the last lockdown we have been assessing remote learning at staff and leadership meetings.
A summary of the remote learning discussions included the following
What Worked Well.
- Collaborative teacher teams supported the Collaborative Community of teachers and students.
- Finish times were adjusted to manage the different learning context.
- Staggered starts supported learning.
- Friday Specialist class days were timely.
- Google Meets were wonderful to retain child/ class teacher relationships and set the day for learning intentions.
- Activities were refined plus there was a consistency of approaches to flexible learning.
- Google Classroom & Seesaw platforms were successful.
- Digital device use and support allowed for consistent learning and there were not as many technical issues.
Other factors to consider for remote learning in future lockdowns.
- Communicating expectations need to be clarified.
- Feedback (what, how and why, frequency).
- Student independence (especially in writing).
- Encourage risk taking by students.
- Clarifying feedback - What is valued? What has an impact?
- Different ways to engage students?
- More frequent check ins.
- Student general packs / devices prepared for general learning prior to staff having quality time to prepare quality remote learning.
Student voice is also important and the children will be asked similar questions in the coming days.
We are now approaching the end of week 4 and are hopeful that we can return to having everyone back into the school building, and to reconnect to what we all know and love as our school community.
I leave you with the reflection from Thomas Merton.
We are already ONE, but we imagine we are not.
What we have to recover is our original UNITY.
What we have to be, is what WE ARE.
Faith in our Future
Brendan Flanagan
Principal