Continuous Learning Program

ST ANDREWS PROVIDES CONTINUOUS LEARNING DURING CHALLENGING TIMES

Due to the rapidly evolving nature of the Coronavirus COVID-19 St Andrews Christian College made the pro-active decision to suspend face-to-face teaching and move to online continuous learning in the best interest of our students and College community. 

Given the unusual context of ongoing changes to community distancing and the challenges we face, the College took the opportunity to trial extended online learning approaches (continuous learning)for the final week of Term One. These measures will ensure that systems are trialled and tested in the event of any future required closure while also providing the opportunity to address immediate parent concerns.  

At the moment this is only a temporary trial decision affecting the last week of Term One and the first week of Term Two and should not be assumed to be a longer-term decision. We continue to assess the situation with support from Government and Education authorities. 

Thanks to our College community for your support and prayers during this time. 

ADVICE FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS

Learning new things can occasionally be quite uncomfortable and intimidating for many of us particularly when it comes to a new mode of learning. So to better assist St Andrews parents and students in regard to our new Continuous Learning program we have produce an informative ‘Continuous Learning and Wellbeing Advice’ for Parents and Students.

To read more about the Advice click the links below;

CONTINUOUS LEARNING SUCCESSES

PARENT FEEDBACK :

• All the teachers are so wonderful - you are supporting not just our kids but also us parents in the most amazing way!
• So nice to start the day with hearing you and brother sing for devotion, thank you (and your brother) for that!  A big thank you also for your immense work in preparing all the online work for the Year 6s, the online videos, and even giving feedback for their work - we feel so blessed that our children have such dedicated and committed teachers at St Andrews.
• Thanks again for the enormous amount of work you have put in and the contributions you have made in trying to normalise the children's lives in this crazy times.
• Ella is really enjoying the on line learning. The videos are fantastic. Mr Sheahan, your shark hat and rapping is most impressive. The videos make learning fun and keeps Ella engaged. Also your feedback to Ella is great too.
• I think the “online home school” worked very well today. Pablo was in his desk, quietly engaged doing his work, from 9:00 to 3:30 with the morning break and lunch. Actually I had to remind him it was 3:30 as he was happy to continue.
• Sebastian is coping well with the distance learning. I am so impressed of how efficient and brilliant you are. Thank you for all your hard work. Please keep well.
• I appreciate your effort in coming up with a suggested timetable, as it helps the students to adhere to their normal routine and give parents a tool to supervise the children.
• You and the rest of the staff at school have been fantastic! We appreciate your initiative, creativity and hard work.

• I really appreciate your hard work to keep the students safe and your work on continuous learning.
• Thank you to all the teachers in St Andrews who have worked tirelessly to cater for the students to be able to keep learning online during this challenging period of time.
• Thank you so much for all the work that you’re putting in to set the kids up at home. It’s a mammoth effort!
• And a big thank you to all the teachers as well in trying to keep the continuity of education for our children during this time.
• Thanks again for all the work you've put into online learning.
• Thank you very much for taking time to send us information for the lessons this week, this is very helpful. We appreciate all that you are doing to keep us informed and trust that you are keeping safe and well during these unsettling times.
• This is super helpful. Thank you so much! Being a stay at home mum, I fell off the IT bandwagon a long time ago! Thank you for the step-by-step coaching!

"I can't believe how quiet it is with the kids home.....they are never this quiet!" 

Penelope Connolly – Mother of Beatrice, Heidi & Hannah

“Originally I didn't think the whole idea of on-line teaching can work, believing kids most likely have very little motivation to comply. However, after the first two days trial, I am grateful to have the structured learning which occupied the kids, made the days go easier and had some direction. I even had good fun with them on the sports by just simply throwing ball according to the instruction! 

Serene even said "I look forward to tomorrow!" on the first day. Most impressive of all to me is the devotion. Insisting to have devotion as part of the teaching is so important. And kids really listen tentatively and prayed together in that 10min.

Some fun feedback for you:

1. The kids noticed that the piggy behind Mrs Lepileo is peeping behind the chair when Mrs Lepileo was teaching. After the video is done, the kids yelled: he is still there, he is stuck!
2. Calamus enjoyed the biblical teaching video so much that he repeatedly played it again & again
3. Serene read the phonogram at the same speed and intonation as Mrs Lepileo... I feel like I have a stereo microphone at my home.

We are very grateful and value your effort. In return we will try to comply and follow your teachings so as not to waste all your effort. I decided that I must write this e-mail to express my appreciation and cheer you all up.”

Peggy Kwok – Mother of Calamus (3A) and Serene (1L)

"Thank you Mrs Hughes for the encouraging message in today’s video. We feel connected and touched when we receive inspiring messages, bible verses and prayers from Mrs Cheung, Mrs Wansbrough and yourself.  Jacob is loving this new learning method and does his learning strictly according to the timetable independently. I’m so grateful for the wonderful work teachers put together in such a short time. Because of this I am able to look after Gracie and do housework. You are all in our prayers everyday."

Joy Li - Mother of Jacob (4C)

ELYAS NG IS KICKING GOALS WITH HIS CONTINUOUS LEARNING!

Elyas Ng in Prep P has been excitedly adapting to the Continuous Learning program this past week, each day looking forward to doing his classwork in this new way. 

MR CROTTY'S VIRTUAL CLASSROOM