Reading Detective Program - A change of focus: story telling.

Our Year 7 & 8 Reading Detectives have practised the strategic skills of asking questions, looking for connections and making predictions to gain meaning from the stories (and consequently form all forms of writing) that they read.

The onset of COVID-19 and the necessity to learn online, has posed a myriad of questions for our young readers and many have delved into researching how and why we have been faced with this health scare and its consequences. This led us to adopt a slight change of focus in our Reading Detective lessons, while still in isolation. We realised that just like our favourite authors, we all have unique stories to tell in times when our lives have been turned ‘upside-down’ like never before. These historical situations often make for personal and poignant storytelling. The Year 7 & 8 Reading Detective classes set about telling their stories with clarity and honesty; it was evident that ‘getting their story out’ helped articulate their journeys from school-learning to home-schooling and back again, with all the questions, angst and also new-found resilience that the changes brought to them. Well done to all and see you at school soon! Here is a selection:

"The Virus"

Right before School had started I had been on one of my grandparent’s farms for the weekend. My dad and I had just come back from checking the gates as the cattle had walked through one that my older brother accidentally left open. We were all sitting in the main area of the house with the news on and they started to say something about a virus. I didn't think much of it until the next day when they said that it was starting to spread throughout China. We even had some friends/business associates that planned on coming to Australia but had to cancel.

After getting back to school it was announced that Australia had its first case. After that the number of cases around the world started to rise and panic arose. Fights were breaking out in supermarkets over toilet paper, politicians were yelling at each other on live TV; protests around the globe started and people began to suspect that the virus had been made in a Wuhan lab. The economy fell apart.

While all this was happening students around Australia were made to home-school for the safety of the community. As I had a younger brother with chronic illness, some upper respiratory issues and practically no immune system, my parents wouldn't dare let me hangout in a crowded area let alone school.

Online schooling became a little hard for me as I either couldn't find motivation or concentration; I didn't complete as much work as I usually would at school. That's why when it was announced that we would get to go back to school towards the end of term 2 I found myself excited. I would get to see my friends again and concentrate a little better. As restrictions would be loosened Gymnastics would start up again and we could finish comp season and I could head up to Dargo for a hunting trip. The world was starting to piece itself together, however there was still fear of another wave.

- Kendra 8L

"My Story"

My name is Clive Carino, and I attend St. Peter’s College Clyde North campus and this is my 2020 school story so far. It felt like last year, the only difference being that it is a new year and new things are happening. But for me, it all felt the same.

It was a school start like any other until people started talking about WW3, Australia being on fire, a bit of a collapse in the economy, a giant asteroid that will pass by and is said to destroy all of humanity if did hit, some government confirming a decade old UFO footage to be real, and a virus name COVID-19 is causing a pandemic right now. But the only things that has actually killed people in the list I mentioned was Australia’s bush fires and COVID-19.

I wondered about this virus that was spreading throughout the world, but then quickly shifted my mind onto other stuff because I don’t really find the virus to be all that interesting to me honestly.

Many questions were being asked, but were there any answer because I didn’t keep up with the news and statistics.? I was kind of lounging in my room playing and reading, just like what any other 8th grader does.

Everyone was making predictions and forecasts about what would happen, I wondered when any news about Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 was going to be announced; about the game and it’s release date, because so far, there hasn’t been any news or leaks about it.

I wanted to know who the ARMS character is going to be in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC pack #2. They only said that it was going to be an ARMS character but didn’t say any character specifically. So I’m wondering about that. Also games such as Metroid Prime 4 and Pikmin 4, wondering about those games too.

- Clive Carino 8J

"It was a day like any other"

It was a school start like any other until Covid-19 was announced as a global pandemic. I didn’t know how dangerous it was at first so I thought it would come to an end in a few weeks. It then kept getting even worse each day. We lost many people and there are many people who are suffering but I know that one day it will be over. I just don’t know when that day will come. Everyone was making predictions which just made everyone confused. When learning changed, it made it harder for me to focus during class although I knew it would help the pandemic. It’s hard to stare at a laptop all day. I wanted to know when everything would go back to normal.

At the end of Term 1, we were told that we would be having our usual classes at home. It was a new experience but it was hard to focus. Learning from home did lower the chances of me getting Corona and it lowered how many people got infected with it. In the beginning, I predicted learning from home would be a strange and new experience for me and other students. There’s a lot of technical difficulties from time to time which makes it harder to learn. Although, it helps that I can talk more to the classmates and teachers whenever I need help.

We have just found out that we will be back at school later in Term 2. I feel excited that I get to see my friends and teachers again. It would help me learn better too. Without having technical difficulties every lesson, it would help me to concentrate during class and to spend more time with my friends and teachers in person. I can’t wait to go back to school.

- Hiruki Jayawardana 7J

"My story: Covid 19 during school "

Hey I'm Reeya Kumari, one of the many students who attend St. Peter's college and this is my story and experience of school during these troubling times. In 2019 my cousin was bothering me about this question ‘’what’s happening in China?’’ and I replied ‘I don’t know’. Then the discussion of coronavirus started, we all thought that it wasn’t going to affect us and it would stay in China; at this time it was talked about in the news but not so highly and we were living our best life in summer holidays of 2019.

2020 had started which meant a new school year would start soon, term one had rolled around and we were getting into assessments and homework which was something I wasn't too fond of but had to do regardless and then the news of Covid-19 broke and how the other countries were getting highly affected including Australia. There was new news everyday from students in schools near us having the virus and how we would go into lockdown like other countries. Teachers were being questioned by students if schools would shut down and even they had no clue. However one Tuesday morning we were told no longer to come to school and that our term 1 holidays would start from then on. We didn’t know if we would be back at school after the holidays but everyone was hoping not.

I was left feeling happy since I thought we would be part of a big event in history which would be talked about in the upcoming years. When I realised that term 2 would be online I wondered when we would be back at school since I would miss my friends and the work environment but was pleased to experience something new and unfamiliar. Learning from home has been strange since I’m used to going to school and coming home to finish homework and relaxing. This is my routine and to get used to a new one is quite hard.

Learning at home also came with positives though, there is no time wasted travelling from school to home and I can get straight into my homework and finish it off early so I have the rest of the day to myself. Now I just want to be at school and learn face to face since I greatly miss the work environment and routine set out for school, as well as the fact that coming home is a reward. I’m also highly lacking motivation to do my work and believe most of my peers are too. This is my Covid-19 story. What's yours?

- Reeya Kumari 8G

"My Story"

At first I thought ‘Yes, I don't have to go to school anymore and I can stay home’, but now I think that this whole situation here is annoying. I want to be able to see the world again. It's like I've been held captive in a small box and I can only go out for exercise and essential items when I don't even do the shopping.

We have just found out that we are going to return back to school on the 9th of May and I feel elated, I couldn't be any happier. This Covid-19 is literally taking over our lives. The fact that now we are slowly easing back to normal, life is never going to be the same as before coronavirus because everyone will be cautious and more aware of what's around them. Our world is always going to be different. The schools will make changes to the seating arrangements and there will be more cleaning products. Now that Daniel Andrews has made an announcement that Victoria is easing our restrictions I believe that everybody is going to start rushing back to things and there will be another spike of cases and we will end up back at square 1. If this happens we will be in lockdown for another 2 months almost and we will have a mad rush for food again.

The schools in Victoria have been given a lot of pressure whether they want to send their kids back or not. All the parents are having heated debates here and there when Daniel Andrews makes his Announcement. If our world is going to be like this for a while there will be a heap of opportunities to do some things around the house.

- McKeinzie James 7H

"Experience in online schooling"

My name is Samuel Mojica, and I go to school at St. Peter's College Clyde North Campus. I am in year seven and in my first year at high school. I was excited and happy to be there. But then I heard the news that the school might close down for a while. So a couple weeks later our school has been closed down and we are going to do our learning online for the time being. I felt happy for going home early but I was worried that this virus would go for the whole year, but I cooled myself down and reflected.

It is now more than 5 weeks in and that is more than the whole term. Then a glimmer of hope arose, a speech from our saviour. Scott Morrison… Yeah I’m overreacting, but he did say that we were going back to school on June ninth, and I was ecstatic. During this time I felt that I was confined to this one chair and the longer I sat on it, the longer it hurt. So I changed it. I kept on asking my parents when is this going to end. They could see I was bored and tired mentally and physically. Sometimes I would get up and imagine that I was a legendary warrior trying to defeat the virus.

So it is almost time to go to school, 2 more weeks to go. But I hope that the people who had it are worse than me. Some people have Covid, but worse, people have died and I want to take this time for us to reflect on those who died or sick and the people who are in the front lines because they give up their lives.

- Samuel Mojica 7L

Joyce Sendeckyj

Head of Library

Digital Technologies Teacher

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