Principal Report

Principal Message Week 2 Term 2 2020

I know that I am not alone when I say that this has been exhausting, sometimes challenging yet a rewarding week.

I would like to thank each of you for your support, encouragement, commitment and perseverance to ensuring we could get the first stages of our remote learning program off the ground for your children. Your support is vital and crucial and I want to take this time to acknowledge the role you have played and will continue to play in your child’s remote learning experience.

Without a doubt, it is a very difficult time for everyone and the challenges of working from home whilst supporting your child/children is placing a great deal of stress on families. I have always maintained from the very beginning that wellbeing trumps everything at this time. Every family situation is different and what works for one will not work for another. Ultimately the way in which you and your child/children engage with our remote learning program needs to work for your family. The way in which we have structured the day is just a guide. We certainly understand that there will be days when things are just not going to go to plan. So, I am reaching out to you to say be gentle on yourselves. You have done an extraordinary job so far and if the structure and routine provided is not going to work then feel free to adapt it so it can. This has to work for you and your family. Your wellbeing and your families’ wellbeing is and should be the priority.

I would also like to thank the staff. This is an incredibly challenging time for them on all levels especially as they shift their practice to an online setting. Teachers intrinsically see and value relationships above all else. This new mode of practice removes some of what we cherish the most and that is the connections we have with our students. It is so much more difficult in an online environment to ‘read the room’, to respond to the look or to that moment of hesitation. So much of what teachers do in a ‘normal’ setting relies on visual and nonverbal cues, which are not so obvious online. The majority of what teachers do in a day relies on talk and interaction, in fact, a lot of it. Which makes this is a major adjustment and steep learning curve for teachers too.

I have been amazed and inspired by the adaptability and resilience that our children have shown. In a little over a week, they have embraced a whole new world. I know you are there in the background supporting but I was amazed at the ease in which they have settled into their new learning environments. I was honoured to be invited to the classes first Zoom sessions. It was wonderful to see all our students and to hear their voices. The school is a very different place without them. The Zoom sessions, even with the initial chaos, has provided the children with that connection that we are all craving at the moment. The excitement and sheer looks of joy during the sessions I joined were palpable. But what has really stood out for me this week is how children are engaging with their learning experiences. The technology, whilst not always hassle free, is certainly allowing students to communicate their learning and understandings in creative and inspiring new ways.  I see this as a real opportunity and a way in which to bring out the best in every child.

As of Monday, we will begin Phase 2 of our remote learning program. Tonight, you will receive in a separate Flexibuzz message our Continuous Remote Learning Policy. I ask that you take the time to read this document carefully as it outlines the philosophy, directions and expectations for remote learning as we move forward. Please keep in mind what I emphasized above – it is a guide and should be referred to as such.

Despite feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and the changes that have occurred over the past six weeks, I would like to think that there is light at the end of the tunnel. And all the work, effort and time that has gone into remote learning will not cease to exist once we return to school but instead will inspire a new and innovative way to approach education in the future.