Dunhelen

                                                                 Mrs Francis Scuderi

Welcome Back

Last week, with great excitement, we welcomed back the Dunhelen students. It was so wonderful to see them all safe and sound.

Home Learning

I did manage to get around to the Homerooms to congratulate them on the way they adapted to Home Learning. I also spoke about being a part of history in the making and then of course I reminded them of the 3 week mid-year break, where they will not be ‘hounded’ by teachers asking for work. This made quite a few of them happy.

It has been a long term, unlike any other we have ever had. While it was a concerning time, the silver lining was that students, teachers and parents learnt how adaptable most of us can be. I am sure that there is something that we will want to continue with once our world returns to ‘normal’.

I asked some Year 7 students what they did and did not like about home learning and here are some of the responses:

I liked everything about coming back to school.

Zac L

I liked and disliked Home Learning at the same time because although it was good to sleep, play games and have a tea, I didn’t get to see my friends and Facetime doesn’t count.

Marcus G

Home Learning wasn’t so bad. I liked it because we could wear our pyjama bottoms and have our school t-shirt on and when we finished we could have free time. I learnt a lot about myself, that I need to be more organised and sometimes I would procrastinate. I loved coming back to school because we got to see the teachers and our friends.

Alexandra L 

I liked Home Learning because it was a good experience to learn and adapt to a different environment.

Alexander P 

I do like Home Learning because I am more comfy at home and it is quieter. I liked coming back to school because I was able to see all my friends and have a laugh.

Stephanie K

I learned to appreciate school a lot more and my friends a lot more, but I already respected them.

Grace W

We had class Zooms and we would Facetime, but it wasn’t the same as being face-to-face. One thing that I have learnt from this experience is that even though I am surrounded by classmates I can still concentrate on my tasks and be focused.

Lauren P

I have to say, at Home Learning I had every essential I needed except my friends, I have nothing to complain about and thought it was perfect the way Aitken arranged the transition from home to school in such a short period. The thing that disappointed me the most was not socialising and seeing my fellow classmates. I loved the return to school as I got to experience the thrill of seeing my friends and teachers. One very important thing I learned about myself was you can do so much more if you concentrate, believe, work hard and never take anything for granted (especially school).

Gabrielle G

Home Learning was probably as fun as it was in a normal class at school. Some things that I enjoyed in Home Learning was probably being able to work independently for those who like to, being able to see your parents around and ask them for help, and not having to get up early to get ready. What I didn’t like about home school was probably when you couldn’t really see your friends especially if you don’t have their number or social media meaning that you couldn’t keep in contact. I am really happy to be back at school so I can chat with class mates and hang out with them at recess and lunch. The return to school is good because you can instantly ask the teacher for help anytime instead of waiting for a reply or need help marking a task done on Firefly. Something I probably learnt about myself is that I can be organised.

Yanisa B

It is very nice to know that our students missed school and that they like being here.

Thank You

Thank you to parents, guardians, grandparents and anyone who supported the College and the students during this term. Education is a partnership and, as you know, statistics show that parental/family engagement in school life leads to better outcomes for students.

The Australian Government, Department of Education, Skills and Employment has conducted much research on parent engagement. “There is strong evidence that parent engagement is associated with significant improvements in academic achievement for students of all ages. Robust research also links it to the improvement of other outcomes including early literacy acquisition, school readiness, student attendance, motivation, self-regulatory behaviour, social skills, retention and graduation". 

To read more about this research, please click on the link:

https://docs.education.gov.au/node/43976

Happy Holidays

Wishing the College community a wonderful and relaxing mid-year break. I look forward to working with you all next term. Stay safe!