Ready Set Go……..Home Learning

Thank you for the messages of support you have sent our teachers and staff members in recent days. Thank you to our staff members for their ongoing efforts and positivity in very challenging circumstances.

We are all in the same boat. It’s not a competition. All students across Victoria and Australia are working like this and you are doing enough as parents.

You are loving your kids and supporting them through a difficult time. Look after yourself. Minimizing stress is absolutely vital in a time like this for mental health.

The 'Jackson 5 song' is playing in my head,

A B C
It's easy as, 1 2 3
As simple as, Do Re Mi
A B C, 1 2 3

That’s how the song goes but the reality is very different!

Some families were unable to access their learning

Some families don’t have a device yet or the children have to share

Some families had their internet and power drop out

Some families have been overwhelmed by the work sent home

Some families may have thought there wasn’t enough work

Some families have been trying to access learning for three children at three different levels

Some families have been trying to juggle home learning and work from home themselves

Some families have been loving the idea of home schooling

Some families may be thinking how we are going to do this?

Some families may have had trouble getting their children to do the work.

Most families are worried that their children are going to miss their friends and teachers.

Some teachers were trying to look after their own children at home and their class at the same time.

Some teachers had issues with their internet at home dropping out

Some teachers were unable to access Google classroom.

Some teachers are feeling overwhelmed by the task of providing learning tasks for their class.

Some teachers are tackling the challenge of using new technology and having zoom meetings.

Some teachers have been wondering if they have sent too much work home.

Some teachers are thinking, maybe I haven’t sent enough work home.

Some teachers are thinking how are we going to do this?

Most teachers are thinking that I miss my class and their smiling faces

The challenge of the learning environment is new to all of us and we want you to remember that we are all in this together. The teachers had just as many worries at home and on-site with the launch of remote learning.

This isn't a test for you. We won't be judging you on what learning your child completes and what they don’t manage to finish. We strongly believe that your child’s long term learning will not be adversely affected by the activities they do or do not complete in this time. It will be our job once normality returns to continue their learning journey.

Connecting with Children

One of the vital components of home schooling is feeling connected. The teachers' first goal this week was trying to make contact with every child in their class. I heard from parents that the children have been delighted to hear from them. One teacher was lucky enough to be taken outside virtually, on the trampoline for recess break

Some parents have taken the home learning to new levels. Another story a parent shared was that one parent was playing the role of the principal(a very important role), and the other one being the teacher. They were also running a mini canteen for break time. I am hoping the number of parents using detention slows down by the end of this week. (We don’t have detention at school)

Mrs Winchester and I rang Maria yesterday to ask her if she would brighten everyone’s day by sharing the colorful rainbow she made at home.

Website

The Office Staff and teachers have been industriously building our new website. It is a work in progress but we are very excited about the way it is coming together.

Have you had a chance to look? Do you appear on the new pages?

We will have an online official launch but you are welcome to take a peek.

Great Ryrie Facebook page

I would really appreciate parents sending me some photographs of their children learning from home, the good , the bad and the ugly. In this way I can continue to deliver to you, The Great Ryrie Catch-up each week. There is now a link from our website to the facebook page.

Have a great weekend and stay safe

Karen Rouda

Principal

Great Ryrie Grapevine

We are a Respectful and Responsible Learning Community.

Issue 10 · 17 Apr 2020

In this issue