The Next Right Thing

COVID 19 has changed the landscape forever, the rules of the game. Life is different. Educators are being pulled and pushed by so many different complex forces, that many of my colleagues, both here and abroad are feeling overwhelmed and the grief that is a real part of this pandemic is seeping through the cracks. We have watched teachers around the globe grapple with teaching in a new era, where there is the risk of sickness and death, uncertainty and loss. As we return to teaching in Term 2, we are ‘working from home’ and our children are working alongside us. There are new routines and new challenges for everyone in our community – students, teacher and parents. Scott Berinato (23/3/2020) in the Harvard Business Review says that the discomfort we are feeling is grief, that is we are experiencing an intense emotional sadness and loss. Loss of a future unknown and sometimes physical loss of a loved one.

In a recent family movie session, my not so young family invited me to watch Frozen 2. It was strange how the Disney animation spoke to me, in this time of COVID. Amid the danger and chaos facing the protagonist, Anna is aware of the need to simply do the ‘next right thing’. She sings with passion and purpose:

This next choice is one that I can make.

So I’ll walk through this night, stumbling blindly toward the light

And do the next right thing.

And, with it done, what comes then?

When it’s clear that everything will never be the same again

Then I’ll make the choice to hear that voice

And do the next right thing.

And for us this is true, we must simply do the next right thing when sometimes we don’t have all the answers and we cannot anticipate the future impact of our decisions. What does work or learning look like in this next stage of life? This week many of us are about to find out as we roll out a term of continuous remote learning. But what we can claim with certainty is the importance of people in our lives, the value of relationships, the need to act with compassion and empathy in all we do. It is the amazing connections that we have with our College community, the partnership between parents, students and staff that will help us do the next right thing.

Reference: https://hbr.org/2020/03/that-discomfort-youre-feeling-is-grief

Susan Bradbeer

Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning

VCE Developments

VCE Students and their parents have been sent a letter outlining the developments to the VCE for the remainder of 2020. The key changes to the timeline for VCE assessments are as follows:

The GAT test will move from June to October or November
End of year exams will be postponed until at least December
School based assessment tasks will be reduced where possible to relieve some pressure on students as they move to remote and flexible learning arrangements
VCE study scores will continue to be a combination of school-based assessment and external exams.
The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is also examining a compressed end-of-year exam schedule – including slightly shortening each exam – in recognition of the disruption caused by the pandemic.

Mrs Louise Manifold is in contact with the major universities to clarify application and entry requirements. We will keep you updated when further details are announced.

Please remember, we might not have control over everything that is happening throughout this Pandemic; however, you do have control over how you will engage with your learning and the dedication you put into your studies this term. Keep focused and you will be rewarded in the long run.

Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions at rbonnett@hamiltoncollege.vic.edu.au

Rebekah Bonnett

Head of VCE Studies and Head of Science

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