From Cressida
Courage in the time of COVID
There has been a palpable shift in the mood of the staff here at Arlington, a shift towards courage. Across Term Two most of our teachers have chosen to work from Arlington where there is both adequate room to be responsibly distant, and the great company and compassion of our colleagues to keep us buoyed.
For all of us, term two loomed as the great unknown. As a staff we were unsure what to expect, how to ensure that we could deliver a connected program, and for how long online learning might be in place. The first two or so weeks of term were a time of pitch and yaw as we felt overwhelmed, depleted and confused in one moment, and robust, purposeful and vibrant the next. Experiencing this together was a source of great comfort, and lots of air hugs were delivered.
And then the shift to the current mood, and there is no better measure of this positivity than witnessing the teachers pushing the boundaries, and asking “why not?” and being prepared to give something new a go. A wonderful example being our teachers in the Loft Room. They have embarked upon a PlayWorlds unit through online learning. They have braved the elements at Wattle Park, in keeping with their dedication to Bush School, and there, dressed as Dr Doolittle, and his trusty companion the Iguana (I think the Push-me-pull-you was a bit of a stretch!), managed an approach by the local constabulary who were no doubt captured by the top hat, academic gown and moustache. After a couple of questions regarding who they were and what they might be doing, all was fine in the eyes of the law, and the Zoom session was delivered with the Loft Room children logging-in.
Creating a shared imaginative space with children to develop conceptual understanding is a challenge, but creating this in a shared virtual space is remarkable. To our knowledge, this has not been attempted before. While I have every faith that this PlayWorld will be a wonderful success, what is remarkable is that the Loft Room teachers are giving it a go, and waiting to see.
The Peppercorn and Sunroom teams are sharing home based, practical science experiments at a time when many practical courses are struggling, investigating independent and dependent variables while watching Gummy Bears change... and resisting the urge to eat them!
And our kindergarten and Lighthouse teams are maintaining wonderful connection with the youngest members of our community, overcoming the barrier of connecting through Zoom which for some children has been quite unsettling.
These examples of risk taking, and giving things a go brings to mind just why it is that the PYP is such a natural fit here at Arlington. The IB Learner Profile Attributes are key here. They are the heart of the PYP programme - the why. Amongst these attributes is risk-taking, which for us at Preshil is better expressed as Courage.
At Preshil we see teachers and children as one and the same, sharing the community, and learning together. If the learner profile attributes are applicable to children, then so too they are applicable to our teachers. We understand that taking risks is an essential and positive step in learning. Children who feel comfortable, who feel supported, and who feel emboldened are those ready to take risks. I have a hunch that this is equally true of teachers.
NAPLAN
The school calendar has been a bit bare lately, and I was reminded that NAPLAN would ordinarily be running next week. As many of you will be aware, NAPLAN 2020 will not proceed. A joint statement of the education ministers reads:
The decision to not proceed with NAPLAN in 2020 has been taken to assist school leaders, teachers and support staff to focus on the wellbeing of students and continuity of education, including potential online and remote learning.
Pivot Pulse Check
Thank you to the families who have taken a moment to respond to the Pulse Check survey regarding the online learning programs that we are offering from Kindergarten to Year 12 . If you've not yet done this, please consider taking a moment. Link below.
https://results.pivotpl.com/pulse/299
Cressida Batterham-Wilson
Acting Head of Arlington Campus