Term Reflections

Buckley House Captains Leading in Isolation…

By Elizabeth Tan and George Tsianakas, Year 6, Buckley House

The year kicked off with a great start. Year 6 students aspired to an exciting and successful year. However, things changed. Before we knew it, we had to ‘tap’ buttons to put our hand up, ‘unmute’ ourselves to speak and ‘upload’ our responses to tasks!! On the positive side, we could wake up an hour later and wear comfortable clothes all day! Having the comfort of home helped us feel relaxed as this became our new learning environment. 

'We grew as leaders, not in a way we originally expected, but in a way in which we had to lead ourselves as well as others.' I, Elizabeth, used this quote in a response I completed in class when we were asked to give a positive speech about our experiences. We had to become innovative and find new ways to lead in our role as School Captains (George). We created videos to display to kids about what we had been doing across the school during remote learning. We wanted to encourage students to keep a healthy, strong and positive mindset.

In addition to doing this, we led ourselves by being independent, organised and responsible for our learning. We realised the importance of not only guiding others but leading ourselves. We took initiative for our learning and asked for help when needed. We had to learn to manage our time properly. As a team, we tried to think of new ideas. By leading ourselves during isolation, we have grown as leaders in a way that we didn’t expect but are satisfied and look forward to continuing our journey.

Even if we are not able to attend school in person, this doesn’t mean we haven’t given 110% in all our learning and responsibilities as School Captains. We reflect that it is okay to feel disappointed being in isolation but aim to maintain both a growth and a positive mindset. We are all in the same situation but have different ways to work through it. We are all in this together. Ms Broben comments that we work well as a collaborative team as School Captains. Our end message to you all is: persevere, try your best, ask for help and try to have a positive mindset.

All The Time In The World...

In Year 6, at Buckley House, we have focused on seeing the light in dark times. 

Here are three of our perspectives on our period in Isolation

By Charlotte Starkey 

My personal experience in isolation has taught me to become more grateful for the little things and to utilise every little moment and memory. Recently, I found this, my now favourite quote 'You don’t realise what you’ve got till it's gone.' by Joni Mitchell. This is relatable to being in isolation. I didn’t realise I would miss being able to go to a restaurant for dinner or seeing my friends at their houses. Now, I have become grateful and appreciative having not been able to do the things I have taken for granted in the past. This whole isolation experience has helped me to develop a more positive mindset. We focus on this when sharing ‘Sparkles’ in class (things we are grateful for).

By Maisie Spencer

Through being in isolation, I’ve had a significant amount of time to participate in many different activities. Spare time has allowed me to spend more time exercising. I have spent more time doing my studies as well as engaging in new activities. Now, I go to the park to either walk my dog or ride my bike five days a week. Previously, I had only exercised twice a week. Also, my studies have improved since I have more time to spend focusing on and developing my responses.

By Harry Sze

I have learnt many things in these past weeks. I have spent quality time with my family and experienced different things during the days of quarantine. I have learnt to care for my family more and I have realised just how precious spending time with my family actually is. My family and I have enjoyed multiple movies together, shared new recipes and even as a family, we have learnt an abundance of new information about each other. This has kept me positive and has encouraged me to bounce back and be patient for the end.

To Home-School or Not to Home-School, That Is the Question? 

By Patrick Suiter, Year 11, The Ridgeway Campus

I think it is fairly certain that we’ve never been in a year at school that has been as different as this one. Whether it be joining classes from my awfully kept bedroom, attempting to stay 1.5 metres apart from friends, and wearing masks in class, this term and this year have been a challenge for all of us. 

I feel proud to say that most of the Ivanhoe cohort have been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic with as much enthusiasm as they can muster and with hope for the future. This message was at the heart of the ‘Christmas in July’ event organised by Mr Fox, one that I think we should all cling to. 

I respect the perseverance of the Year 12 students most of all, continuing to laugh through masks at lunchtime when they were back on campus. While they may be missing their final moments and events that alumni have treasured so dearly, their spirit is undeniable.

Being in Year 11, I  got to see my friend’s faces around the school recently, something that was very uplifting, though I must admit, I do enjoy being able to sleep in from home. The IB workload is as tough as ever, something to look forward to for the aspiring IB students. I’ve also started posting film score reviews to a blog with a friend, something that has brought me joy. 

It was quite unfortunate that the new school musical – Godspell – had to be cancelled, but hopefully, something can be organised as some form of replacement. 

Now that we are all back to learning via Teams, I am hoping that everyone is making the most of cups of tea and sleep-ins, though online learning can be very challenging. I would also like to thank the teachers and students for their tireless efforts to deal with the constant shifts in format. 

I would like to commend everyone for their constant diligence in trying to make the most of school, especially at this time. Keep zooming with friends, doing what you love, and most of all, keep smiling. 

COVID-19, COVID-19, Where For Art Thou COVID-19?

By Anita Birchall, Year 8, The Ridgeway Campus 

In Melbourne. Way too close to home. 

Last term saw the beginning of a brand-new leaning style. Online learning. When I first heard of it, virtual learning sounded like an alternate reality. 

As the pandemic grew overseas, many students were making the transition to remote learning. Catchy slogans reminding us to wash our hands and to sanitise appeared around us. Then it happened. Online school was announced.

Remote learning was not what it first seemed. We became accustomed to using Microsoft Teams, Zoom and other online platforms to communicate and to submit our work. Yet we all looked forward to the day when we would see our friends face-to-face again. Finally, the School announced that we would be returning to onsite learning, for at least the last 3 weeks of the term. Although many of us regarded our experience of online school to be a special ‘once in a lifetime’ occurrence, we were all glad to resume our normal routine. 

But life is rarely predictable in a pandemic. The last week of school holidays brought another surprise. Online learning would resume. Our ‘once in a lifetime’ experience was now ‘twice in a lifetime’. An unexpected twist to our daily routine. 

Resuming online learning was easier than expected. Effortlessly, we fell back into the same routine that we had been practising over the past term. Online learning provided an opportunity to spend more time with family and pets, to pick up new and exciting skills, to pursue existing hobbies. 

Although online learning remains challenging at times, our teachers always find ways to engage and to challenge us. I am grateful for the way in which the Ivanhoe community is striving to ensure that every student is able to continue their co-curricular activities and that everyone feels supported. By embracing online learning and creatively solving the challenges it presents, we can get through this difficult time together, while creating history.

Going with the Flow 

By Lara Hopkins, Year 8, The Ridgeway Campus

Three weeks into Term 3, and it is still (probably) the most impactful year of our entire lives.

The second lockdown was a tad more frustrating, as we were again told to stay home after spending only three weeks back at school. Many of us had to cut our holidays short and rush back home before the borders were closed off again. Last term, we were just getting used to the new COVIDSafe routine and prepared to come back after the two week holiday. But the case numbers kept going up, so it was back to online learning, away from our friends and the normal-ish environment of school. 

I had to do my English oral presentation at home, speaking through a screen to my peers’ MS Teams logos and a PowerPoint, with nothing but dead silence to lead me. As a person that relatively enjoys public speaking, this threw me off a bit. I couldn’t tell if I was engaging with my audience, I couldn’t even tell if they were paying any attention to me. It was slightly easier working with partners, as every session we could go into private chat rooms. However, this was again so starkly contrasted to normal school, because we couldn’t look at each other’s work or chat as easily as when we are physically in class. There was also an undertone of awkwardness. Usually, the lively chatter of our classmates provide a calm setting, but it was just my partner and I, speaking through a screen.

However, there were some positive aspects to this. We could get practices in every session and couldn’t get distracted by our friends. It was also a nice, easy break from the other classes with heavy content. 

Although I’m getting a bit tired of talking to my friends through text messages, the lockdowns have given a much-needed break to step away from the hubbub of normal life to work on myself more. I, for one, won’t be forgetting this year easily. 

Net Loss, Net Gain

By Alana Edgley, Year 8, The Ridgeway Campus

I think we all headed into this year with a reasonable expectation of what was ahead of us, a normal year as such. We weren’t very far into the year before we came to realise that this wasn’t going to be a normal year. Pretty much everything started to change. Not only did we stop going to school but the extra-curricular activities we look forward to as a part of our daily routines stopped too. For me, it meant no athletics, aerobics or netball season and initially, I found it difficult to find the motivation to train knowing it was unlikely there would be any matches or competitions for the year. 

I enjoy my sport, in particular, community netball. I love working with a team, training hard, and like most people aspiring for success in finals, I never really thought about what I would do without the motivation of games and finals. When my netball coach began setting up online Zoom calls and creating training programs during isolation, I just had this sense of disappointment without the games to keep me motivated. 

My coach has kept us busy and motivated by making team group chats to stay connected and she regularly checks in to see how our training is going.  As a team, we’ve all found ways to stay fit together.  We share photos of our runs, time-lapses of our workouts and we have been tracking our progress to help us see our improvements, as it can be hard to notice without playing matches. 

While I still value and aspire to the end of season goals, like grand finals, COVID-19 has unmasked for me something important.  I have found that training hard, seeing my progress and staying connected with my teammates has been really rewarding and it’s what’s kept me motivated and excited to take to the court again.

I can’t wait to take the court again.