Middle School Report

Message from the Director of  Learning - Mr Tom Tahos

Welcome back to all our Middle School students and staff.

We did it. We got through one of the most challenging times we have all faced as a society that I can recall.  I am very pleased with the way we have started again. Keep up the great work.

Remember to sanitise your hands regularly, try to avoid physical contact with others, if you need to sneeze or cough, please do so in your elbow, then wash your hands.

Other Reminders

* Year 9s should have completed their online ‘Morrisby Reports’.

* Students are expected to be in full winter school uniform.

* Ensure you have your fully charged laptop (device) for class.

* Make sure your mobile phones are secured in your locker at the start of the day.

* Make sure you attend all classes and be punctual (get to class on time).

*  Ensure you go to class with the correct equipment.

*  Complete your work tasks at school and at home.

*  Following our Westall Way school values and behaviours.

*  Make sure you bring reading material to Period 4 classes (except Wednesdays) for the iRead program.

Keep smiling and stay safe!

Mr Tahos

What Remote Learning 

Meant for Me

Ms Rosenberg:

I have often heard about people who spend six months in Antarctica, and that’s how remote teaching and living felt like for me. I have two little grandchildren and I couldn’t hug them for two months, which was such a shame. I felt like they would forget who I was. I did see them, but at a distance. I felt like we were all on another planet from each other. While teaching, it was so hard not seeing students’ faces, and it was embarrassing when I occasionally pressed the wrong button and suddenly disappeared out of the chat altogether. It was great when students participated, but when they didn’t, they could have logged on and then walked away. I felt how difficult it was for students whose microphone didn’t work, and for those students with crying babies in the background.

Mr Tahos:

I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with my son and wife, which I cherished.  I improved some skills with ICT especially the Microsoft Teams program.

Being away from school and all you students, made me appreciate our school more and I was very keen to start again. Gaining knowledge is one thing but the school environment is what I love best, education is about growth and development, not just with our intellect but, socially, physically, emotionally and spiritually and in my opinion these happen best with others.

Miss Read:

Remote learning was a process that was important for the safety of the community so I was happy to embrace it as much as I could. I felt it was important to stay positive and focused.

As Year 10 Coordinator, it was very important to keep in touch with the middle school students so they could continue their learning and for welfare purposes. I was very proud of the way students handled the assemblies and kept on top of the work, attendance overall was amazing.

I felt supported by the Middle School staff team and we all tried very hard to keep up our communication and support of reach other a priority. Some students embraced the learning and others needed support with technology which they received from school so they all had laptops and the internet.

As a hands-on teacher, I continued doing demonstrations which were fun and a great way to engage students. I also did plenty of quizzes which students enjoyed as revision and it gave me feedback on prior knowledge. We all learnt how to do our classes on 365 Teams, how to communicate effectively and to be polite in a mature way. It’s a good way to do training and we did a thorough PD on autism. 

I was lucky to have a nice room to myself to have as a “working room”, it was warm and bright and had a view of a huge tree with lots of different greens in the leaves that kept me happy. Sometimes it was hard to get motivated because I am an active person and I like to move around so being in one room was dull at times.  I spoke to other team members every day which was a good way to check in on the way we were all working. Luckily my own children are adults so I didn’t have to teach them at home.

Overall, I don’t think it is an ideal way to teach because it takes away the social aspect to schooling which teenagers love and teaching has a visual aspect to supporting students. However, we all worked together to make what could have been a difficult situation a positive and happy one and we are all very relieved and excited to be back at school . . . phew.

Miss Papagiannopoulos:

My first reactions and feelings towards remote learning were utterly selfish.  I was excited to be able to stay home with my pets, to catch a few episodes of ‘The Office’ in my lunch break, even to have a cheeky nap in my bed in spare periods when I was feeling particularly drained.  However, as I properly started to plan and prepare, I saw that I would have to rely greatly on my IT skills and literacy.  This made me feel both apprehensive and excited – after many years of guilt at the small forests I’ve consumed with my photocopying, I would finally be able to practise using the vast array of digital resources and programs that I’d heard about during my studies at uni, and those that have come out and been developed since.  Remote Learning meant that I got to be more creative with my iPad (and my Apple Pencil!). It meant that I got to explore resources that helped my students for whom English was a second language access and understand the work (thanks Immersive Reader).  It meant that I could help my students develop their skills and confidence as independent learners, helping them expand their inquiry and questioning.  It also meant that I had a lot more headaches from looking at a screen all day.  It also meant that I felt a bit lonely talking to screen names and avatars when no one would turn their cameras on.  It also meant that I missed seeing my friends and colleagues, and hearing the excited voices of students around school.  

Overall, remote learning was a learning experience for me.  I enjoyed so much of it but also learned to appreciate my students more.  I’m excited to use the skills I have learned during remote learning in my classroom moving forward, and to make up for all the forests I’ve killed over the years.

I do miss hanging out with my dog though…

Mr Clark:

After a tough period of adjustment in the first few weeks, I grew to enjoy remote teaching. There were tough times, but the students in my classes were always enthusiastic and lifted my spirits when I was struggling. The toughest part was not knowing how students were reacting (no-one wanted to use their camera!). The best part was reading all the work that students completed, (mostly) promptly! Many students seemed to thrive and produced thoughtful work that really surprised me.

Miss Kerwick:

Remote learning for me was at first a challenge. Learning to adapt to change can sometimes be overwhelming. But, once I set up a routine from home, I quickly learned that there were so many positives to working from home and for my students to learn in a different way. Some of the advantages and experiences I enjoyed was being able to catch up on more sleep without getting up really early to beat the traffic to school. I was able to re-fuel and re-energize each day by getting outdoors at lunch time and going for a walk in my neighbourhood. I also enjoyed the one on one communication with my students via Teams, and being able to support some students who were struggling with different questions over team chat. I have been able to upskill myself in the use of some really good IT programs such as Desmos, Quizzez, Microsoft Forms, and OneNote that can be used when we are back in the classroom too which is great. 

For my Year 10 students in particular, the change and setting up a learning environment in the home has been really positive. It has allowed my students the time needed to form a mindset about working from home and applying their study skills to work more independently. This is vital as they move towards VCE/VCAL and was an opportunity for them to embrace a head start in setting up a study routine at home. Overall, remote learning has been a different, challenging and mostly positive experience for me. 

A time that we will remember forever!