NGSC Newsletter

SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS

Sarah Bridges

Senior Sub School Manager

 

We are looking forward to welcoming our students back to on-site learning next week. It will be a time of transition and we encourage all students and parents/carers to speak to us about any concerns.  A recent article, by Andrew Fuller, educational psychologist, recommended the following key points/thoughts to aide us all in this transition:

  • Re-establish a routine: especially sleep as getting your sleep cycle into sync with the school and workday improves learning and mental health
  • Can’t wait to see you: we all have friends and teachers we are looking forward to catching up with
  • Safe and Certain: as a school community we have clear and consistent guidelines to keep you as safe and well as we can
  • Restart the year: we are not looking for a resumption of the year, we are looking for a fresh start, we need to form new connections and renew our attitudes to learning and success. We all need a few practice runs before we can safely gain our full stride.
  • Plan for success: You may feel the year has got away from you, but be assured you can succeed. Firstly, all students have had the same setbacks, secondly, there is plenty of time to catch up.
  • Less is more: rushing too much or putting too much in place too early is a recipe for exhaustion and disengagement. While we are transitioning, easy does it, take time to rebuild a sense of success and it will pay off.  Make it fun.
  • Review: About 5 weeks after the resumption of school, we need to take time to review our reintegration. This means checking in for ourselves, acknowledging what has worked well and reassessing what is going to help in the future.

Year 12 

  • Independent Study Periods: Students have been sent the agreement for arrangements for ISPs . Once the agreement has been signed, and returned to the Senior Sub School Office, students will be issued with the 2020 Student ID card with the ISP sticker. This will allow students to arrive late or leave early, depending on their ISPs. It is essential that students remember to sign in, or out, at the Senior Sub School Office.  If a student is electing not to do this, they may collect their 2020 Student ID card from the Senior Sub School Office.
  • Celebration Day and Graduation: there are arrangements and bookings in place for these events but due to the covid pandemic, I am awaiting dates from VCAA and guidelines about social events, before providing specific details. At this point, Graduation is booked to be at The Pier, and tickets will be as per previous years $100 a head.

Year 11

  • All classes will run as per normal for Year 11 students. Students in Independent Study Periods will be provided with a space to study.

VET

  • All VET students should be checking google classroom updates regularly for Ms Makin’s advice about each specific VET course and details about the return to on-site learning. If the VET course does not return to on-site learning next week, students will be permitted to sign out and return home to study remotely. It is important that they continue to keep up to date with their VET studies.

Thank you for all your support during our time of remote teaching and learning, it has been really appreciated by the senior teaching and student management teams.