Year 8 Pastoral Guardian

We had a lovely start to Term 3 when we gathered as a college to participate in the Cross Country. It was great to see the participation and support the students offered each other and it was an opportunity to reconnect after the three-week break. That was closely followed by the start of the Dance Fever lessons on the Tuesday. These lessons are designed to cover the general capabilities of personal and social capability in the Australian Curriculum, and incorporate self-management, self-awareness, social management, and social awareness. The students have enjoyed joining with the Padua students to undertake these lessons. From there, the Francis School Captains organised a Year 8 cohort picnic up on the Rooftop Terrace to promote a feeling of belonging, which was a great success - so a busy start to Term 3!

Now we are at the beginning of our Learning from Home journey, which has started well. The students are well positioned to transition into this mode of learning but, as Canadian psychologist Dr Lisa Damour states, "Any life event that requires adaptation is inherently stressful. Change equals stress." There are ways you can support your child to help alleviate this stress.

Ensure they have a set space to complete their lessons that is quiet and calm.
Have a copy of their timetable in an easy place to see so they can check it each morning.
Ensure they have their books ready for all their lessons at the start of the day so they don’t have to search for them between lessons.
Remove any distractions – eg phone – so they can focus on their work.
The students are working on Teams and can directly access their teachers through here. Please encourage your child to ask for clarification if they are unsure of anything.
Have them take a break between each lesson and walk away from their screen. There is ten minutes between each lesson to allow them time to do this.
Make sure they leave the room in the longer breaks and totally disengage from their learning to allow their brain some down time.
Make a ‘to do’ list of the tasks that have been set and when they are due, so they can plan their time accordingly.
Most teachers will make a recording of explicit teaching lessons which is available in Teams after the lesson is finished. Ask your child to go through this at their own pace if they have struggled to keep up during the lesson. This is also handy if they have trouble with WiFi.
At the end of the school day shut down their computer and take time out to do something they really enjoy.

Above all, they should be kind to themselves. It is a challenging environment in which to work, and we are here to support and nurture them on the journey. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns or issues.

Fingers crossed we will be back together again next week. 😊

Colleen Goodin