Head of Campus
Perseverance and reward
All students have returned and restrictions have eased; our community basks in the glow of a job well done and a battle well fought.
Continued need for safe practices
To continue the well-worn metaphor, battles have been won, but the war against COVID still rages.
If we are to avoid a third wave, it is crucial that we continue to abide by and hold each other accountable to the government requirements for schools. The most critical of these include:
o Anyone with flu-like symptoms must stay home
o Everyone must wear an approved, fitted face mask at all times (see graphic below)
o People must ensure physical distancing (1.5 metres) when possible
o Everyone must regularly wash or sanitise their hands
o Visitors to the School are not permitted unless for special circumstances.
Year 12 exams
Last week our resilient Year 12 cohort began their final Diploma Programme examinations. Physical distancing isn’t the most foreign behaviour when it comes to exams, however extra precautions have been taken to ensure that their stations are sanitised between each session.
As many teachers said on Valedictory Day, we are so proud of this group of students. They have overcome incredible and demanding circumstances to get where they are today, and they continue to navigate each new challenge with maturity, dignity and perseverance.
Year 11 exams
Our Year 11 students will be undertaking in-house exams, commencing Monday 9 November.
End of year examinations, as with many things, are different at Preshil! We don’t subscribe to the model where students are put under intense pressure to compete with their friends. We don’t want students to feel as though their self-worth hinges on the results of a series of two-hour quizzes. We don’t want students to feel as though every worthwhile thing they have learned in a subject could possibly be squeezed onto a series of pages in a short space of time.
We do, however, want students to feel energised, empowered and enthusiastic about the opportunity to exercise their understanding. At Preshil, examinations are powerful tools for learning, where students get to test themselves and work towards their personal bests.
We send the Year 11s all of our encouragement as they prepare, putting in place the study skills they have learned over the last year.
DP Early Commencement
Another group of intrepid learners at the moment is our Year 10s, as they embark on an adventure into the IB Diploma Programme.
Our aim at Preshil is to make sure that the IB Diploma Programme is accessible for all our students, and there is a range of solutions baked into the system to make sure it caters for all learning needs.
We have a series of subject and skills-based courses designed to achieve this vision, and our teaching team is so excited to present these opportunities (details of which were forwarded to families last week) to students from Monday 9 November to Friday 4 December.
Dan Symons
Head of Campus