We're All in This Together

Happy Mothers Day

2020 continues to be different in so many ways and this coming weekend is no exception, as many of us pause to celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday.

Our mums are often the ones, who with wisdom and kindness, remind us how powerful the human spirit can be, how important it is to demonstrate compassion and kindness and who, right now, are assuring us everything is going to be all right. In our community at RSC, many of our mum’s are the mainstay in households, supporting our young people as they learn remotely from home. Thank you so much for all that you do.

As the global coronavirus pandemic continues to impact each of our lives in different ways, we need our mums more than ever and they need us. So to all the mums in our community- Happy Mother’s Day!

Michael Phillips OAM

Principal

Students Engaging in Remote Learning

We are now four weeks down in this remote learning period in Term 2.  For some people, it has gone very quickly, while for others, it has seemed a lifetime!  It has been fantastic to see so many students engaging with their teachers and work over these recent weeks. This has been happening through the use of online class discussions, pre-recorded teaching clips and the completion of student work and exit passes to name a few.

This week Ringwood Secondary College held its first year level assemblies for various students in this remote environment. It was great to see such large numbers of students from Years 9 and 10 attending these assemblies on Monday and Wednesday. Well done to the Middle School team on organising these events and bringing these groups of students together to connect in similar ways as if students were at school.

The Year 12 students were lucky enough to have guest presenter Sonya Karras (creator of Whole New World) speak with them on Monday. She has been the first guest speaker for students within the College since remote learning began. Sonya provided the students with important tips and advice for being safe and looking out for one another in a variety of settings and situations.  You can see some extracts from students about her presentation later in this edition of RSC Connections.

There has been lots of positive feedback from staff in different aspects of their teaching and learning during this remote learning period.  Many staff have become more confident in using technology, while lots have also developed new skills.  I’m sure this newfound confidence and skills will be put to good use both now, and when students and staff return to school, whenever that may be!

With staff, students and parents all working very hard to support each other in this remote learning environment, it is important to balance all the competing demands that we currently face.  Communicating with each other is essential in these times, especially if things aren’t going to plan, or assistance is required.  I encourage students and parents to continue communicating regularly with staff to best support student learning and wellbeing.  A special mention needs to go out to all staff who have been putting forward their best efforts each and every day to support the many students of Ringwood Secondary College.

Matt Tucker

Acting Assistant Principal

Life is like a Puzzle

Finally my niece moved back home so I was on my own with about 1/2 the puzzle done. Some days I’d stay up late “hooked” on making progress, other days I’d “hmmmfpt” and walk away from it in frustration. But I kept chipping away at it until I finally finished it! I felt a great sense of achievement, and felt proud of it, proud of our accomplishment. 

In reflection, in many ways, the journey of doing this jigsaw puzzle has been very similar to the journey we have been on in this Pandemic and being in isolation at home. Overall it feels strange, new, a bit uneasy, yet with some new joyful things, like doing many more things with your family and enjoying endless fun with your pets. Some days seem a huge challenge, tasks take forever and you feel disconnected and fatigued for no reason. Other days go quickly and are fun..... and choosing the puzzle’s easiest tasks first reflected a use of us seeking out what resources we have in order to tackle this huge task ahead of us with home-learning. 

Some days the way you tackle your daily tasks seem dull or foggy and whatever resources you draw on still do not seem to get you far, and feelings of frustration and confusion can reign. 

Yet on other days you fly through the work and submit it and feel gratification and satisfaction that you actually are making progress. 

Some days you feel very alone, and grieve the loss of contact with your community, and other days you feel connected and relish and embrace that we can actually still do things together - just under very different circumstances, which is “life on-line”. 

That my niece and I connected with the puzzle, an old fashioned type task, is extraordinary and unusual, but was also a challenge we did together. This was a positive thing to come out of the Pandemic...... and after she went home, I had to complete the task on my own...... I had to tackle it using what resources I had. 

I’ve realized we would never have been on the ‘Jigsaw-Journey’ if it wasn’t for this modern-day pandemic. That this has come from it,has been a positive thing, a learning and reflective thing......

It was so symbolic I ended up gluing the puzzle down and my niece and I aim to frame it as a symbol and reminder of our part in this modern-day-history-making Pandemic.......... 

Teresa Lodge

School Council President