Looking Back, Looking Forward
It’s the end of Week 8 in Term 4, 2021. It’s hard to know what to say… we are all a little shell shocked aren’t we! Two years ago, we were dealing with drought and heat and having to stay inside; we were looking forward to 2020 with a sense of anticipation but bushfires and devastation accompanied the new year, and smoke was blanketing our city and countryside; then we started hearing about a pandemic in Wuhan that was worrying but certainly would not reach our shores. It’s been big 2 years hasn’t it! As well as the constant uncertainty because of COVID-19, this year in Australia we have had floods, a mice plague, not enough itinerant workers to harvest crops, students learning from home alongside parents working from home, job insecurity for many, mask wearing, vaccinations, and the loss of connection with friends and family not just overseas, but also in neighbouring LGAs, towns and states. This list could be so much longer but you get the point.
However, yesterday’s news of the revised COVID health regulations for next week feels like something to celebrate even though we know the uncertainty will continue. This reminds me of a podcast I listened to recently, Brene Brown talking to Amy Cuddy (in the ‘Dare To Lead’ podcast on Spotify) about Pandemic Flux Syndrome which comes from the ‘constant state of uncertainty’. Cuddy talks about how our nervous systems are depleted, our ‘surge capacity’ is not meant to last for 2 years, we are not meant to stay in this state for so long. For further information, I recommend the following:
Podcast: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/pandemic-flux-syndrome
Further reading: https://www.the-well.com/editorial/what-is-pandemic-flux-syndrome
Now that we are getting closer to 2022, again I do feel a sense of anticipation, hoping the new year will bring us peace from all this turmoil and uncertainty, but the fourth wave of COVID in Europe now is certainly keeping a lid on that anticipation and not letting it develop into excitement.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27
NEXT WEEK
On a much brighter note, next week we have a lot to look forward to with:
Speech Day Preview,
Kindy Nativity,
Pixie Post,
Year 6 High School Transition,
The final PBL Presentations, and
Our final week of explicit learning.
THANK YOU
Thank you to all of those parents who have reached out to let us know how much you have appreciated the efforts and work that has been done by the Executive Team, Admin Team and Staff during lockdowns and Off Campus Learning. You have no idea how much your thoughtful comments and ability to think about what others are going through, has meant to us.
OFF CAMPUS LEARNING NEXT WEEK
From Wednesday of next week, we should have the vast majority of students back onsite. This will mean that OCL will only continue for students with a medical certificate stating they should not return to school. However, for these students still at home, they will be able to join the Grade Zoom Link at 8:45am to find out about what is planned for the day ahead. Logistically it will be impossible for staff to be online throughout the day with the majority of students onsite. Teachers will provide feedback to the students still working at home, at the end of the school day.
WE ARE ENROLLING NOW
Don’t forget to spread the word that we have positions vacant in some of our grades, and that we are a great school community to be a part of.
SCHOOL REPORTS
We are pleased to advise that we will still be able to provide you with School Reports this semester. The School Reports will be online on Thursday 2 December. You will receive an SMS when they become available.
The aim of our School Report is to communicate with you, your child's individual progress in all aspects of school life, thus promoting discussion and cooperation between home and school. This semester has been another time of unprecedented change because of the Covid-19 pandemic, where students returned to Off Campus Learning to continue their learning. Despite the challenges, we are still able to provide you with your child's School Report across all Key Learning Areas.
The report has been designed to reflect individual application and achievement based upon monitoring of tasks and work submitted whether off-site or at school, assessments and other set tasks for the semester. This semester your child's grades are based on evidence from both on and off campus learning, therefore we are unable to ascertain whether student work has been completed independently or with parent/carer support. Both forms of learning are important, however, without knowledge of the levels of support provided at home, assessment results may not always accurately reflect independent achievement.
To assist in your understanding of this report, please refer to the Key that is shown on Page 2 of the report. Students this semester have been assessed using a three-grade scale which indicates their level of understanding of the content taught and their application of the knowledge or skills, or students are assigned an ‘IE’ to indicate that Insufficient Evidence has been submitted across the semester to award a grade for a particular Key Learning Area.
Through our evaluation of application, achievement, dispositional development and involvement, and through the written comments made by teachers, we hope that you feel well informed of your child's progress this semester. Please discuss this report with your child and encourage him or her with the progress that has been made, their independence, increased technology skills and their flexibility to take on new forms of learning because of Off Campus Learning.
It has been our pleasure to support your child's learning, to provide them with a unique learner experience, to witness your child's many achievements and progress, and to be a part of their learning journey across this unusual semester. We thank you for this opportunity.
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And we thank you for continued grace and understanding as we do everything we can to provide a fabulous, safe and meaningful learning experience for every child over the final week and a half of this school year.
Janelle Ford
Co-Principal
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