Year 9
Week 4 Year 9 Return to School and Term 4 Assessment Block
Parents and students received communication this week regarding an updated plan for return to On-Campus Learning and Term 4 Assessments. The new plan for Week 4 incorporates two days for welcoming students back to campus and allowing time for connection and confidence building after a long time away from peers, teachers and the face-to-face school environment. Three days then follow with timetabled remote Term 4 Assessments. Each assessment is scheduled with time between for rest, stretch or further study for students. Students will be completing these assessments from home.
- Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 October – return to the Senior Campus for Connection and Confidence Days
- Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 October – remain at home for scheduled online Term 4 Assessment Block
More information will be coming to parents and students outlining further details of the Yr 9 Connection and Confidence days on 25 & 26 October. An overview is included below, summarised from Mrs Van de Peer’s communication earlier this week.
The timetable for Yr 9 Week 4 is linked in Redlands Pulse for parents and in iLearn Pastoral Page for students.
On Campus Connection and Confidence Days: Monday 25 October and Tuesday 26 October
We want all of our students to enjoy the opportunity of returning to On-Campus Learning on 25 October. There will be a dual focus on these days.
Firstly, we will prioritise reuniting friends and peers, checking-in on students’ wellbeing and fortifying coping strategies so that students can successfully navigate the changes associated with returning to On-Campus Learning. An extended Tutor Session on Monday 25 October will facilitate this focus.
Secondly, students will attend face-to-face lessons, enabling them to catch-up with their teachers, who can reassuringly respond to any last-minute questions or concerns in person, engendering confidence prior to the Assessment Block.
When Yr 9 returns to On-Campus Learning, things will look and feel different because we need to meet the COVID-19 Safe guidelines mandated by the NSW Government. Students will have to wear masks, adhere to staggered lesson and break times and also purchase all food through the canteen via an online ordering system. We will communicate these protocols with you ahead of Monday 25 October.
At Home Online Assessment Block: Wednesday 27 October to Friday 29 October
We want all of our students to engage in the planned Assessment Block. These assessments have been modified to most appropriately enable them to demonstrate the learning and skills they have developed over the past term. The assessments are being facilitated via iLearn, a platform familiar and accessible to all students.
During the Assessment Block, students only log in to sit their assessments. They do not attend formal lessons during the Block, and they do not follow the Remote Learning Timetable.
When students are not sitting an assessment task, they should be:
– Having a break, relaxing and being active
– Revising for another assessment task
– Reflecting on how they managed a task and identifying positive strategies to take into the next task
FACTSHEETS:
10 Scientifically Ways to Reduce Stress
https://redlands.nsw.schooltv.me/newsletter-article/1375/1369
How to Handle Exam Anxiety
https://redlands.nsw.schooltv.me/newsletter-article/1376/1369
Helping Your Child with Exam Anxiety
https://redlands.nsw.schooltv.me/newsletter-article/1377/1369
Exam Stress
https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/exam-stress
Strategies for Exam Stress
https://au.reachout.com/articles/coping-strategies-for-exam-stress
Surviving School Exams
https://headspace.org.au/young-people/how-to-reduce-stress-and-prepare-for-exams/
Pastoral Care
Each week, students are engaging in multiple social awareness activities through Zoom in Tutor and their classes. Specifically, on Mondays, Tutor classes are running various weekly activities to encourage connection while learning remotely. This week, we thank several student leaders who have volunteered to lead a class “Who am I” challenge with the help of Ms Alyssha Clarke.
Sport
The Sport Department continues to organise and offer several exciting opportunities for our students to engage in fitness and their own specific Sport while learning remotely. Students should check the Sport iLearn page weekly for further information regarding Sport sessions.
This week, students are choosing between the following activities for their Thursday Sport session: Zoom Pilates, “I’m so Electro” Zoom Fitness and Strava Challenge Run, Walk or Cycle. There are further sport specific options on the iLearn Sport page.
Ms Alissa Ynson
Yr 9 Advisor
aynson@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9865