Head of Secondary School
Learning from Each Other
I hope you enjoyed reading about the experiences of some of our students in last week’s Note Day. This week, we feature a couple of Yr 12 students. There is a great deal in the media right now about Yr 12, and constant speculation, which is not helpful but often somewhat amusing. This week, some Yr 12 students were entertained by suggestions they might sit their final examinations outside. Internet searches for large brimmed hats went into overdrive. I think we all understand that any form of agentic control is significant for Yr 12 right now, but I do love how they use humour to cut through the media hype and keep things in perspective.
To give you a more precise and authentic insight, Yr 12 students, Carmen and Harry, have shared their experiences in lockdown. I do hope you enjoy – they admirably represent the positivity and maturity of the 2021 cohort.
Carmen Brisson
Online school has given me a completely different learning experience. Although I miss being able to do all the Yr 12 activities that typically occur this time of year, lockdown has allowed me to focus on my major works and studies, as well as spend quality (and obviously quantity) time with my family.
For my Zoom lessons, I have found it helpful to move around the house in order to get the best wifi connection and to also have a change in atmosphere. Even though I have a “Zoom in Process” sign, my family still manages to make noise. Often the noises include my dog crying when she wants to play and sit on my lap, or my brother making a smoothie or playing music very loudly.
I have spent most days of this lockdown working to finish my three major works. In a way, it has been helpful to work at home as I am able to spread out all my stuff around the house. Sorry mum! I filled all the tables with fabrics, papers, sewing machines…. It has been difficult to finish them without the in-person help of my teachers, but it has been a good challenge to find solutions on my own.
In order to make life more bearable between classes and exams, I have found a new love in table tennis. After watching the Olympics, I decided to bring out our ping pong table from the dusty webs of the garage. Each time the ball is dropped it takes a long time to retrieve it as my dog has found a new passion in ping pong balls, which is a problem because she enjoys running around and having us chase her. At least it counts as exercise! I have also done ocean swims with my dad at Balmoral, even though the water is freezing, walks with my dog at Cremorne path, tennis games and online yoga.
Additionally, being at home all the time has helped bring the family together as it allows us to have fun playing our favourite board games such as Bananagrams, Rummikub and Telestrations or watch a good movie or the Olympics and Paralympics together. It can get really intense! My advice to other students is that rewarding oneself is important in order to maintain motivation and good mental health.
Harrison Winton
Earlier this week you had asked me to share my experiences of the International Baccalaureate program and daily life under the current covid lockdown measures, and I am delighted to have been afforded the opportunity to share these opinions with the wider school community. Lockdown has uniquely challenged me and the rest of the IB cohort throughout the final months of our schooling, however, it has equally offered special moments and opportunities to grow and to learn.
A fundamental challenge has been sustaining our social lives when society’s social opportunities have become increasingly distanced… if you pardon the pun. To address our social needs, my peers and I have made use of technological solutions such as late-night parties on discord, filming YouTube videos together, and every form of video chat under the sun; however, I believe we all agree this hasn’t quite matched a pre-lockdown social life. Personally, I am grateful for the amazing experiences offered by Semester One. Notable examples include our school formal at the Shangri-La, getting to perform the Senior Music Festival live at The Concourse in Chatswood, or even just eating ramen with friends off-campus at lunchtimes during a busy week of assessments, and all the other memorable experiences along the way. Although the uncertainty of future events that are pivotal to the completion of our Redlands education such as our online trial examinations and valedictory have proved anxiety inducing, our cohort is one of resilience and strength: I completely trust that the class of 2021 will get through this better than how we began.
Our daily routines have also been largely scrapped and rebuilt from scratch. Although last year gave us a taste for zoom-schooling, having our final months of secondary education over the internet has proved a challenging recalibration for my peers and myself. My desk has near constantly been a mess due to the mountains of documents and revision notes despite my best efforts of organisation and my computer desktop has swiftly been overrun by files, in other words: it’s a mess. Having said that, it has also been a manageable mess. Despite the external façade of chaos, I have fortunately still been able to regulate my workspace effectively. Although, not much can be done about my Border Collie’s ability to get in a barking match with our neighbours’ dog, nor my sister’s online PE or practical music classes. It would seem some distractions are inevitable and that the only solution is learning to tolerate and ignore them, which – after a while – is achievable.
Ironically, one major ‘win’ from lockdown has been the increased freedoms: If I had a busy day studying I have the ability to cycle down to my local lake straight after 3:20pm, or jog along the beaches during lunchtimes. Zoom-free classes have also offered the opportunity to reconnect with my personal revision and work at my own pace which has been refreshing. As learning has progressed into the twenty-first century the almost universal shift has been towards a personalisation of education, which has been enabled by these innovative steps. I cannot say that I miss waking up before sunrise for an early morning Higher Level Maths class – being able to wake up at a reasonable hour and make myself a tea has been at least one benefit of this lockdown. I have found that it really is these little things that enable you to view the brighter side of life: From playing video games with friends to taking the additional time out to draw architectural sketches and plans.
I do, however, miss those breaks between class where I could see my friends in the hall, late night Friday debates across Sydney, and the opportunities to work with the community on service projects. Furthermore, I do worry about the period between graduation and university – this period of stasis and limbo has been universally frightening for Year 12s, but especially so for our cohort who face a period of potentially isolated boredom due to lockdown. I would encourage any parent to, after trial examinations and language orals are over, discuss ways to bring optimism and hope to this period and discuss the little ways life could be fun with their child. Personally, I have found solace in the thought of using this time of ‘educational purgatory’ productively: planning and budgeting for university life, the possible opportunities to make up for lost time with friends, and the stress-free ability I will have to try new hobbies and practise new skills (something that the pace of IB life has made difficult to do). Ultimately, I trust our cohort, the Class of 2021, to find the resilience to make it through these unprecedented times and I look forward to seeing how my peers and I let our light shine into the future.
Wellbeing
As you know, our strong focus is on maintaining wellbeing during lockdown. Opportunities to exercise and spend time outdoors, in nature, improve our capacity to manage at this time. Our staff recently dedicated some time one afternoon documenting how they stay well in the Redlands staff #wellbeingchallenge which you can view via the video link in the following image.
In Week 9, we will be holding a Wellbeing Wednesday for the students in Yrs 7-12. This day will be dedicated to them, and all students will engage in practices that support their own personal wellbeing. Our wonderful Pastoral Team, led by Ms Jansons, are currently planning this day and further information will be available to parents next week.
Week 8
Next week, the students will have a Zoom-Free day on Tuesday. Most students across Yrs 7-10 are currently completing modified assessment tasks and one full day should support them to engage in a dedicated fashion in the completion of these tasks. We understand that some students struggle to stay focused on their own, and without the regular direct instruction of the teacher. But even in normal times, students are expected to self-manage and direct their learning at different points, especially in relation to generating evidence of learning, by way of an assessment task. Students can use next Tuesday to refine assessment submissions, or to work through learning activities set on iLearn. Teachers are prioritising the setting of learning activities which are screen-free and so you should see your child moving away from their laptop for a part of this day. The Week 8 Timetable can be found here.
Essential Worker?
If you are sending your child to school next week because you are an essential worker, please complete this registration survey to log their attendance. Please do not send them to school if they are unwell.
Mullets for Mental Health
During September, our Director of Rugby and Athletic Development Mr Jack Gooding will be growing out his hair and styling it down into a fantastic mullet in support of the Black Dog Institute and Mullets for Mental Health. https://www.teamblackdog.org.au/fundraisers/jackgooding/mulletsformentalhealth
This is a wonderful initiative and there will be a number of students and staff supporting Mr Gooding and getting behind this wonderful charity as Mental Health and Wellbeing is a key focus for Redlands and our students.
Book Week 2021 is here!
I encourage you to read Redlands Librarian, Ms Bronwyn Curtis’ recent article on the winning Young Adult text, which can be found here. Whilst there is not much to do, due to the pandemic, this is a wonderful opportunity to reinvigorate our children’s reading habits. I find that when you read the novel with them, there is stronger buy-in. We are currently lending through the Senior Library, so do reach out if you’d like to borrow a book/s.
Ms Gemma Van de Peer
Head of Secondary School
gvandepeer@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9811
