There is a lot to navigate at the moment isn’t there?
It is a new experience for me to be working from home with 3 young children at various stages of development and levels of independence. I know that many of you will likewise be juggling competing demands within your households: overloading the Wi-Fi, finding a quiet place to take a meeting or an exam, having the time to listen to the younger members of your family with their seemingly endless stories and boundless energy. It can really be a stretch some days. I am heartened by how well many of our students are remaining engaged and supporting one another throughout this lockdown.
The College is trying to uncover new ways to help in this regard as much as we can. I really enjoyed attending the recent Wellbeing Webinar with Dr Locke who discussed strategies for raising teens. There certainly were some confronting realities for me and my wife to discuss after the session!
I am really pleased to be able to announce that we have trialled the Study Centre in an online capacity! Study Centre has always been such a wonderful resource for Senior School students to attend in the afternoon and seek further assistance with their studies. We have such a great group of tutors who are delighted to return to the College after having graduated with great success academically and help the next graduating classes to do the same. Year 11 students were invited to be a part of a trial of this resource and due to its success, we are now offering it out across the Senior School, a couple of afternoons a week. You can find out more details on this resource in the article below.
Year 12 students have been doing an excellent job undertaking their online exams. Mostly this process has been smooth, but when there have been any issues, the students have been responsible in their handling of the situation which is commendable. The staff team here have done everything in their power to make this new format of exams accessible and effective and to do so in such a short period of time is incredible.
Year 11 Assessment Weeks have been announced for Weeks 9 and 10 of this term which will give Year 11 students an opportunity to demonstrate their progress on a number of outcomes as they approach their final year which starts next term. There is once again a lot to put in place for these assessments to be possible, so please encourage your child if they are in Year 11 to be acting upon any emails that they receive from the College, downloading the relevant technology and taking part in the practice tests.
It is really important to be giving consideration to more than just academics at the moment and it has been wonderful to hear stories of students engaged in workouts during their Tuesday sport time or taking up some of the physical challenges that have been issued to them. Having some holistic development at a time when students feel trapped inside their homes and isolated from their support structures outside of their own family units is essential. To this end, the College is holding a Growth Challenge Day for students in Years 7 – 10 on Thursday 2nd September to help them focus on their personal wellbeing. My understanding is that it will be a bit like a Wellbeing Carnival, where rather than partaking in classes for the day, they will be tasked with a series of wellbeing challenges to conquer. I am really looking forward to it and I am sure the students are too.
All the best in your households and we will see you online!
