I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support of the staff during this time. I am extremely grateful for the work our teachers have put in to ensure the boys are receiving the best possible educational outcomes while they work online. They have also been instrumental in bringing a sense of normality to the boys in recent weeks.
I understand that there will be many questions going forward and I appreciate your patience as the staff and I seek to provide you with the best responses that we can. Please know that we will continue to deliver quality teaching and learning via our remote learning platforms. Our Hangout Meet sessions began on Wednesday, which the staff and students enjoyed. Please ensure your son logs on at 8:45am to receive an outline of the day from his teacher.
The next few months will no doubt hold some experiences that we were not planning for at the start of 2020. One of our great strengths has always been our ability to respond and adapt to whatever situation lies ahead. I look forward to working with you in partnership on this journey and ask that you reach out if we can offer any extra support.
Now the boys are working so heavily online, it is important to continually remind them of what they need to be doing to stay safe. Please go through the tips below with your son.
Tips for staying safe online | From ICT Educator, Mr Greg Harris
- Don’t post any personal information online – including your address, email address or mobile number.
- Think carefully before posting pictures or videos of yourself. Once you’ve put a picture of yourself online most people can see it and they may be able to download it. It’s not just yours anymore.
- Keep your privacy settings as high as possible.
- Never give out your passwords.
- Don’t befriend people you don’t know.
- Don’t meet up with people you’ve met online. Speak to your parents and carers about people suggesting that you do.
- Remember that not everyone online is who they say they are – keep to websites and people you know.
- Think carefully about what you say before you post something online – especially on Google Classroom. Do not use it as a chat room, but only to ask questions of your teacher or to help others out. Every message you send becomes an email that makes work for others.
- Respect other people’s views. Even if you don’t agree with someone else’s views it doesn’t mean you need to be rude.
- If you see something online that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe or worried, leave the website, turn off your computer and tell a trusted adult immediately.
- When working online do not film or take photos of anyone. You need to respect everyone’s privacy.
Boys and reading | From Literacy and Innovation Teacher, Mrs Natasha Zivanovic
During this uncertain and challenging time, educators, parents and students are currently transitioning to a learning from home platform. This involves substantial adjustments to teaching and learning. During this time, reading must continue. Reading should never be undervalued.
This is a perfect time to encourage your son to spend more time reading. To assist you, I have attached ‘A Quick Guide for Parents’. Strategy 3: Read Together and Strategy 5: Read Aloud are highly recommended.
Useful websites
Kids News
Boys are very curious at this point in time about the coronavirus and other current issues. I encourage you to allow your sons to access accurate reading material. Kids News is a ready-to-go literacy resource using current daily news stories for students and suitable for children from Years 4 to 8. It is a wonderful free online resource.
There is a traffic light system to help direct children to appropriate content depending on their comprehension levels:
Green – Simple to medium vocabulary. Story content easily understood, accessible to all readers (especially with audio option).
Orange – Medium level of vocabulary. Story content a little more complex but still able to be read and understood at the middle to senior primary level (audio option and glossary to assist).
Red – Contains complex vocabulary and content that is of a higher level, suited to more able readers
National Geographic Kids
This is where you can discover some of the coolest facts for kids from around our planet. From animals and geography to science, nature and history, there are so many amazing facts for kids just waiting to be discovered by young explorers.
https://www.natgeokids.com/au/
Online education: Mathematics | From 5 Indigo student, Dominic Dametto
Our challenge in Maths on Thursday was to create a clock made from everyday household items. I decided to use the cutlery to make my clock as I was in the kitchen making a sandwich and I opened the cutlery drawer and the idea just came to me. At home, we have a giant clock in our kitchen, which I copied to space the numbers evenly. The hardest part was getting the circle shape correct so it looks like a clock. I had lots of fun making the clock!
Art Accomplishment Program | From Mrs Faye Hopkins
Students that have taken part in lunch and after-school art accomplishment programs this term have been working very hard to create colourful and dynamic planet solar systems. They used analogous oil pastel colours to create their planets. They learnt about positive and negative templates, how to use these in their work and how to blend pastels. They did a great job!
The Season of Easter | From Assistant Director of Identity & Student Formation, Stephen Ghattas
With everything that is happening in our world at the moment, it is quite easy to forget that we are coming up to the most important season in the Church calendar, the Season of Easter. Today’s challenges are making it difficult to come together this year to honour Jesus’ sacrifices and then His resurrection.
On Holy Thursday, we commemorate the Last Supper, the last meal Jesus shared with his disciples and the night he was betrayed by Judas and arrested. During this meal, Jesus asked of his disciples, “Do this in memory of me.” This message is twofold: to go and share meals with one another and to live your lives according to the way Jesus lived his life – and to be good to one another, respect each other and help those in need.
On Good Friday, we commemorate Jesus’s crucifixion and subsequent death on the cross. Jesus died to bring forgiveness and salvation to those in our world. This is a reminder to us all that even though we are sometimes hurt by others, offering our forgiveness is the first step in their redemption.
On Easter Sunday, we celebrate Jesus’s resurrection. Jesus rose from the tomb and walked among us once again. This is a reminder that Easter brings about new life and with new life comes new hope. This is a reminder to us that even though we are not always perfect, we are always given the opportunity to start afresh.
I encourage you this Easter period to find a time to reflect as a family – on the time you have spent with each other over the past few weeks. How have you treated one another? Do you need to offer forgiveness? Are you able to take a fresh start to new activities and relationships?
I wish you all a joyful Easter and look forward to seeing you upon our eventual return back to school.
