From the Head of Middle School MRS BRIGID PERKINS
Middle School students return to a full program onsite As we move into Week Four of Term Four, we are finally able to welcome all our students back onsite for a full week of learning in the classroom. Although it will no doubt be tiring for some, it will allow for everyone to get back into a set routine and become reacquainted with the expectations at school and in each classroom. We hope to be able to cover key concepts and skills in all learning areas, in an effort to finish off the year well and prepare our students for the move into 2022. It will also allow students to re-establish social connections, as well as their ability to manage social and emotional situations that arise at school.
Outdoor Classroom Learning It has been wonderful to see some classes and teachers taking up the promoted opportunity to coordinate their classes outside of the traditional classroom. The promising spring weather has seen many classes move outside, which has allowed for more social distancing to occur, but it has also allowed for students to be learning in the fresh air. The Middle School has recently purchased a number of mobile whiteboards which has improved the ability for students to establish clear learning intentions of the lesson while outside.
Community Time To continue to upskill our students in relation to their behaviour online, including their digital footprint on social media platforms, we conducted the second session of ‘Safe on Social’ during Community Time last Friday. The following topics were covered and discussed: the changing nature of terms and conditions of social media platforms, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, online gaming, group chats, online grooming, the Cyber-Safety Act, your digital footprint and healthy habits. There were lots of really good conversations and questions around the information that was presented. Unfortunately, we are still dealing with situations at school where students are using social media in a really negative and anti-social way, which shows that we need to continue having these conversations to make sure students are being safe online and are aware of their own responsibilities.
Year Six Canberra Incursion To celebrate Media Literacy Week the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) and Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) offered a bespoke digital incursion for our Year Six cohort to be involved in this week. During this program, students had the opportunity to explore the important role of media in our everyday lives, practice their visual thinking skills and consider how they engage with different types of media. Although our Year Six students were not able to travel to Canberra for their scheduled camp, we were glad that we were able to further integrate some of the missed live opportunities into their onsite curriculum. Thank you to Mr Paul Weir for organising this additional program for our students.