ST MARY’S COPTIC ORTHODOX COLLEGE 19-35 Thorpdale Ave, Coolaroo VIC 3048 PO Box 19, Dallas VIC 3047 Tel: (03) 9301 0999 Fax: (03) 93022610
Friday 13 August 2021 IMPORTANT/PLEASE READ Dear Parents/Carers The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in schools shut all across the world. Globally, over 1.2 billion children are out of the classroom. While countries are at different points in their COVID-19 infection rates, more than 1.2 billion children worldwide in 186 countries are currently affected by school closures due to the pandemic. As a result, education has changed dramatically, with the distinctive rise of online learning, whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms. Last year was saved due to online classes, which would otherwise have been sacrificed. Teachers, schools and students did a lot of adjusting and with this sudden shift away from the classroom in many parts of the globe, the adoption of online learning will most likely become the “new norm”. We are all aware of the challenges online learning is posing for both teachers and students. While teachers need to put in intensive work and time to design their classroom instruction, students need to support their learning while being online. In 2020, with lockdowns and online learning being introduced to our students, more relaxed conditions were allowed in relation to uniform, grooming and school rules in general. Meanwhile, we have worked very hard to establish procedures for remote lessons, to encourage good student engagement in these difficult circumstances and to attend to any challenges and issues around online learning, such as technological difficulties, online safety and practices and adaptability. Unfortunately, it is now evident that students’ engagement is negatively affected when students join online classes still in bed, in pyjamas and with un-brushed hair and unwashed face. Students also switch off cameras and they become easily distracted from their lesson. Now that online learning is more than likely to be an integral component of our students’ learning journey and that our students are more used to this arrangement, we would need to attend to issues of disengagement and low academic performance. The general consensus is that a structured environment is required because children are more easily distracted. To get the full benefit of online learning, there needs to be a concerted effort to provide this structure. Therefore, we would like to establish formal classroom environment during delivery of online lessons. We strongly believe that it would facilitate the teaching-learning process and create a formal classroom setting for our students.