10 PLC i n Pri nt | Nove mbe r 2 0 2 0
Friends of Junior School
Junior School
Prep 100 Days of School One of the most eagerly anticipated celebrations in Prep is the 100th day of school. On this day, we reflect upon the many achievements of our Prep students. These include making new friends, learning to read and write, and developing independence both in the classroom and during distance learning. We had a wonderful time celebrating this special milestone. Miss Clare Conlon Prep Coordinator Since the beginning of the school year, our class has been counting the days of school by sticking marbles onto a pretend marble jar. As we got closer to the 100th day of school, I felt more and more excited. Finally, it was 4th August 2020! That morning, we had a special Zoom meeting. We opened our special 100th day of school envelopes together. “5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blow!� Everyone blew their party blowers at the same time! Next, each girl showed the class the 100 things they had collected to celebrate the special day. I showed my class 100 bottle caps from yoghurt pouches, fruit juice bottles and milk bottles. During the day, I made a 100 days of school crown. I coloured it with textas and decorated it with beautiful coloured jewels. What a fabulous 100th day of school! Sarah Prep C
2020 has undeniably been a very difficult year for parents in Junior School. Many face ongoing financial stressors while others struggle with the prolonged separation from their loved ones. Home schooling proved to be a steep learning curve in multitasking abilities as parents juggle work commitments and meetings, housekeeping and cooking, parenting, education and entertainment of several young children, often with comical consequences. As the light shines at the end of the long dark tunnel of lockdown, all parents should be extremely proud of themselves. While home schooling is no mean task, it provided a window into the learning style of our children and the school curriculum. Away from homeschooling, many fathers in particular have relished the time spent with their children and countless special memories have been made. While our young children missed the social interactions of school and sport activities, they will look back at 2020 with great fondness. It is the year that they spent a lot of time with mummy and daddy enjoying endless simple pleasures, indoors and outdoors. Many would have learnt the immense gratification in creating an art piece or learning a new skill by themselves. Others would have discovered that siblings do make the best of friends after all. During this time, it was heartwarming to see parents support each other and maintain a beautiful sense of community. I distinctly remember the flurry of WhatsApp messages on the first day of home schooling in term 2 as parents helped each other connect and navigate Seesaw. In the last 6 months, parents have constantly helped each other stay connected and informed of the latest COVID news, school updates and even created virtual social fundraising activities. Term 4 holds many promises for all; face to face school, catching up, picnics, endless afternoons at the park and hopefully a very special Christmas with our loved ones. FJS remains ever ready to be involved in school events as soon as restrictions ease. Thanks to lockdown, many parents have now cordon bleu level baking skills and we look forward to these yummy treats for the bake stalls. Sharmila Ramessur Friends of Junior School
fjs@plc.vic.edu.au
