STORIES FROM ACROSS THE SCHOOL
Junior School: reflecting on 2021 Conventional classroom-based teaching and learning was tested again throughout 2021. The unique challenges faced by schools, children, and families continued, where we rapidly adjusted to modes of learning that went from the physical to the virtual and back again. Almost a year and a half later, we appreciate our work, social and school lives have been forever changed, yet so much has been achieved despite the ongoing challenges, and it is important to focus on the many positives that have emerged. In 2021, there has been a requirement for us to be creative and agile as we supported our children to learn in different ways. While learning from their teachers, families were also involved in the lessons. Teachers became experts in all modes of communication, parents developed a deeper understanding of the curriculum, and students became more independent and autonomous learners. For all learners, the capacity to be curious, resilient, persistent, self-regulating, motivated, empathetic, and tenacious has become as important as being able to navigate an iPad or an MS Teams meeting or conducting a Google search. The pandemic has highlighted what educators have long known, and that is the holistic development of a person, their habits of minds and dispositions are formed alongside and through the acquisition of knowledge and skills. These dispositions are critical, as we prepare our children for a very different and ever changing world. Being a lead school in Respectful Relationships and having an embedded program in Positive Psychology, our children were well equipped throughout the year to tap into their strengths, as they demonstrated their capacity to be resilient and tenacious over a sustained period. Children had to manage hardship, disappointment, online fatigue, and frustration, and emerged with a sense of accomplishment having overcome their challenges. Our Navigator Program across the school allowed staff to connect with families, and class teachers were able to assess 2 | The Crest Issue 6 2021
a child’s engagement, personal wellbeing, challenges, and triumphs. A survey of our Junior School children, conducted by Mr Tim Roberts, Head of Positive Learning, reported high levels of feeling supported and nurtured. Additionally, they felt they were respected and that they were achieving their learning goals throughout the online learning period. After meeting with some of members of the Student Representative Council (SRC), it was clear that the extended periods of online learning could be reviewed to allow for more learning time off a screen. In response, we implemented asynchronous learning time, so children could learn, at their own pace, and only engage online with the teacher if required. Parents and students reported that this shift facilitated increased engagement, ownership and independence, and alleviated some screen fatigue. Always learning, our staff listen and respond to the needs of our students. In 2021, our staff in the Junior School each nominated to be a part of a Professional Learning Team. Each team engaged in practitioner research to enrich our student experience and learning programs. In Literacy, we undertook an audit of our reading and spelling programs. Consequently, we will be refining our approaches, initially in our lower primary years, and introducing basic Literacy concepts in Margaret Thomas House to complement existing programs. In Numeracy, we have analysed standardised data of children Prep-6 and conducted more research into mathematical mindsets. Based on this research, we will be engaging Educational Consultant, Rob Vingerhoets, to work with our staff and build on our existing programs. Our ‘Inquiry’ Professional Learning Team is exploring our pedagogical approaches, student agency and community connections. We have engaged Kath Murdoch, a prominent writer, consultant and university lecturer who has worked extensively, throughout Australia and overseas, in inquirybased learning. Staff probed further into our Learner Profile, researching student agency and those critical dispositions
