The Weekly Bulletin of

Stonehill International School

Volume 8, Issue 170

20th March 2020

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FEATURED STORY

Virtual Learning continues with gusto!

Quinn, a P5 student has posted a photograph of himself on Seesaw, holding a Minecraft subtraction activity.

CONTENTS FEATURED STORY MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF PRIMARY MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF SECONDARY SECONDARY LEARNING FOCUS

THE TIGER

Virtual Learning in progress!

As part of our virtual learning set up, the primary school has started working on different online platforms. Seesaw is a platform that we have been using to assign tasks and optimise student engagement. Through Seesaw, the teachers create or find activities to share with the students. The students then use creative tools to take pictures, draw, record, caption and label to show their understanding. Teachers then add feedback/comments to extend learning and these posts then get saved as part of the student's e-portfolio. Elizabeth Fernandes P5 Homeroom Teacher

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Dear Stonehill Community,

We are finishing week two of our Distance Learning model at SIS. It has been two weeks of learning for our community of students, teachers and parents. I have been speaking to our teachers and administrators and we deeply miss our students and the school community. Several students have commented to me saying that virtual learning, although a different mode of learning, is not the same as being engaged in a classroom with fellow classmates and teachers. That said, I know our teachers are working very hard to engage our students virtually and to keep them updated with their learning as best as they can.

Brian Brumsickle

I would like to thank our entire SIS community for enduring the fast and unexpected changes during the temporary closure of our campus. It is important to point out that we are NOT closing school temporarily but only our campus. Our distance learning will continue, regardless of our campus closure.

Today, the World Health Organization reports of 179,112 COVID-19 cases globally as compared to 118,319 cases just a week ago. Twelve new countries have been added to the list in the last two days. As of 18th March, UNESCO reports indicate that 113 countries globally have announced school closures of varying degrees, leading the United Nations to warn that “the global scale and speed of the current educational disruption is unparalleled”.

Multiple reports including the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Ministry of Health indicate that the best way to flatten the curve of infection is by social distancing. We were one of the first schools in Bangalore to take these precautionary measures. Our COVID-19 Crisis Task Force met and discussed the current status in Bangalore, India, and worldwide. We have made the decision to keep the School campus closed until Sunday, April 12th. This will mean our campus will remain closed throughout the Mid Term Break, which extends from April 6th-12th. There will no distance learning during the Mid Term Break. Our COVID-19 Crisis Task Force will meet again on the 8th of April, to re-evaluate the COVID-19 situation and then take a decision on reopening the school campus.

If we do reopen school, we understand that there will be a transition for students and families in coming back to Bangalore. Depending on travel restrictions and quarantines, students may not be able to come back to school immediately. We will continue to provide opportunities for such students to keep up with the learning experiences as much as possible, during their enforced absence.

We strongly recommend and advise all students, families, and teachers NOT to travel outside of India during this period of uncertainty as travel restrictions are rapidly changing everyday. If you do travel and are able to get back into the country, it is very likely you will be quarantined. We recommend you stay at home in Bangalore if you can, to avoid the unnecessary and complicated changing restrictions during these challenging times.

Be well and in good health!

Sincerely,

Brian Brumsickle Head of School

FROM THE HEAD OF PRIMARY

Remote and Distance Learning

After monitoring the COVID-19 situation very closely we made a decision to close our campus until the 12th of April, for the health and welfare of our students. We have been focussing on student learning from home via Seesaw, Google Classroom and Zoom. Teachers have been in and out of the campus collecting materials and recording video in a quiet environment. Many have spent up to ten hours a day online putting together a programme that is both manageable and meaningful. Advice from others has been very clear - less is more.

Karen Crooke

We have tried very hard to set tasks that take time. The PYP is not about being producers...it is about learning. You will find that teachers will respond to work with further questions and ask your child to build on their work/understanding. Please focus on this vital feedback as this is where the learning really takes place.

We genuinely care about your children so please have balance in their lives. Don’t forget they need time to eat, be active, create, play games (board games, cards - with each other and as a family), watch a movie or go on a virtual field trip. (I have listed some lovely

opportunities below - please feel free to even go to the opera!)

Some parents have raised the issue of wanting more Zoom time - online sessions, and we have increased this for specific groups of children. Please be aware that now we have single-subject teachers and support teachers (EAL and Learning Support) online, children will need time to complete their assigned tasks. We will send out further surveys in the future to garner feedback.

We are committed - we have even had virtual leadership team meetings and grade-level meetings. We will continue to grow this programme until it is the best it can be.

• 12 Museums From Around the World That You Can Visit Virtually | Travel + Leisure (Museum - virtual tour)• The Digital Concert Hall now free for everyone• https://www.aqua.org/Experience/live - btr• New York's Metropolitan Opera Is Live-Streaming Performances for Free During Its Coronavirus Shutdown• Coronavirus: Here are some of the things cultural institutions are releasing to help Americans cope with

being stuck at home. • https://www.boredpanda.com/famous-museums-offering-virtual-tours/• https://www.mercurynews.com/coronavirus-blues-monterey-bay-aquarium-live-webcams-offer-wildlife-

diversion

With best wishes,

Karen Crooke Primary School Principal

Most young kids will remember how their family home felt

during the coronavirus panic more than anything specific about the virus.

Our kids are watching us and learning about how to respond to stress and uncertainty.

Let’s wire our kids for resilience, not panic.

FROM THE HEAD OF SECONDARY

As we move into our second week of distance learning here at Stonehill, we can see the community problem solving along the way, and figuring out the best way to work under these circumstances. Our teachers have become comfortable with Zoom and Google Hangouts, and they are getting a better understanding of the amount and type of work that is most appropriate for students working from home. We are also trying to be as flexible as possible due to the different circumstances that families find themselves in.

Joe Lumsden

From my perspective as a parent, I have found that it is important to get my teenagers out of bed in the morning, but not too early. They check when their Zoom classes are the day before and organise their day accordingly. Being at the screen too early in the morning can result in a really long day of online learning, and I would like to limit that as much as possible. If they decide to do their work from 1.00 pm - 6.00 pm instead of 8.00 am - 1.00 pm, that is fine with me. All of our children will learn to organise their study schedules in their own way.

Over the coming weeks (hopefully, not months), we do need to ensure that we look after each other. Delivering classes through online learning is not a major problem for secondary schools that have the technology available. Keeping teenagers motivated and finding ways to maintain their social connections while being isolated is more of a challenge. With this in mind, once we have established a routine this week, we will start trying more creative ways to bring a little more excitement to our distance learning over the coming weeks.

Joe Lumsden Secondary School Principal

SECONDARY LEARNING FOCUS

Virtual[ly] Learning!

Whoever imagined that the one enemy that would unite the world would be in the form of a microscopic speck! Coronavirus has brought normal life to a grinding halt leaving people virtually on their knees! So here we are in Stonehill, making the most of virtual learning and having some fun in the process!

After a shaky start and some helpful feedback from parents and students, the language A Department put their heads together to find some creative and stimulating activities and assignments, to make learning meaningful and rewarding. Let me share some interesting tasks that our students have been engaged with in the past week.

The M1 students had to write a two sentence horror story – If you think that is easy, think again. A two liner requires all the wit one can muster, precise vocabulary, and the exact desired effect of horror. Take a look at some of them…

I woke up and went to the bathroom and washed my face. I saw the mirror, and I wasn't in the mirror, instead, there was a bloody doll waving her hand at me.

I was walking back home, hearing the footsteps of a person right behind me. Suddenly, the person asked me: "Do you believe in the afterlife?"

The M5 students had a choice of taking a tour around the world, neighbourhood, or school [despite the coronavirus scare], through the lens of literary devices. However, there is a catch to it. They have to alliterate the devices and places! Here are some interesting journeys…..

Manon's day tour of Stonehill

Alana’s tour of Andhra Pradesh, India

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SIS Drama and Lit Fest Results

On Thursday, the 5th of March, we celebrated Literature and Drama at Stonehill with a variety of activities run by the D1 students and the English department. The D1 students along with the department worked out the winners for the Literature Quiz, Shakespeare Whoosh and Flash Fiction.

On Friday, the 6th of March, Stonehill celebrated its first ever Lit Fest. It was a great success and the students and teachers enjoyed the world of literature. However, the school closed before we could announce the results of the various competitions. We are pleased to announce the following results:

Taboo 1st Place - Bachendri Group 3

Literature Quiz

1st Place - Nehru Group 3

Shakespeare Whoosh 1st Place - Nehru Group 1 and Bachendri Group 3

Flash Fiction - Individual Best Writing • Anna Boas - Dykes – Bachendri-Group 3• Victoria Kidd- Diaz – Gandhi-Group 2• Anushka Singh – Chawla-Group 3• Dana Le – Gandhi-Group 1• Colby Matthews – Chawla- Group 1• Scarlett Browne – Bachendri-Group 1• Shreyes Sridhara – Chawla-Group 2• Melisa Lumsden – Bachendri-Group 2• Pranavya Vivekanand - Nehru -Group 1• Eliza Lassing - Bachendri-Group 1

Black out Poetry 1st Place- Chawla (Auni & Anushka)

Black out Poetry

Just A Minute 1st Place- Chawla 1

Poetry Collage 1st - Lila, Nadine, Hugo, Anna - Bachendri 3

Having awarded three points for every 1st place, two points for every 2nd place and one point for every 3rd place, the overall winners are as follows:

Winning Group – Bachendri-Group 3 Overall Winning House - Bachendri

Language A – English

Stonehill International School

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