year 7 and 8 building€¦ · water up into the sky (a la evaporation) and today they have a fancy...

2WEEK

OF 11

Term 1

Gilson Gazette - 24 April 2020

Year 7 and 8 Building

2020

Weekly Newsletter for Parents, Students and Friends of Gilson College

Chaplains preparing their online presentations

Contents

general newsCOVID-19 UPDATES ...................................................................4WOOLWORTHS WATERVALE AND WOOLWORTHS CAROLINE SPRINGS ....................................................................................4MESSAGE FROM COMMONWEALTH BANK ...............................4

primary newsTHANK YOU ................................................................................5HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT YOUR CHILD ......................................6YOUR CHILD'S RESPONSIBILITIES DURING REMOTE LEARNING 6SETTING UP A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT ..................................7

seCondary newsONLINE LEARNING GUIDELINES ................................................8

photosPREPARATION OF PACKS BY THE PRIMARY TEAM ....................10

Things have been rather melancholy lately with all the concern and the relentless diet of details about COVID-19 from the media. However they say

that ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ and I have, and will, always look for the positive in the dark days of life.

Many of you will be familiar with those shafts of light from behind the clouds, that the ancient Greeks thought pulled water up into the sky (a la evaporation) and today they have a fancy name – Crepuscular rays. Now I know that most of you will forget that term (it comes from Crepusculum – which is Latin for twilight), so let me share with you something that you might find easier to remember. They are also known as ‘God rays’ and next time you see them you will probably remember that, but also don’t forget that it’s the dark clouds that allow those beautiful shafts of light to brighten our day.

When I am reading through the Bible I don’t get the message that God will deliver us from our problems. Rather the message seems to be that He will be with us when (not if) we have troubles. In other words, He doesn’t promise to stop our problems – He promises to be with us in our troubles.

My parents lived through the war – and in contrast my generation and the next seems to have had it easy. While there are questions that will be raised by many as we analyse this whole situation let us look for the ‘God rays’ that we can see behind the dark clouds of our current circumstances.

Perhaps you can make a list of all the things that you are thankful for and to help you get started let me share with you this quote whose author is unknown:

“I had no shoes and I complained until I met a man who had no feet”

If you can, even in the tough phases of your life, keep that flame of hope burning in your heart – you will be blessed. Keeping the flame burning is not easy but with a sense of gratitude to the Almighty we can develop the habit of finding pleasure in small things in life.

“Enjoy the little things in life because one day you'll look back and realise they were the big things.” - Kurt Vonnegut

It’s worth a thought

Mark B Vodéll Principal

Editorial: Silver lining

general news

COVID-19 UPDATESPlease note that the

College will continue to keep you informed of any updates in relation to school processes regarding the above via SEQTA.

If you have any queries regarding these please contact the College Office.

WOOLWORTHS WATERVALE AND WOOLWORTHS CAROLINE SPRINGS

Gilson College would like to pay tribute to the local businesses, who were willing to support our school programs through the

Year 7 and 8 building

COVID-19 changes.Woolworths Watervale

and Woolworths Caroline Springs donated 600 shopping bags which enabled us to pack all the primary school packs for distribution to our families, to assist with the student learning from home.

Thank you Woolworths, we appreciate your willingness to support our school this way.

MESSAGE FROM COMMONWEALTH BANK

The health, safety and wellbeing of our communities and our people remains our highest priority. Due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding

Verse of the Week“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a

harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

coronavirus, the School Banking program will remain on hold. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed with any updates including how we will be managing Dollarmite tokens for students.

In the meantime, here are some handy online resources for parents who wish to maintain momentum with their child’s financial education:

Start Smart: these resources have been created to improve children’s money management skills, and is aligned to the Australian Curriculum and the National Consumer Financial Literacy Framework.

The Beanstalk: offers videos and fun activities for children to learn about money.

primary news

THANK YOUThank you so much to

all of our families for your patience, resilience and determination over the last week of learning. We appreciate that many families are trying to balance full time work with supporting their child(ren) with their learning. If you are finding it hard please only focus upon reading, writing and mathematics and send your child's teacher an email.

Thank you also to all of the families who are following the government guidelines and are only sending their child(ren) to school if they are working full time and are not at home to supervise. By doing this you are not only helping to keep your own family safe but also our teachers and education support officers who are coming into school to supervise.

If you are sending your children to school and you are at home, please

keep them at home where possible. We have a number of staff members with health concerns or family members who are at risk. Please take care of our health and safety by only sending your child to school if necessary.

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT YOUR CHILD

You can support your child by:

• having a routine and setting expectations

• making sure your child has a set learning space to work in

• providing a level of supervision suitable to your child’s stage of development

• monitoring communications from teachers

The VALUE for Week 3 of Term 2 will be:

Perseverance is not giving up. It is persistence and tenacity, the effort required to do something and to keep doing it till the end, even if it is hard.

“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” Newt Gingrich

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” Albert Einstein.“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not

give up.” Galatians 6:9

perseverance

• checking in with your child often to help them manage and pace their work

• monitoring how much time your child is spending online.

YOUR CHILD'S RESPONSIBILITIES DURING REMOTE LEARNING

Your child's responsibilities include:

• regularly monitoring digital platforms for announcements and feedback from their teachers

• do their best work by completing tasks with integrity and academic honesty

• do their best to meet timelines and due dates

• communicate openly with their teachers and tell them if they have any concerns or issues

• collaborate and support their classmates

• continue to abide by their school’s behaviour guidelines.

SETTING UP A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Every home is different but it is important to provide a quiet and comfortable space in which to learn.

Where possible, extended learning should take place in a space your

family shares. For example, a lounge room or dining room. These spaces are preferable over a bedroom, where your child can feel isolated and supervision can be more challenging.

It should be a place:• that can be quiet at

times• that has a strong

internet signal, if possible

• where you or another adult is present as you would normally when your child is online.

• all of their learning resources for the day can be set out in this space

secondary news

ONLINE LEARNING GUIDELINES

Student Expectations • Students will use the

lessons and timing of their school timetable as a guide.

• All students to be dressed in school uniform attire for Video Conferences.

• Students will be responsible, motivated learners who adhere to the Gilson College Online Learning Protocols Document at all times

• Students will identify a suitable learning space at home using a table or desk and chair and where learning activities can be undertaken with minimal disruption.

• Students will follow online etiquette: Video Conferences are just like a normal classroom so the same expectations apply. Students are not to have their phones in their work space, they are to maintain respectful language and

respect the learning of others. Students will be dressed in school sports uniform for all Video Conferences. Video conferences are monitored.

• Students will complete all learning activities with diligence and sustained effort, whilst maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity.

• If students fail to complete tasks to the best of their ability, parent’s will be notified. This will also be reflected in their Semester One Report.

• If students require further clarification or assistance with tasks allocated, the first point of contact is your class teacher.

• Should a student be unable to complete their assigned online working due to sickness or approved leave, the following procedures apply:

Junior School• Leave of any kind: Notify

Gilson College Reception Office

Senior School• Leave up to four days:

Talk to your Year Level Leader

• Leave of five or more days: These need to be directed to the Deputy Principal (Student Wellbeing - [email protected])

Parent RecommendationsParents you can provide

support for your children by:

• Establishing regular daily routines and ensuring that where possible, their regular timetable is followed.

• Reinforcing College expectations regarding completion of all learning activities.

• Monitor College communication through all digital platforms (Seqta Direct Message, Google Suite, Zoom, Email)

• Reinforce the importance of accessing online support from their teachers.

• Encourage regular technology-free brain-breaks throughout the day.

• Contact the classroom teacher, Year Level Leader or HOD if students are unable to meet course requirements.

photos

PREPARATION OF PACKS BY THE PRIMARY TEAM

❑ Sort and tag your digital photos

❑ Make into a collage or poster

❑ Research your next holiday

❑ Do a photography project

❑ Attend a Twitter Conference

❑ Declutter. Baby steps.

❑ Research a charity to support

❑ Prep and freeze some meals for when you’re sick or back at work

❑ Create a digital scrapbook

❑ Start a gratitude journal

❑ Write letters of love or thanks to your people. Post them.

❑ Research something you have always wondered about

❑ Have a scented bubble bath with candles and music

❑ Write an advice letter to the teenager you were. Write another to yourself in 20 years.

❑ Learn a heritage skill like: baking, woodwork, preserving, mosaic, ceramics, cheese making, fermenting, foraging, quilting, slow cooking, soap + candle making, crochet, permaculture, knots, fire building, home remedies.

❑ Draw an apple using a different style each day, for a week.

❑ Attend a virtual symphony

❑ Catch up on great movies

❑ Learn to say a favourite phase or quote in 7 different languages

❑ Try Creatively Visualising goals

❑ Create a detailed spreadsheet of how you would spend $10 million

❑ Write a poem or story

❑ Start a Journal or Blog

❑ Read the books you never have time for

❑ Yoga or exercise class

❑ Spruce up your CV

❑ Start your novel

❑ Try an art project

❑ Binge on iview

❑ Revamp your garden

❑ Practice mindfulness

❑ Try an eLearning course

❑ Make a cook book

❑ Create homemade gifts

❑ Phone old friends

❑ Play parlour games

❑ Fix broken stuff

❑ Design a dream home

❑ Practice forgiveness

❑ Plan your next party

❑ Kick a bad habit

❑ Try adult colouring in

❑ Join a virtual bookclub

❑ Find great podcasts

❑ Update your goals

❑ Upcycle something

❑ Build a free website

❑ Re-arrange furniture

❑ Start a dream journal

❑ Binge TED Talks

❑ Join an online community of likeminded people

❑ Reach out to someone who lives alone or is feeling anxious

❑ Host a Skype / Zoom dinner party

❑ Or a virtual support group

❑ Get some positivity into your social media feed

❑ Try positive psychology activities

❑ Cook an amazing breakfast

❑ Create an amazing treasure hunt or clue-trail for a family member

❑ Get familiar with online grocery shopping: create favourites lists

❑ Or virtual dance party: You dress up and groove to the same music

❑ Organise your music playlist

❑ Reorganise your wardrobe

❑ Delete all the apps you don’t use and discover some new ones

❑ Hold a family or street singalong

❑ Try some science experiments

❑ Deliver supplies to those in need

❑ Rediscover a dusty appliance, instrument or boardgame

❑ Research training opportunities for when the world reopens

❑ Build something amazing with Lego (You know you want to)

❑ Brainstorm marketing ideas for your business, club or charity

❑ Write to your MP about an issue

❑ Create a list of “Things to be Happy About”: add to it each day

Seize the Opportunity of Home Isolation Instead of lamenting the hardship and boredom of this weird time in history. assume it is a blessing in disguise. Use it to rejuvenate, discover new passions and do those

things you never have time for. Tick the ideas you’re willing to try and share this list.

Created for attributed, non-commercial free sharing.

evolvevents.com.au

Zoom Ground RulesNo chat while teacher

is talkingZoom from kitchen

or living roomBe on time

Mute yourself Turn on video Be prepared

Adult needs to bepresent

Raise your hand to talk Be respectful

Lucky Little Learners

Google Meet Ground RulesNo chat while teacher

is talkingZoom from kitchen

or living roomBe on time

Mute yourself Turn on video Be prepared

Adult needs to bepresent

Raise your hand to talk Be respectful

Lucky Little Learners

CALENDAR 2020

Pr Goltz prepping for the Chaplains online presentations

year 7 and 8 building€¦ · water up into the sky (a la evaporation) and today they have a fancy...

Documents