No sooner was cross country completed, than we moved into the Hall for the inaugural zoomed Secondary Assembly. Again, the IT staff had prepared the way along with Mr Cosentino. The Prefects were able to provide a great sense of team in showcasing updates to their portfolios to all the students sitting in their Form Rooms. We were able to begin with the e-Band playing the School Song, and we enjoyed Milan’s piano playing; in essence, this was a ‘normal’ Assembly in abnormal times. Yet, we are making meaning from the creativity and initiatives forced upon us in order that our community continues apace. Thank you to Head Prefects Alex and Gracie for leading the team as you prepare a range of opportunities for us to thrive in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Henry and Pip led the Junior School Assembly once more, carrying on from the success of a zoomed Assembly in the previous week. And as with the Secondary Assembly, the students were all in their classrooms, attentive, engaged and accepting comfortably the new ways of doing.
In speaking of community, Friday also provided a great zoom session for the PHPA. Sharing this session with some 30 members, we covered the array of agenda items just as we would in situ. I am sure that the President of the PHPA Mrs Kate Parsons will convey a sense of that meeting elsewhere, however I felt we connected well and in fact, are able to gather in greater numbers than is often the case on site. As the reality of COVID on School events needing to be cancelled, sinks in, once more our families are thinking of ways that the connectedness that is so important to our School family, can continue. This is not a time to mourn the loss of treasured annual calendared events, but rather to seek ways to support each and every family as we and they want a new way of coming together, virtually.
We are using these days of return to gather as much information as possible from students, Staff and you, our parent community. In this edition of House News, our Director of Teaching and Learning, Ms Janet Lovell, will share the findings from the surveying of students and Staff. Whilst the journey through Remote Leaning was challenging on many fronts, we were determined not to lose the impact that it had on our key members. Therefore, Ms Lovell has analysed the data from the 600 student surveys (Years 5-12) and from our Staff. Clearly ways of delivery worked through our Staff have led to many positives, from Student Agency and a deepening sense of independence to a fun and interesting, more structured approach, as noted by our students.
Nothing however will replace the classroom experience.
President Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel famously said, “never waste a crisis”. Thus, this is the time, to critically address all manner of approaches within schools; and all Schools are doing this. History shows us that innovation is so often born of disruption. These past ten weeks have seen extraordinary feats from our Staff. It is the academic program as well as the delivery of wellbeing programs, the need for varied support mechanisms and the catching up of physical and practical elements of the curriculum that proved so difficult to undertake, remotely, yet the Pittwater House Staff gave their all and I continue to be immensely proud of the difficult journey we have navigated, so successfully.
