Deputy Principal Matters by Nathalie Bodley
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Term 1 Week 8 20 March 2020 Deputy Principal Matters by Nathalie Bodley This week the SIHS school community have all been doing our best to ensure that staff and stu- dents are following all the measures recommended by NSW Health and teachers have noticed that more and more students are self-isolating and working from home. As a result of this and the possibility of closure, teachers have been preparing resources and online learning platforms so that lessons and productive learning can continue from home. On Thursday, we reorganised our timetable to accommodate staggered recess and lunch breaks so as to maintain safer social dis- tancing expectations. Also, a decision to not proceed with NAPLAN in 2020 has been taken, by the Department of Edu- cation to assist school leaders, teachers and support staff to focus on the wellbeing of students and continuity of education, including potential online and remote learning. Below are the proposed plans should we go to online learning: What would a normal day look like for a student in the case of a temporary school closure? Please note that this is a guide and depending on the instructions from the Department of Education there may be changes to this draft plan. 1. Students should follow their normal timetable. Routine will be very important during this time. 2. Students should log into Google Classroom at the beginning of each scheduled lesson to receive instructions for the lesson. If students do not have a Google Classroom code, they should email their teacher. 3. Unless unwell, teachers will be available to assist students during the timetabled lesson. Students will be able to connect with their teachers via school email, Google Classroom and, particularly with year 11 and 12, Zoom video conferencing. The following table provides slightly more detail about what learning will look like in different subjects. KLA Platform Science Students should check in with Google Classroom each lesson. There will be instructions to follow. There may be some ‘Zoom’ video conferences, particularly with senior classes. TAS Students should check in with Google Classroom Technology Mandatory (7-8) each lesson. There will be instructions to follow. There may be some ‘Zoom’ video conferences, Year 9/10 Electives particularly with senior classes. HSIE Students should check in with Google Classroom History and Geography each lesson. There will be instructions to follow. There may be some ‘Zoom’ video conferences, Year 9/10 Electives particularly with senior classes. LOTE/EALD Students should check in with Google Classroom Languages each lesson. There will be instructions to follow. Some instructions may cover lessons for a week at a time. There may be some ‘Zoom’ video conferences, particularly with senior classes. Respect ~ Perseverance ~ Growth KLA Platform English and Drama Students will receive booklets from their teachers. If a student has not been able to receive a book- let, they should email their teacher. Students should check Google Classroom each lesson to receive instructions. Maths Students should check in with Google Classroom each lesson. There will be instructions to follow. There may be some ‘Zoom’ video conferences, particularly with senior classes. CAPA Students should check in with Google Classroom each lesson. There will be instructions to follow. Visual Arts Some instructions may cover lessons for a week Music at a time. Year 8/9/10 Electives There may be some ‘Zoom’ video conferences, particularly with senior classes. PDHPE Students should check in with Google Classroom each lesson. There will be instructions to follow. Year 9/10 Electives Students in years 7-10 will need their PDHPE workbook each lesson. Students can log physical activity on the last page of their workbook. Depart- mental guidelines are 1 hour per day. Ms Nunura’s Stage 5 class Students have been given booklets to complete and will be communicated to via email and/or Google Classroom. Year 9 PBL Enrichment courses Students should check in with Google Classroom each lesson. There will be instructions to follow. Public Libraries Please be advised that from Friday 20 March all Ku-ring-gai libraries will be operating with reduced opening times and restricted services. All libraries will open at the same time, modified closing times for each day are listed below Gordon Library Weekdays 9am to 3pm Saturday and Sunday 9.30am – 3pm Saturday 9.30am to 3pm Turramurra Library Weekdays 9.30am to 3pm Sunday 2-3pm Saturday 9.30am to 3pm St Ives Library Weekdays 9.30am to 3pm Sunday 9.30 am to 12.30pm Lindfield Library Weekdays 9.30am to 3pm Saturday 10am to 1pm During the hours of operation, the library services will be limited to loans and returns only. Senior students may be impacted as there will be no study rooms for booking at Gordon Library and Wi-Fi will be unavailable at all Ku-ring-gai libraries until further notice. All students will still have remote access to our full range of e-resources listed below e-books, e-audio e-magazines e-graphic novels e-newspapers online music and movies information databases Please check https://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/library for updates pertaining to Hornsby Council libraries. Term 1 Week 8 Page 2 Sydney Japanese International School Visit On Friday 6th March, our friends from Sydney Japanese International School came to spend the day with us as part of their School Integration Program. This partnership has existed for more than two years and the aim is for Japanese stu- dents to see what a mainstream school in Australia is like. In return, students of Japanese from St. Ives have the oppor- tunity to attend Sydney Japanese International School in Terrey Hills for a day to engage in Japanese lessons as well as cultural activities like cooking and calligraphy. Our visitors joined in lessons with Years 8, 9 and 11 Japanese classes as well as attending elective classes with their Year 9 Japanese Class buddies. Farewell Yuuki Sensei! St. Ives High has had an ongoing association with MyStage, which is a company that places Japanese university stu- dents for work experience in Australia. We were lucky enough to have Yuuki Yoshida assisting in Japanese lessons for the last four weeks. Yuuki hopes to become a History teacher in Japan and was a wonderful resource in 7T lessons, providing invaluable insight into some of the students' chosen sites of historical and cultural significance for their first LOTE / HSIE assessment task. Yuuki also assisted in the making of video interviews, the writing of kanji characters and in speaking and reading activities in all Japanese classes. Thank you Yuuki Sensei for your assistance. Year 12 “Living Paintbrushes” This week Year 12 Visual Arts are studying forerunners to Post Modernism and learning about Performance Art. Students became “living paintbrushes” donning coveralls as they were “dipped” in paint and dragged across the canvas floor. Students were adopting the same practice as artist, Yves Klein, thinking about the interactions be- tween artist, artwork and audience. Year 9 Street Art Ex St Ives high student and now practising artist, Evan Pank is running workshops with our Year 9 PBL Street Art students. Students are learning drawing and stencilling techniques to create layered stencils. Watch this space! Term 1 Week 8 Page 3 Year 8 Smart Gardens This Term in Technology Mandatory, some Year 8 classes have been studying digital technologies, and monitoring sys- tems. Using 'micro:bits', students have coded these, along with a pot and seeds, to read the moisture levels of the soil, growing conditions of plants and to inform the user when action is required to help the plants grow. This information is displayed on a small screen. We have planted a mixture of chillies and cherry tomatoes in our pots to see what we can grow with the help of technology! Where there’s a will there’s a way! Despite Band rehearsals being on hold currently, students are posting some amazing practice challenge recordings on Google Classroom. This is encouraging as it confirms students' interest in Music, especially during difficult times, and proves that where there is a will, there is a way! Boys Knockout Tennis The boys' tennis team played Chatswood High School in the second round of the Knockout competition on Friday 13 March. Andre F and Evan C won their singles matches; both were striking the ball cleanly and powerfully, while Julian S and Ryan F came up against tough opponents in their singles matches. All players were rejuvenat- ed and showed determination and composure going into their next doubles. Both dou- bles ties were entertaining, with the boys showing skilful net play. The team lost by the smallest of margins (one game in a count back) after winning equal sets. St Ives Cricket Triumph in Alan Davidson Shield On Friday 13 March, the Open Boys Cricket side travelled to the Pittwater High School to play in the Alan Davidson Shield as part of Sydney North sport. After winning the toss, St Ives elected to bowl. After a very tight first 20 overs with figures of 5/25, St Ives managed to bowl out Pittwater for 92. Best bowling goes to Ben H. with 3/2 and Kaiden P. with 1/5. With 93 to win, openers Nate R. and Shaurya V. looked in complete control scoring 32 and 39 respectively, only losing their wicket with 4 runs to chase. The 8 wicket win now places St Ives into the quarter finals of the competition which will be played in term 4. Special thanks to Mr Noronha and Mr Leggatt for coaching the team. Best Wishes Nathalie Bodley Deputy Principal FROM THE COUNSELLORS’ DESK In response to the increasing level of anxiety in the community regarding coronavirus, there is some recently released information posted on the school website.