From The Deputy
With Jess Batey
Well this has certainly been a start to a term like no other! Despite the fact that it has been extremely challenging for us all, it’s been amazing to see how flexible and adaptable our staff, students and community are. If you’ve been keeping an eye on our school’s Facebook page, you’ll have seen that we are incredibly grateful for the positivity and support we’ve been receiving from our school community… so much so that Mr Harrison decided to reward everyone with a Tik Tok dance!
We acknowledge that remote learning brings a very specific set of challenges. If you or your child are struggling, consider some of the following tips:
Too much reading: our teachers often give lots of verbal instructions during class. When learning remotely, students have to read much more. If your child is using an iPad or laptop and struggling with the amount of reading, try turning on ‘immersive reader’.
A quick Google search will give you instructions on how to enable this feature. It is wonderful as students can speed up or slow down instructions, and have them read to them multiple times if necessary.
Too much work to get through: within a normal classroom, teachers differentiate every lesson. This may often include different amounts of work for individual students, depending on their needs. Please stay in contact with your child’s teachers and discuss the workload with them. If it’s too much – teachers will be flexible. Remember that your child’s wellbeing is the most important thing!
Technology issues: we have been able to rectify many issues with emails and OneNote over the past week, but we do acknowledge that systems aren’t perfect. If your child is having technology issues, please keep the teacher informed. Our teachers will work with you to determine a solution – whether it includes sending work in a different format, working with our IT technician, or working out an extension – we are more than happy to work with families to find solutions to problems.
Finally – be sure to grab a copy of Gladstone News next Thursday to see our school featured. We are so proud of our school and would love to spread the word.
Jess Batey
A/Deputy Principal