02 Jul 2020
Dear Mount View Community
I have been teaching for over 20 years and struggle to remember a time in education that even comes close to the challenges that we have faced this term. I would like to thank the Mount View High School community for your support in meeting those challenges. The partnership between school and home has never been more important than what it has this term. I feel that we navigated, quite successfully, through our managed return despite the shifting sands that COVID-19 presented. I would like to credit much of our success to the incredible staff that effectively and efficiently adapted their practices to deliver learning from home both digitally and in subject and ability specific course booklets. Many of our support staff also rose to the challenge of remotely supporting student learning and co-ordinating the 700 work packages that were distributed in a timely fashion each cycle. Since the return to face to face learning, our teaching staff have again had to step up a gear to re-establish learning routines and ensure that every student meets our high expectations at all times and in all settings. I am confident that teaching staff are addressing individual student progress and ensuring the continuation of learning growth.
Although most of the COVID-19 restrictions will have been removed by Term 3, there are still some adjustments that remain in place. All students need to bring a water bottle. Water bottle refilling stations are in operation, bubblers are not. School assemblies remain infrequent and restricted in duration. This restriction led to the birth of ‘Virtual School Assemblies’ at Mount View. Myself, along with various staff pre-recorded assembly information that was then compiled into a video and shown during Check-In. An example can be seen in our video on corridor movement: Student movement C Block. Lastly, and most importantly, students who are unwell should stay at home.
Students reflect on COVID-19 and learning from home experience.
A number of activities were implemented during Check-In to support students in their return to school and reflect on their learning from home experience. Three activities were completed by each student with some amazing results. The first activity was a 3,2,1 reflection: 3 things I have learned; 2 feelings I’ve had; 1 thing I have enjoyed. Here are the responses received, in order of frequency:
3 things learnt
- How to cook
- How to use google classrooms properly
- Time management.
- Equal numbers of responses say school is better than home compared to learning from home
2 feelings experienced
- happy
- bored
- angry
- tired
1 thing enjoyed
- staying at home/ not being at school
- sleeping in
- spending time with family
- free time/ riding bike/exercising/quiet time
- freedom to do work when wanted to/work at own speed
The second asked students to consider what they would put into a time capsule that embodied the COVID-19 learning from home experience. Student suggestions were fed into a ‘mentimeter’ via a phone poll that produced the associated ‘wordle’ picture below.
The third activity asked students to write a letter of gratitude to a person of their choice thanking them for the help they received through the learning from home period. Where possible students either hand delivered to their chosen recipient or requested that it be delivered on their behalf. I have included some touching examples that really impressed.
Dear Mum,
I am writing this letter to you for your effort to take care of us during this terrible time.
I am grateful that you were by my side for the past few weeks helping me with school work, helping me develop new skills and pushing me to my limits to see what I can achieve. Thank you Mum I love you.
I’m so appreciative that you got to be here with me, thank you.
__________________________________________________________________________
Dear Mum,
While I am grateful for many people in my life, I feel incredibly grateful that you are my mum. Thank you for everything you have helped me with during the COVID-19 time period and also for every other day.
At times during home learning I felt that things were at times getting hard to handle and cope with - you were always there to offer help and assistance and guide me into keeping on track. Helping me to manage my time to ensure I was completing what I needed to - this was such a big help. I know I don’t show how grateful I am to you enough, but I really am. You seem to be able to explain things to me so that they don’t seem so hard or even that bad. Thank you for the endless amount of love and support that you give to me, even when I probably don’t deserve it.
I thank you for always being there for me, with words of encouragement and I even thank you for your silly jokes (that quite often don’t make sense to me). I realise I do not thank you enough for everything you do, and for that I am sorry. I am grateful that you are my Mum and wouldn’t want to change that for anything.
Sincerely your favourite son.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Mum,
I am writing you this letter as a way of saying thank you.
I thank you for everything that you have done for me. Supporting me, encouraging me and accommodating my needs not only during the period of online school learning, but everyday.
I know that sometimes it can be difficult, that I can be difficult sometimes but somehow you are still able to support me and keep your head held high and for that I thank you.
You are my inspiration, my hero and most importantly, my Mum. I don’t know what I would do without you in my life. I love you. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Teachers,
I am writing this letter to thank you for giving up your time and helping us learn during COVID-10 isolation.
The increase in work has been hectic for all of us, despite all challenges you have got us through it. I have also found that during the last few weeks teachers have adapted and changed their way of teaching to support us, and have helped the majority of us.
So grateful for the hard work and support through this time period.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Ms Schafer,
I am writing this letter to you to thank you for your endless help and effort that you gave to year 12 during the COVID-19 time period.
I have found that during this time period the amount of work that has been required of you has increased. Despite these circumstances you still continued to check in and support myself and my learning, and I am very grateful for that.
Thank you for your amazing efforts. I am very grateful to be able top be supported by you!
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Mr Drew Daniels,
I am writing this letter to thank you for how awesome and supportive you have been to me during this challenging COVID-19 time. While I am grateful for all my teachers at Mount View High School for the support and encouragement they have given me, I wanted to give a special thank you to Mr Daniels.
I have found that during this period of time while learning has been very difficult, your support and awesome coolness has helped me in my learning. To receive your messages and comments about my work really encouraged me to continue my learning to the best of my ability, even just getting a message “good job mate” was really uplifting and encouraging. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into making my learning fun and engaging. I have really enjoyed studying Music so far this year, and I believe that you and your dedication have been a big reason towards that.
Thank you for being an amazing teacher, and always being there with words of encouragement. You do a really good job and I wanted to let you know that I appreciate everything you have done for me.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Friend,
I am writing this letter to thank you for supporting and mentoring me during the tough times of COVID-19.
I have found that during this period of time, my mental health has been more positive than negative and this was influenced by our social contact, even though we could not be in the same place. Despite COVID-19 disrupting out school work, we were able to keep a regular schedule and were able to complete all our work each week. Completing homeschool together allowed us to feed off each other and help each other when needed and allowed us to still have fun.
Thank you for making the challenging times enjoyable. I am grateful to know you and that we were able to complete our work totherger.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Friend,
I am writing this letter to you to show my appreciation for you during this quarantine.
You are one of the only people that makes me feel wanted. You also have consistently stayed with me and talked to me despite hard times.
Thank you for being such an amazing friend, I am so grateful that you’re in my life.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Daughters,
I am writing to you today to thank you both for your patience, flexibility and tolerance during this challenging time of lock down.
You have both been really helpful at home, sharing the household chores. I have really enjoyed our time as a family and welcoming our new baby into our home. Our walks at the beach and our fun winter swims have been so much fun. I appreciate you both very much and are proud to have you as my children.
Thank you both for being the great young people you are.
Respectfully yours,
Mum xx
As teaching staff and executive evaluate their teaching and learning over this period, these results will help us work out what the key lessons are from this experience and ways we can plan and implement future planning and practice.
Uniform
From the start of Term 3 we will be introducing a hard line on uniform. Consistent and explicit communication regarding our uniform has been made to students, parents and caregivers over the last few weeks. In addition, I will be sending a letter to any family whose student has presented at school in the last two weeks of Term 2 wearing items that are not part of our uniform.
In 2019 Mount View High School worked closely with the local community and P&C to develop a corporate uniform that offered a range of options for students. The policy is available here. As long as students are wearing items from the broad range of choices available, they will be deemed to be in uniform. The uniform that students may wear is pictured on the school website. It is sold at Flanagan’s and Lowes in Cessnock. Students may continue to wear items from the old uniform during the three year transition phase which includes plain grey shorts and track pants.
An important way for students to show belonging and pride as a Mount View High School student is through the wearing of our school uniform. Those who wear the uniform are demonstrating their ability to be a cooperative part of our school and can also be easily identified as a Mount View student. If all students are in the approved apparel, staff will be able to readily spot intruders / visitors and establish the reasons why they are on the school property. This makes the school a safer place for your children.
From Term 3, students who present at school in items that are out of uniform will be requested by their Check In teacher to report to an executive staff member to discuss how we can help. Where possible, students will be offered an opportunity to change into a school provided item. In each case, the school will endeavour to make contact with a parent or carer regarding this situation.
Mount View High School has a clothing pool to assist families. In addition to this, the Student Assistance Financial Scheme is available to support families of all students when they are unable to afford any items of uniform. Parents may contact the school office on 4990 2566 for confidential help.
Flanagans continue to work hard to ensure that they have stock of all uniform options. Rob Flanagan is waiting on a delivery of our new soft-shell jackets and has also managed to secure a delivery of the rugby jersey. I will email all families as soon as they arrive in store.
Student Captains - unprecedented times
In a year of unprecedented situations, we had a captains voting dilemma that was, well, unprecedented. By the time we were ready to hold the interviews for captain only one male Year 11 student had nominated. Our current policy and process that had separate voting for males and females created an automatic appointment for the male leader and an unfilled vacancy in the male vice-captain role. The situation was raised by our leaders and led to key stakeholders being surveyed with the results subsequently discussed at executive. Ultimately it was unanimously agreed that this year’s voting would be gender neutral. Given the change in circumstance it was also agreed that students be given the opportunity to reconsider their nominations. On Friday June 19, I met with the student leaders to discuss the situation and explain the decision making and subsequent pathway forward. Later that day three additional male students nominated for the 2020 / 2021 captains’ position embracing the gender-neutral process. All student leaders including Lilly Stace, Grace Pettit, Olivia Bailey, Chelsea Webb, Chelsea Gunther, Takoda Allen, Daniel Sherlock, Sam Younger, Nikkita Harris and Brendan Green-Hill participated in a panel interview and captains speech to Year 10, Year 11 and available staff.
Today the votes were tallied and the Captains announced. Congratulations Takoda Allen and Sam Younger, who were named Mount View High School captains for 2020 / 2021. Chelsea Webb and Lilly Stace were named Vice Captains in one of the tightest votes we have seen in many years.
