02 Sep 2021
A big hello to you all out there working, teaching and learning from home! I have always believed wholeheartedly that our people make schools great places to work, not the work itself. As I reflect on the nature of this term, it really reinforces why I joined the teaching profession - to connect with great people and see them thrive.
To keep me focused on Marsden while I work from home, I am using the CARE lens for my report.
Cooperate
I am so proud and thankful to the Marsden community of teachers and support staff their your ability to work in strong partnership with each other to support our young people during remote learning. This period of time is shaping up to be longer than expected, so I want to especially thank staff for adjusting Teaching & Learning units of work, creating video tutorials, tidying up the structure of their lessons and acting on the feedback received in Google Classrooms, “Feedback and Catch Up” days each fortnight and the learning from home surveys undertaken by students, teachers and parents. I also wish to thank the parents for supporting this learning, and for regularly responding to staff calling home to ensure students are engaging with their learning and resolving any barriers to student learning.
Achieve
Semester 2 is always a busy time for our School Based Assessment Program and of course the HSC.
Year 12 are completing final assessments this term and they will continue to work with their teachers after this to prepare for the HSC. I encourage all of Year 12 to continue to apply the specific feedback from their teachers, to take action on the next steps while striving to reach your personal goals.
Year 11 are about to complete their final assessment block in all courses to achieve their Year 11 RoSA. This assessment is the last opportunity for students to showcase their skills and knowledge. This informs the final RoSA Grade for Year 11.
- The assessment roster has been distributed - beginning Monday Week 8 - August 30, 2021
- All classes will receive a written notification about their final assessments
- During the assessment weeks 8,9 and 10, no new work will be posted for Year 11
Years 7-10 assessment may include assessment tasks, work portfolios, and end of year exams in Term 4. More will be communicated about this in coming weeks.
Respect
Online etiquette - A big thank you to Ms Mourad who has been working with Year 7 and raising awareness with all of us about online interactions. The protocols for emails and other online communication are very timely. It is so easy to forget that how we intended the message to sound is not always how other people will receive it. So paying attention to detail when writing messages online is so important for clear, concise and respectful communication. Well done everybody!
Every day
Why being organised for ‘learning from home’ on time matters - Students working online are expected to sign into their Wellbeing Google Classrooms by 9:10am each morning.
‘People are creatures of habit, and routines offer a way to promote health and wellness through structure and organisation. Having a routine can greatly improve your health’ Northwestern medicine.
Routines can help your learning and wellbeing in many ways:
- Better nutrition fuels the brain - a little extra planning and getting up a little earlier means more time for exercise and breakfast, fuelling your body for the day.
- Better stress levels lead to improved mental health - more time to relax and less anxiety.
- Better sleep will leave you refreshed - bedtime habits affect your mental sharpness, performance, emotional well-being and energy level. It’s best if you can maintain a consistent time for waking and going to bed.
The habit of getting up late tends to creep beyond a few minutes. Often students are then missing opportunities to connect with their teachers and peers for vital feedback. There is no excuse for being late. The Deputies are here to help you resolve ongoing issues with learning from home.
Ms Heidi Currie
Deputy Principal