After some weeks of choosing to focus on other things, it is probably time to return to the topic of COVID-19 and how the life of the School is adapting to the latest lockdown.
At the forefront of our minds over the last three weeks has been the challenge of delivering the Trials for Year 12 students. As I write, the HSC Trials are about to finish, and the IB girls will have their turn next week. The girls have responded admirably to every twist and turn of events and the Year 12 parents have offered extraordinary support to their daughters and to the School. Uncertainty and confusion can bring out the worst or the best in us – and we have enjoyed the very best of our community in the last few days. We are also very grateful for the support of the QPA, as they helped us pull together some treats for the girls, who’d earned a little TLC given the circumstances.
For the rest of the girls, we continue to adjust our online learning programs according to need. Feedback from the Junior School parents suggested that more structure in the afternoons was wanted, so we have increased synchronous lessons in the afternoons and the homework expectations for most ages. In the Senior School, we have responded to feedback about zoom fatigue and screen overload by trialling Screen Free Wednesdays. Teachers have planned independent study tasks which (with very few exceptions) allow the girls to continue their learning free of screens and we hope that this will offer some welcome variation and a release from screens which is good for the girls’ wellbeing. Early reports are very positive but we will collect full feedback via an online survey in a few weeks.
Ongoing monitoring and adjustment will be necessary because we are clearly going to be in this mode for quite some time. At my regular meeting with the QPA on Wednesday night, I was asked about the prospect of returning to school this term. There are no certainties but I would be surprised if we were able to return to teaching on campus this term. This is hard news for everyone, not least because most of us are experiencing pandemic fatigue, and the cumulative effect of 18 months of disruptions is tiring. Let’s hope I am wrong. Year 12 families will have many questions about the milestone events that typically happen at the end of Term 3. We are currently looking to push these to the end of the year, with the hope that we will have better options a few months from now. We will be in touch when plans are more developed.
We are conscious that, alongside the young people, parents and staff are dealing with significant challenges, as they juggle work commitments, childcare, lesson supervision and a whole range of COVID complications affecting our professional and personal lives. Supporting the wellbeing of the community is therefore at the front of our minds. Staff are putting together a range of activities and challenges for the girls to inject some fun and channel some competitive spirit across the school. (Parents might even be roped into this – stay tuned!) At home, the usual recipe for the girls’ wellbeing is more important than ever: good sleep, good exercise, good food, good fun and good structure. It is tempting to buy precious time by indulging the girls with more screen time than usual. While I wouldn’t rule it out in a crisis, the effort of implementing better alternatives will almost certainly pay off quite quickly, for you as well as your children. Stay strong!
In last week’s newsletter, we gave some details about the Headspace mental health education webinars, which some parents attended and reported to be very good indeed. There is one more in the next week and those who sign up receive a digital information pack afterwards which, according to our parents, is also very useful. The Fit State of Mind (FitSOM) workshop advertised last week also has a repeat session if you are interested in a virtual wellness program designed to help manage personal mental resilience and develop the skills to support and recognise when others are in need of help.
Those sessions are geared more towards adolescents but for parents of younger children, there are good resources here on how to respond to anxiety or mood swings, how to help children identify and express their feelings, communicate better and much more. Northern Sydney District Health offers some excellent resources for home learning and there is a good list of resources available to help parents navigate lockdown here (this list is also now on the Connect parent portal).
For children of all ages, open conversations are vital to mental health and the National Mental Health Commission has launched this week the ChatStarter program designed to help parents start supportive conversations with their children. Importantly, starting the conversation may not simply be a matter of finding the right words; sometimes engaging in activities together can open opportunities to reach people before they reach crisis point and help them access the right type of care.
For those parents who are running on empty, please let us know if we can be of assistance. I encourage all parents to offer themselves the same kindness that they pour out on their children, and to manage competing demands on the ‘oxygen mask’ principle: first make sure that you are supporting yourself adequately so that you can sustain your support of those you love. If you yourself are struggling there are many good resources available:
Finally, one of the best ways to improve our own wellbeing is to extend love and care to others. So it was uplifting last week to see the Social Justice Club respond to the lockdown by considering what cause to support from the Emergency Relief Fund – money that is raised by the girls and set aside to provide swift aid in a crisis. After considering the options, the girls chose the Jesuit Refugee Service, of whose work you can learn more here. But the best part for me was seeing the responses from the girls when they were asked which cause they wished to support. Here are two:
I particularly like the ‘Women’s Space’ that JRS provides. Refugees and other vulnerable groups of people are otherwise left behind in the pandemic as there is such an overwhelming essence of fear and chaos these days. After reading some reflections from the frontline, the struggle of JRS to be able to continue providing food and services is starting to fade, and many families are losing touch with them. Overall, I think the emergency fund is critical in this moment to help organisations like this to survive through these unforgiving times.
And:
I saw on ABC news last night that many migrants and refugees haven't been receiving home care packages or adequate support from the government, and I can't imagine how difficult their situation is, especially with the rental shortage and lack of casual work due to Covid. I actually happened to be reading about the Jesuit Refugee Service last night and saw that they have been hosting vaccination clinics for refugee communities as well, so I think donating to them would be a fantastic idea!
Even at times like these, there is much to be grateful for.