Transcription
CALLAGHAN COLLEGEWaratah Campus NewsA Taste ofHarmonyFirst OnlineAssemblyWaratah families sharetheir recipes and storiesfrom around the world incelebration of HarmonyDay 2020. All the recipeshave been compiled intoa beautiful cookbookwhich you can downloadon our website.We hosted our firstever online Assemblythis morning, to keepeveryone connected toour school routine.For more, visit page 5Our Principal’s Address,Faculty check-ins and lotsof humour all broadcastvia Canvas.2020 Term 1Week 10 EditionStay up todateMs Macdonald willcontinue to send updatesto families via email asthe current situationevolves.NSW Dept. of Educationalso has a website ls/school-safety/novelcoronavirusPrincipal’s UpdateBy Ms Hayley Macdonald, PrincipalWhat a fortnight it has been! I’m really proud ofthe adaptiveness shown by our students so far.Their engagement with staff has demonstrateda maturity and dedication to learning that hasinspired us all. Thank you to all our families whoare supporting this from home.I’m also proud of the professionalism, resilienceand creativity shown by our staff in managing thecomplexity of what we are dealing with, whilststill maintaining a sense of stability and qualityeducation for students.It is because of their hard work over a number ofyears in the technology space that we have beenin a strong position to support the transition toonline learning so quickly. I appreciate that this isa very rapidly evolving situation and that there willbe an adjustment period, however I’m confidentthat as a community we can solve any teethingissues and continue to keep learning as normal aspossible - even if school life will be different for awhile.I know families have lots of questions. I willcontinue to provide regular updates via email asthe situation evolves and we have put togethera Q&A section on page 8 of this newsletter toprovide answers to commonly asked questions.Stay safe and well and please say hello to yourchildren from staff. We miss them!1
Term 1, Week 10 2020Community connectionWARATAH CAMPUSOUT & ABOUTA snapshot of the activities beyond the classroomWe appreciate that we can’t be out and about at the moment, but here’s a snapshot of some of ourevents and excursions from earlier in the term. As per the department’s ‘social distancing’ guidelines, wehave postponed all further Term 1 and 2 excursions and large events until further notice.In early March we hosted the first of ourYear 6 Taster Days for 2020 to support thesuccessful transition of our partner primaryschool students into high school. Thank you toour wonderful peer support leaders for theirassistance on the day.More than 100 students across the Collegeauditioned for a role in the upcoming Collegeproduction of Grease. The selection processis still underway. Pictured here, part of theselection panel in deliberations. Call backs havebeen postponed due to COVID-19.Our deadly combined College Didj andAboriginal Dance groups proudly opened the2020 Wandiyali Surfest Classic in February.Team and individual success for Waratah inchess with a Round 1 win in the NSW JuniorChess League, 4th place in the Interschool ChessCompetition and a 2nd place for Connor (centreof picture holding trophy) in the individualcompetition.Out and About in the ClassroomOur junior Special Education classes have been learning all aboutAsia through history and cooking. The Spring Rolls were delicious!* Ms Macdonald also received a phone call from the owners of alocal business to compliment our students on their outstandingrepresentation of the College during their recent Community Accessexcursion.2
Term 1, Week 10 2020Home LearningWARATAH CAMPUSAccessing Learning from HomeBy Mrs Blight and Ms Boswell, Head Teachers of Teaching and LearningOur primary online learning platform at WaratahCampus is Canvas. Here’s some tips for students onaccessing and using Canvas from home.Using the Calendar: Accessing Canvas: Using Chrome as your web browser, accessCanvas via our school website home page.Note: Canvas doesn’t work properly whenaccessed via Internet Explorer so always useChrome.Select the blue CanvasStudent button and log onusing your school emailaddress and password.The first screen you seeshould be your CanvasDashboard showing allyour subjects.Tip: If you can’t see your subjects, click on the threedots in the top right corner and select ‘Card view’. Ifyou still can’t see one of your subjects, it means thelearning material for this subject is not published yet.Tip: You can also add items to your calendar. This is agreat tool when breaking down larger assessment orclass tasks into smaller steps or goals.Using your inbox:Like your email in Student Portal, you can composemessages using your Canvas inbox. You have theoption of choosing a course, teacher or student asyour message recipient.Tip: Use your Canvas mail to message your teachersif you need help or have any questions when learningfrom home.Interacting with your class: Accessing Classwork:You can access your classwork for a subject byselecting that subject in your Dashboard. From here,you can: Access topic learning materials and class tasks setby your teacher.Tip: Use your timetable as a guide (as much aspossible) for scheduling when to work on tasks foreach of your subjects. Your teachers will be onlineduring the allocated periods to support you. Makesure you participate in discussions and reach outwhen you need assistance.Accessing Assessment Tasks:Assessment task notifications are accessible via theassignment/assessment tab at the bottom of thelanding page for each of your courses.Please be aware that currentassessments scheduled upuntil Term 2, Week 6 will nowbe completed as class tasks.Teachers will still providefeedback on these tasks.Keep an eye out for anupdated Assessment Schedule which will bepublished on Canvas soon.Use your calendar to view a brief outline of whatyou need to do each lesson. You can choose toview all your subjects at once, or turn subjects offand on so you can only view tasks for one subjectat a time.Using the Discussion tool on Canvas, you canparticipate in whole class discussions with yourteacher, you can also attach and share files,images and videos.Tip: remember the same rules apply online as in theclassroom at school - content you share needs to beon task, respectful and add value to the discussion.Parent access: Parents and carerscan access Canvasas an ‘observer’, andview their child’slearning, upcomingassessments and classtasks, as well as taskfeedack. Instructionsare available on thenew Home LearningSupport section of ourwebsite.Remember: if you’re having problems logging ontoCanvas please phone the school office or email us atwaratah-h.school@det.nsw.edu.auNB. If you don’t currently have a device to useat home, please contact the school to requesta paper learning pack or a loan device.3
Term 1, Week 10 2020Student voices2020 SRC UpdateWARATAH CAMPUSLemon MyrtleTea RecipeBy Darren WoodhouseNan Russell shared this bush medicinerecipe with me. It is a refreshing,uplifting drink with many healthbenefits. I use it to help with coughs andcolds, it also helps to reduce stress.Collect 3 to 4 fresh young Lemon Myrtleleaves and 3 to 4 more mature LemonMyrtle leaves. Rinse under fresh water toremove any contaminants.Place in a teapot or suitable container,pour boiling water over leaves, and letsteep for 3 to 5 minutes.Our Student Representative Council is gearing up for abusy Term 2 and 3, that will be focused on the design anddelivery of several student leadership projects.Use a strainer to pour the Lemon Myrtletea into a cup.Tip: Add honey if you need to sweeten.This term, our Year 8 to 10 representatives have engagedin team building activities. It is hoped that developingpersonal connections across every year level of the team,will further empower our young leaders to engage withthe additional responsibilities of leadership across thewhole campus.Our captains, Ava, Joy, Griffin and Miranda have recentlyundertaken a student-led survey during our yearassemblies held in week 3 and 6, with the permission ofMs Macdonald. This great initiative is to identify issuesthat students would like to see resolved in our learningcommunity. The captains are now in the process ofpreparing a report with recommendations for our schoolcommunity based on student feedback, which we willpublish in upcoming newsletters.More homelearning resourcesYear 7 representatives announced Week 10Further links to fabulous resources tosupport home learning:Year 7 students have voted for their 2020 student leadersfrom a group of seven applicants who presented theircandidacy speeches in Week 7. Congratulations to allcandidates who stepped forward to offer themselves forthese positions.NSW Department of EducationLearning from Home hub - includesadvice and resources for parents andcarers to support student successwhen learning remotely.Leadership is all about giving extra time and energy toother people, above and beyond our normal responsibilitiesand we very much appreciate the interest from allcandidates.Ms Macdonald announced the newly appointed Year 7 SRCmembers at this morning’s assembly - congratulationsto Alice Bradley, Shannon Smith, Zanetta Hanwright andNguyen Ngo.TED ED@Home - video based lessonsavailable on a daily basis for free.ABC Education - curriculum linkedresources for secondary students andteachers.4
Term 1, Week 10 2020Community ConnectionsWARATAH CAMPUSA Taste of HarmonyWelcome to our Harmony Day recipe book, acelebration of our cultural heritage through thesharing of food and stories. We thank all ourcontributors, who have so generously shared theirtreasured family recipes for others to enjoy.It is so important to celebrate cultural diversity,it makes a society much richer to be inclusive,sensitive to different needs and to be welcomingto all members of our community. We are solucky at Waratah Campus to have one of the mostculturally diverse student populations of anyschool in the Hunter region.The students and staff at Waratah speak morethan 50 languages, covering every continent in theworld, and almost one in four students speak morethan one language.A wide range of ethnic and cultural backgroundsbrings a richness to our classrooms, with newperspectives and experiences. This in turn, helpsprepare students for the diversity in our workplaces and the world at large.Hard copies of this beautiful cookbook willbe available from the school for a donationonce school operations are back to normal.Harmony Week is a great opportunity for Waratah Campus to honour this diversity. Each year, wecome together as a whole school and celebrate our backgrounds, languages, beliefs and family storiesthrough cultural performances, stalls and food. Unfortunately, we’ve had to postpone this event this year.However please enjoy an electronic version of the cookbook as a gift and keepsake of Harmony Week2020. We hope in some small way it helps you feel connected to our community here at Waratah.Behind the scenes of online learningAre you curious about how we are working at schoolwhen most of our students are home?Here’s Mr Tarrant teaching circus skills (juggling) withstudents using household objects (L). Aunty Robyn andMel working hard getting learning packs together. MsMarcelle providing a modified Brekkie Club. Mrs Worthis full of smiles at seeing students engaging with atomicstructures and chemical change in Science online.5
Term 1, Week 10 2020Looking after each otherWARATAH CAMPUSDealing with uncertaintyExtract adapted from the Reachout websiteSo much about COVID-19 is outside our control not just the virus itself, but all the other aspects ofour lives that might be impacted, from socialising,and finances, to school routines and events. Attimes like this, it can be helpful to rememberthat there are things we can do to deal with theuncertainty. Here are some suggestions:Hold onto your ‘stability rocks’A stability rock is a process, practice or routine thatadds something reliable to your life when otherparts of life are disrupted. Stability rocks are reallygrounding and help you to remember that thereare some things that are within your control.Some examples of stability rocks include: Waking up at the same time every dayfollowing your regular school timetable toschedule your day’s learningdoing some form of exercise everydayreaching out to a friend each day (e.g. call, textor use WhatApp, Skype, Zoom etc)Accept that it’s normal to be feelingstressedFeeling stressed is an understandable responseto the current coronavirus pandemic. You mightbe worried about catching the virus, about howyour loved ones will cope, about the disruption toyour studies and routines. These stressors, alongwith the constant media hysteria and dealing withdisappointment (when things you were lookingforward to are cancelled), add up to a prettydifficult time.As hard as things are, sometimes it can becomforting to know you’re not alone and othersshare your feelings. When you check in with yourmates, take note of how they are feeling - it’s likelythey are in the same boat as you.Stay up to date with factsKeeping up to date with factual resources canprovide some more certainty about what’shappening. Choosing media sources wisely meansthat you’re less likely to get overwhelmed withthe constant coverage and it will be easier to staygrounded. Some good resources include: Healthdirect (for Australian health advicerelated to coronavirus)World Health Organisation (WHO)It’s a good idea to limit your media intake to a fewtimes a day so you don’t become overwhelmed.Draw on skills you’ve used beforeIt’s likely that you’ve dealt with uncertainty before,and you can do it again. Reflect on what skills youhave used in the past to cope, or ask someonewho knows you well. Write a list so you have alittle toolbox to refer to whenever you’re gettinganxious. Your skills could include: focusing on what’s in your control, and workingwith that writing down what’s troubling you and whatyou can do to improve the situation practising self-care activities like listening toyour favourite musicIf you’re feeling overwhelmed, seeksupportSometimes things can become overwhelming,even if you’ve been practising these skills. If thishappens, it is important to seek professionalsupport. As most people will be social distancing, agreat option is telephone and online services:Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) can be accessed forphone and online counselling. Eheadspace alsooffers free online and telephone support andcounselling. Our school counsellors will alsobe available. Call the school office to make anappointment.6
Term 1, Week 10 2020Sports UpdateWARATAH CAMPUSNews from Around the GroundsIt was an exciting start to the year in representative sport with campus and College teams competing inrugby league, waterpolo, basketball, swimming and cricket. A special acknowledgement to our amazingfemale swimmers who continued to excel at the regional carnival. Our College Waterpolo Team alsoperformed strongly, qualifying for the Hunter Region Semi Final. Unfortunately, all interschool andrepresentative sport events have been postponed, a huge disappointment for these students.To support all our students staying active during this time, we are developing a sport section to Canvaswith loads of sport challenges. Stay tuned and well done to everyone making the most of the situation.Year 7 girls enjoyed a session on the ice withMs Lenton in fortnightly elective sport earlierthis term.Jed, Cooper, Fletcher, Sam and Kaiden after their firstround win as part of our College Cricket Team.Hard work and determination pay off for our girls at theRegional Swimming Carnival with Amber, Amie, Sanne andJemima for qualifying for the Combined High School StateSwimming Championships.A day of wet weather footy for our girls at theunder 16’s Katrina Fanning Cup Qualifier. Thegirls played exceptionally well and representedWaratah Campus with pride.Congratulations to Laumua, Tyson and Saxon(absent) for their selection in the City ZoneRugby League Team.Kaiden, Jed and Gabi qualified for the Hunter RegionWaterpolo Semi-Finals as part of our College WaterpoloTeam. Great effort boys!7
Term 1, Week 10 2020The last wordWARATAH CAMPUSYour Questions AnsweredOur wonderful Administration Team have beenbusy responding to parents’ questions overthe last week. Here are the answers to somefrequently asked questions from our community.Q. Is the school remaining open?A. Yes. The advice from the Department at timeof publishing is that schools will remain open.However, parents are being encouraged to keeptheir children at home where practical. All classesin NSW are now being delivered online (whetherstudents attend school or study from home),at least until the holidays. Students attendingschool will be supervised to complete units ofwork on Canvas.Q. How will I be refunded for cancelledexcursions or activities?A. Contact the school via phone or email toobtain a refund form. You need to complete thisform and return it to the school soMs Macdonald can approve the refund. We cantransfer refunds to Fees in Advance or refund theamount into your nominated bank account.Q. What if my child doesn’t have access to adevice at home?A. We are producing paper learning packs forstudents without devices. Please contact theschool via phone or email to arrange a learningpack for your child. We also have some devicesavailable for loan.Q. What’s happening with Assessment Tasks?A. There will be no formal assessment tastsfor Year 7-10 until Week 6 Term 2. Assessmenttasks that had been scheduled between nowand then have been changed to class tasks.Students are still encouraged to submit thesetasks to the school (via Canvas, email or inprint form) and will receive task feedback fromtheir teachers. The percentage weighting ofthese taks will be moved to future assessmenttasks towards the end of the year for eachsubject.A new Assessment Schedule will soon beavailable via Canvas.Q. How do I structure my child’s learning fromhome?A. We have set up a Home Learning Supportpage on our website, providing guidance andtips for parents. Ideally, continue to use yourchild’s timetable to schedule their learningthroughout the day. Make sure they take breaksand encourage them to work through the lessonmaterial available from Canvas.Q. Will we still receive an Interim Report?A. Yes. These reports have been completedand will be emailed to families and uploadedto Sentral today (Monday 30 March 2020).Q. What about NAPLAN and assessments?A. The Education Council has cancelledNAPLAN exams for 2020 in order to assistschool leaders, teachers and support staffto focus on the wellbeing of students andcontinuity of education at this time.Q. What’s happening with Year 7ImmunisationsA. All immunisations have been cancelled fornow. The school will be given dates for laterin the year when school returns to normal.Q. When will school resume as normal?A. We don’t know but Ms Macdonald willkeep you updated as the situation evolves viaemail.Q. What if my child is having trouble withCanvas?A. In the first instance, check out the supportresources in the new Home Learning Supportsection of our website. If this doesn’t help,please contact the school and ask to speak toMs Boswell for technical support.8
A snapshot of the activities beyond the classroom . a paper learning pack or a loan device. 4 Term 1, Week 10 2020 WARAT AMPUS Student voices 2020 SRC Update Our Student Representative Council is gearing up for a busy Term 2 and 3, that will be focused on the design and delivery of several student leadership projects. This term, our Year 8 to .
