06 Apr 2020
Hi Team Figtree,
Without doubt, this has been an incredibly challenging time for everyone. We are all experiencing levels of anxiety from the COVID-19 situation and then on top of that there is actually getting from the shops what we need for our families, job losses and financial hardship as well as the new worlds of learning and working from home.
School is open and we are here if you need us. It is the recommendation of the government and medical professionals that children should be kept home wherever possible, but if they can’t, we are here.
Moving to an online teaching and learning platform has been challenging for students, parents and staff. As a parent, teacher and now a principal (and a long time ago a student too) I know that nothing we do will sufficiently replace face-to-face teaching and a day at school with friends.
We have only been operating in full online mode for a little under two weeks and I am very grateful to all Figtree teachers, students and parents for trying to make this situation work. However, this is a marathon and not a sprint. With all of this, we will all get better and better as each day passes.
Each school is delivering teaching and learning in the ways that best suit its teachers, students and its community. Here at Figtree, we believe that the Google Classroom platform is a good model and will serve as our foundation platform; many other schools have also adopted this approach. Additionally, at times, we may use other platforms like Moodle, Microsoft Teams and Adobe Connect. Zoom has also now been supported by the Department of Education and will certainly be used at Figtree HS for its’ capacity to allow video and audio conferencing, chat and webinars.
Some of the issues we are working through at the moment are daily workloads for students across subjects, assessment, student engagement, effective online teaching and how to best touch base individually with every student every week, plus keep parents informed of progress (or lack thereof).
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller last Thursday clearly communicated “the safest place is at home in isolation” and that this situation will continue deep into Term 2, with the social distancing laws to be in place for another 90 days. Beyond that, the way forward is uncertain.
Although many of you may be feeling lonely, unhappy or worried about the circumstances we find ourselves in, I know that Team Figtree will come thorough this stronger than ever.
Never hesitate to contact me or any other staff member should you need help, have a question or just feel like a chat. We can lend devices, prepare print outs of work and help you connect to support. Our school psychologists – Stefanie Hasleton, Megan Dawson and John Wilson – are also accessible.
Stay positive, stay well and support each other.
Your principal,
Dan Ovens