TAS Talks Term 1 Week 9

As you would be very well aware the last few weeks have meant that The Armidale School is dealing with circumstances that none of us, no matter how long we have been in education, have confronted.  I continue to be impressed by the morale of our students and staff as we break new ground each day.

Thank you very much for all of your comments and feedback regarding the letters that have been sent out to our community to inform you all of what our plans are for the remaining weeks of the term. All of our planning revolves around providing the highest level of instruction for our students in the face of disappointment for the many events and sporting fixtures that have been cancelled.

At the same time, I am cognisant of the impact that COVID-19 is having on the wider community, businesses and life in general in the New England and the North West. I can only hope that we can continue to support each other in the same manner that we have demonstrated in the most recent of trying times.

Please be aware, that from next week, the School will move to online learning. As per Government advice regarding students attending school, parents may choose to keep their children home during this period to complete their learning remotely.

Term 1 will conclude on Friday 3 April for all students. Week 11 will be used by staff for further professional development and preparations for remote learning.

I wish you all the very best and we will continue to keep you as up to date and as informed as we can as both the State and Federal governments offer new directive.

Alan Jones

Please refer to the 'Coronavirus Updates' page for clarification of cancelled events.

COVID-19

As I sat down to write TAS Talks this week, I pondered what to say…  I didn’t think I had anything – given that all P&F activities are on hold indefinitely!  However then I remembered that the P&F is primarily a central point for the wider TAS community to get together socially, even if it is only digitally rather than face to face.

So, I’m asking people to keep in contact however long it is before ‘normal’ school resumes.  Our Facebook pages are discussed below, and this is a key method. Also remember to reach out to others by phone, email or even snail mail.  Students need to keep in contact with other students, parents with other parents, staff with staff and friends with friends.  Don’t be a digital stranger!!

My thoughts go out to all the families who are dealing with job losses, business shutdowns, health concerns and other COVID-19 catastrophes.  If you need to chat to people please, please reach out.

I also want to thank all TAS staff for working so hard to keep school going and on an even keel.  It will be interesting to see how we, as parents and carers, cope with having our kids learning at home – I’m not sure how I will go, teachers are amazing, and I have always said I could never do it!! But, knowing we have support from TAS and also that perhaps I can ask questions of other parents, or vent on Facebook, is making it slightly less scary.

It’s been a very rapidly changing time for us all and while 2019 was a challenging year for our communities, 2020 is not shaping up any better!  Hopefully the resilience that we all showed in 2019 will hold us in good stead for the long haul ahead of us as we all deal with the many curve balls that the coronavirus has, and will continue to throw at us.

I hope everyone stays safe during this time and wish everyone the best of fortune in the days ahead.

These are challenging times.

Stay in touch!

Facebook

The closed P&F Facebook pages that each Year Group have are available to parents to keep in contact with each other during this time and we recommend joining these pages so that people can continue to ‘socially distance’ and ‘self-isolate’ while not being socially isolated from the broader TAS Community.

If you have a query about something, or would like to offer spare fruit and veges to people, or support to families who are having difficulties coping during this pandemic, please feel free to use the Facebook pages.  A friendly Facebook post, saying ‘we care’, can help.

The Facebook groups have been named according to the year that the group will be in Year 12. ie. TAS Year 12 2020, is the current Year 12, right down to TAS Year 12 2033, which is the current Transition class. So search for these in Facebook and join.

Please use these groups wisely. Comments should be polite, inclusive and relevant, or they may be deleted.

Mrs Rachael Nicoll
P&F President

Important Reminders for Parents

Stay Active

Unfortunately, we need to postpone our Athletics Championships until later in the year and all formal competitions are on hold until further notice. However, we know that exercise supports our immune system and is vital for our wellbeing and mental health. So now, more than ever, we need to stay active.

Staff are meeting over the coming days to develop a Co-curricular program that can be delivered online in preparation for a period of time when we may all be forced to stay within our home boundaries. Regardless of what the future holds, we are committed to delivering the best possible opportunities for our students and maintaining the strong relationships between students and teachers that are cultivated through co-curricular activity.

In the meantime, keep your body and mind healthy by going for a ride, a run or enjoying a body circuit, play a musical instrument, dance, sing or create a work of art. Many of these activities stimulate the production of endorphins that make us feel more positive – certainly something we all need.

Cloisters Run

Thank you to all competitors in Monday’s Cloisters Run. It was wonderful to maintain this tradition and to have something to cheer about. Congratulations to Broughton House Girls who lead the entire race and Green House Boys who tussled with the other Houses over the six legs to claim a comfortable victory in the end. Our Term 2 Inter-House competitions are Debating and Futsal. It is likely that debating will be conducted in a virtual setting and I am sure we will come up with a creative solution for Futsal – maybe inter-house FIFA20??

Mr Will Caldwell
Director of Co-curricular

Creative Arts

Goal Setting

Goals help to provide students to set priorities and stay motivated – this in turn gives a sense of ownership and pride and helps to identify the areas needing further development. Students who have goals, are more likely to achieve than those who don’t.

Over the next week, all Middle School students will be setting themselves a SMART academic goal for the year. I encourage parents to talk to their children about their goal, and encourage them to put this at the forefront of everything that they do.

Catching up on work

A gentle reminder that CANVAS is the main port of call for work for students who have been away, or are still away, sick. Teachers will upload work regularly to CANVAS, for all students to access. If a student misses a lesson, or more, I also strongly encourage them to catch up on the notes from other students in the class.

Mrs Rachel Piddington
MYP Coordinator

COVID-19

Yesterday, you will have received a letter from me outlining a number of details that are specific to Junior School’s response to the COVID-19. While the Head of School has outlined the general position of the Middle and Senior School, I feel it is very important that there is a clear understanding of our developing approach in Junior School.

At the time of writing on Tuesday 24 March, our position is that Junior School will remain open until Friday 3 April. We will have face to face classes while progressing towards online teaching and learning. A number of families have chosen to keep their children at home, and they have already been in close contact with their teachers.

I would also like to reinforce that we should not underestimate the need for our kids to see us working together to reduce their anxieties and achieve some really great outcomes by taking up this challenge. Being proactive and remaining positive is becoming an increasingly important part of the role we must all play.

Please note the additional cancellations that have now been announced for Junior School:

• Junior School Athletics Carnival on Wednesday 25 March
• All clubs, both before and after school
• All sport
• All choirs and ensembles arranged by TAS

It will be important for each family to develop their own approach to remote schooling, and I strongly recommend the following information to you from the Department of Education, which can be found at:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/learning-from-home/advice-to-parents-and-carers

Key considerations for parents for home and remote learning are to provide support for your children by:

• establishing routines and expectations
• defining a space for your child to work in
• monitoring communications from teachers
• beginning and ending each day with a check-in
• taking an active role in helping your children process their learning
• encouraging physical activity and/or exercise
• checking in with your child regularly to help them manage stress
• monitoring how much time your child is spending online
• keeping your children social but set rules around their social media interactions.

Determined by their age, student responsibilities during remote learning include:

• establishing and/or following a daily routine for learning
• identifying a safe, comfortable, quiet space in their home where they can work effectively and successfully
• regularly monitoring digital platforms and communication (Google Classrooms, Seesaw, email, etc.) to check for announcements and feedback from teachers
• completing tasks with integrity and academic honesty, doing their best work
• doing their best to meet timelines, commitments, and due dates
• communicating proactively with their teachers if they cannot meet deadlines or require additional support
• collaborating and supporting their classmates in their learning
• understanding and applying the principles of digital citizenship –  https://www.digitalcitizenship.nsw.edu.au/
• seeking out and communicating with school staff as different needs arise.

These are very challenging times, and early and clear communication is essential so we can provide the most appropriate support for each family. We ask all students and parents to stay in close contact with their classroom teacher via email and with Junior School Reception through [email protected] or by phoning 6776 5817 as usual.  Any inquiries or questions that relate to other COVID-19 matters, please continue to email [email protected]

School Spirit

Congratulations to the following students for receiving School Spirit Awards last week:

Mishkah Alrdadi, Artie Rylands, Eva Cook, Freddie Post, Rory Secker, Dominic Leary, Maya Slade, Nancy Ma, Aamer Alazizi, Mohammed Alrdadi, Kaitlyn Baker, Sophie Brett, Libby Ditchfield, Sam Ford and Hugo Broun.

Mr Ian Lloyd
Head of Junior School

Happy Birthday

Many happy returns to William Cooper-Filios and Arthur White for your birthdays this week.

Junior School Upcoming Events