It has been a busy week in the Junior School with the girls undertaking a Maker-Space Activity and Parent-Teacher meetings happening as well! On behalf of the staff I would like to thank you all for the kind comments made to teachers in recognition of their teaching during these meetings. We know that we are one of the very few schools offering a full timetable of lessons that are delivered in a live format.

I know that most schools are offering a live check-in at the beginning of the day and then setting the work for the students to complete independently. We are very fortunate at St Catherine’s that we were able to provide devices for every girl and that our IT systems have the capacity that enabled us to deliver our usual full timetable of lessons and ensure the girls’ learning continued to progress at a good rate. While there is commentary in the media about how far behind students will be because of the COVID-19 lockdown period, this will not be the situation at Barbreck.

Classroom Happenings This Week

This week I had the good fortune to join Mr Russell’s class when the girls were presenting their stories. They had been given a stimulus photograph from the swamp: Dagobah.

Their task was to write a descriptive piece that told the reader how it looked, smelt, felt, tasted and sounded like using a ‘horror’ genre as its structure.

I have included two examples of the fine work being completed in this class.

Example 1

“I fell down to my knees, sweat dripping from my forehead and down into my mouth, forcing me to taste the saltiness. I came to a halt, back aching and my stomach growling. Have I really not eaten for that long? I asked myself. I had been running for what seemed like hours, but was really only ten minutes. I looked around, the smell of the swamp clogging my nostrils. There was fog allowing even the sharpest of eyes to only see ten meters in front of them, a large flow of water which looked like mouldy milk with green food colouring, but smelt much worse. I started to wonder about my friends. My friends who looked out for me. My friends, who are now dead and lying in the remains of the crashed space shuttle. I start to wonder where I am, and why the readings on the ship went crazy then suddenly disappeared. This is a place where technology and logic doesn’t work. A place where creatures lurk around every corner. Welcome to Dagobah.” By Ally 6R

Example 2:

“I could feel my heart beating out of my chest, I then felt a huge wet hand on my shoulder. My mother had always warned me about how little girls and boys explored the swamp at night and none had ever come back. It is true that people try to make sense of things they can’t understand by trying to fit them into their own twisted version of reality. My mother told me this. Some suspected a witch and others suspected a swamp monster, but most suspected a killer.” By Harper 6R

Maker Space Activity Planning: Internationals Space Station with 5KW

Another class I visited was 5KW. The girls were discussing the Maker-Space activity they would be undertaking the next day. Their task was to create an International Space Station or a Compartment within the International Space Station if they really wanted to focus in on a specific aspect.

The girls were given a format structure to follow that would support them through the thinking, planning and designing stages of the project.

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting these classes and seeing the girls engaged in interesting experiences.

I wish all our dads a Happy Father’s Day this Sunday and I hope that you are able to enjoy some special family time together.