Principal Update – Responding to challenging times in positive ways

Ensuring a sense of optimism about what the future brings can be challenging to hold onto when times are filled with uncertainty and our 24-hour media cycle that too often amplifies gloom and conflict. To counter this, guiding the young people in our care requires an intentional and deliberate focus to nurture their resilience, build character and instil wellness.

Australian demographer, Mark McCrindle highlights the interesting research of how COVID-19 will shape Generation Alpha. He cites that “most young kids will remember how their family home felt during the Coronavirus pandemic more than anything specific about the virus”. He goes on to suggest the importance of how adults as role models respond to complex situations; indeed, children are watching and learning how to respond to stress and uncertainty, highlighting the importance to wire our children for resilience, not panic.

McCrindle suggests the age at which we are exposed to a transformative event determines how embedded it will be in our psyche, with COVID-19 predicated to be a defining event for the next generation. For Generation Alpha, the oldest of them would have turned 11 last year, will remember aspects of this global crisis. Many watched mum or dad work from the kitchen bench while keeping an eye on them as they learnt from a virtual classroom. They might not know why we needed to stay 1.5 metres away from others, but they know we should. The fact that there was a prolonged period of time when they were unable to attend school or visit grandparents is not lost on them.

While there have been some unique challenges for generation Alpha during COVID-19, it has also exposed them to witnessing different elements and responding to challenging times in positive ways. Undoubtedly, this unique family time is one positive to have come out of COVID-19, and may mark a shift in some families’ priorities and time allocation into the future.

It is a key role of parents, leaders and teachers to teach and model positive and resilient behaviours where possible. It is also important to ensure that, even amidst change and uncertainty, stable environments are created for the next generation as much as possible to enable them to thrive now and into the future.

Over the coming week, the St Catherine’s staff will continue to provide a stable and calm environment, their familiar face and voice over each MS Teams call, and a genuine source of support for your daughter. With assessment looming in the coming weeks, the girls will have ample revision work and study to keep them busy during the lockdown. The learning at St Catherine’s will continue with a normal timetable in both the Junior and Senior Schools, yet we remain mindful of the potential for increased screen time. Most lessons will commence with an element of explicit teaching, allow for some offscreen working and then a recapture for the final third of the lesson. The students will be required to ensure the following:

  • Be punctual to their lessons at the start of the day;
  • Wear appropriate St Catherine’s uniform, ideally the Sports uniform;
  • Turn their cameras on and blur their background;
  • Students are not permitted to record lessons.

The students have been reminded today to read the Learn@Home Information booklet carefully and to abide by the School’s remote learning expectations. The Remote Learning Code of Conduct, The Learn@Home Charter and the Acceptable Use of Technology Agreement have been included in the booklet.

The ICT Team remain a reliable and important source of support for our families. If students have any difficulty logging on to MS Teams or any other technical issues, please contact icthelpdesk@stcatherines.net.au for assistance. The ICT Team can fix 90% of problems remotely and failing this, will make a time for you to attend school.

I wish to express my many thanks for your ongoing care and support of each other over the coming week. This is an unusual and challenging time, disappointing that we return to lockdown in Melbourne, and I cannot emphasise enough the need to role model a calm and reassuring manner for the benefit and wellbeing of all our students. My message to our School community is to provide kindness, care and support in your engagement with each other.

Mrs Michelle Carroll, Principal