At the end of the last term, we began to anticipate possible school closures, but now that we are here working in this virtual space it seems like a whole new world. We are communicating and working online more independently than ever. Such a steep learning curve for all of us…some of us feeling excited, some of us feeling overwhelmed, some confused; and most of us feel a combination of emotions in any given moment!
Our connections with families have been positive. While we attempted to prepare students and continue to audit remote learning needs, there will be further adjusting and adapting ahead. These adjustments need to work for the demands and needs of your family and it may take a few weeks to find a new rhythm, but please know we are here to support you in whatever ways we can.
A few families have asked about experiences such as debating or collaborating on tasks. As we settle in and build our skills and confidence around online communication we will reintroduce many of these opportunities. While we have not set a specific collaborative task we encourage those individuals who feel ready, to collaborate on their Personal Project: Curiosita. This is a perfect opportunity to share resources, passions, and skillsets. Your family will need to consider
- what are the safest social platforms to use
- when you will use them
- where you will use them
- who you will use them with
- what expectations need to be agreed on while using them
- what to do if you feel unsafe or something/someone unexpected appears in these spaces?
These are vital conversations to begin as children begin to acquire their own devices and work in increasingly independent ways.
Given the vast differences in our learning community currently, we are excited to witness and share in the groundswell of rediscovered interests and exploration of new hobbies. We are observing families who are baking, knitting, gardening, redesigning/reorganising their interior spaces, learning/practicing instruments, hosting performances…some of you are eagerly taking up challenges! The photos and emails have been greatly appreciated and have helped maintain our community connections. We have been so impressed we have begun to include this evidence as ‘inspiration’ to be documented in our Project Curiosita files in Google Classroom, experiences that can inspire our personal projects or community investigations.
On a different note, we warmly welcome back Kitty and her family to PHPS! Now more than ever, our new families will need invitations to join ‘groups’ to become involved and stay connected. As part of this week’s provocations, we are looking forward to seeing what ideas you have found or established to stay connected…