It was fantastic to welcome our Year 12, Year 11 and Year 7 students back to Whitefriars on Monday.

There was a great sense of excitement, anticipation and optimism as each boy walked down the main driveway and headed off towards class to learn. Younger students were wary of what the day may bring considering the change of routine, some Year 11s adjusted uniforms as they greeted staff with a friendly ‘Hello’ and our Year 12s appeared nervous as they were about to embark on a week of VCE Trial Examinations. No matter what the emotion, there was relief, yet more importantly a sense of belonging as our young men returned to school to be with friends and teachers.

The priority for Term 4 as students transition to school will be to:

• continue to progress learning, including extending those who progressed well during the Home Learning Program
• support students to re-establish friendships and class groups when back on-site and provide additional support where needed
• help every student prepare for 2021 with a sense of purpose and optimism
• ensure students continue to develop their literacy, numeracy knowledge and skills, along with building their personal and social capability and encouraging physically activity.

Teachers are again changing curriculum and assessments to ensure congruence with learning and social emotional needs. This will enable them to meet students where they are at with their learning and make further to adjustments to teaching where necessary.

The course modifications will see key concepts delivered. Knowledge will be important for Year 10 and 11 students as preparations are made for their VCE or VCAL pathways in the Senior Years in 2021. In Years 7, 8 and 9, teachers will be skills orientated, particularly on literacy and numeracy.

Provision for opportunities for collaboration and hands-on activities will ensure a hiatus of screen time and enable relationships and communication to be developed.

Relationships are central to our work as teachers this term. The Whitefriars staff will continue to do what they do best and that is to support the wellbeing of each student. The current circumstances heighten the need to check-in with students as to how they are feeling and to re-establish relationships with students within the classroom.

Further communication will be provided in the next fortnight regarding the much-anticipated return of our Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10 students to learn on-site at Whitefriars from Monday 26 October.

Mr Mark Ashmore

Deputy Principal – Learning and Teaching