Another spectacular week, congratulations to all students, families and staff. Together, we ensure the learning journey continues uninterrupted. The wellbeing of our community is the absolute priority. This week, we shared some more details within the weekly Assembly to clarify our expectations.
It is important that students do not become overwhelmed with Virtual Learning. School staff will guide students through this process but we also understand that it is a partnership with parents. Nobody knows their children better than the parents. We also know that Seesaw is rich with learning experiences and we present students and families with multiple opportunities to demonstrate learning and continue progressing.
It has never been our expectation that students would complete all activities posted in Seesaw, this is just not sustainable. Virtual School offers us as educators an opportunity to share with families how we carefully craft learning journeys in school. Expectations differ from student to student to ensure a bespoke pathway is created. Teachers and support staff adapt their planning for future learning and are always learning about each individual child, their strengths and areas for further development. Therefore, every piece of work uploaded to Seesaw helps us to create an individualised picture of each students’ attainment, progress and achievement. This will only be an accurate reflection if the student is happy and content.
We know that families appreciate the flexible approach to online learning we have pioneered at ISB. We therefore expect to receive different elements of work from different students at various times throughout the week, this is part of our planned model. Teachers will archive activities so that they are removed from the ‘To Do List’ periodically. A happy child will achieve more and attain higher.
I understand that this can be a tricky balance to strike at home and the temptation could be to try and attempt to reach a ‘finish line’ each week. However, this is not a sustainable model and will lead to ‘burn out’. Where we have individual concerns about the work being submitted, teachers will discuss with parents with sensitivity in order to agree on the best solution for each individual situation.
We are delighted with the levels of engagement and quality of work being received in Seesaw.
This week, we have had a spotlight on Year 4 who have been reading in all sorts of places, creating works of art, retelling the story of Prometheus, making music, hunting for instruments around the house, writing reports, creating stories, designing mythical creatures, experiencing the Paralympics, avoiding lava, challenging themselves mathematically, experimenting and making new friends.
Please ensure that time is reserved for spending time with family. The new House Challenge posted by the House Captains is a wonderful way to ensure this happens.
I look forward to another great week of exceptional learning.
Mr Michael Everett | Head of Primary