Back to School - 2020 Term 3

Gavin, intro voice or played clip · [01:12]Staff and teachers are back at school on Monday the 31st of August. Children return on the 1st of September. What does returning to school look like in term three of 2020?

Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [01:22]Back to school in term three is going to be back on campus, but in staggered cohorts. As we've mentioned in the past, we alluded to this, we're definitely going to be implementing the cohorts now. Unfortunately, despite dropping down to level two, as schools, we haven't yet received any kind of direction, in terms of scaling down the safety precautions and protocols. and what that looks like is, is really pretty simple. We've split the children into four cohorts. Cohort one is grade four to seven, cohort two is grade eight to nine, cohort three is grade ten and eleven, and cohort four is really our high-risk online children, and that's children who have had major technical challenges at home and a, and a multitude of other things. tomorrow the parents will be sent an email that gives a lot more detail on those cohorts, and they'll see their children's names in that email, so they know exactly which cohorts their child falls into. How we're going to be doing it is, and this is one of the things we did give quite a lot of thought to, should we bring children back two days a week, three days a week, what is in their best interest in the, in that regard? And what we decided was to make it valuable and meaningful for the, for the children, we should really be bringing the cohorts back for a week at a time. So in that email that the parents receive tomorrow, they will see which weeks of the term their child will be on campus.

Gershom Aitchison, host · [02:52]So what that looks like is we'll be starting term three with the same timetable as we ended with last term, which means cohort number one, grade four, five, six, and seven will be on campus on Tuesday morning, as well as cohort number four, which is the high-risk online learners who will be joining us every day.

Gavin, intro voice or played clip · [03:08]So before the phones ring and go crazy, what other information will be in tomorrow's mail?

Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [03:13]Well, the other information that parents really need to have at this point is really important information is all the safety precautions and procedures that need to be followed for the children to be on campus. And it's pretty extensive. It is a long, email. It's a long list of things that people need to go through, and I really, really encourage parents to take the time to read that email with their children, because more than anything else, what we're, what we're really talking about at this point is, is a bit of social responsibility. Our ultimate objective right now is to keep the campus open. We need to make sure that these procedures are followed to the letter. They are there from the health department for a very, very good reason. As soon as they aren't followed, we are jeopardizing the health of teachers and other children, and ultimately, we're jeopardizing their ability to keep the campus open, which obviously really affects the matrics who are starting their prelims and finals now. So I really, again, to reiterate, please, parents, take time to read that email with your children so that they are fully With what is expected of them on campus and that everyone is in the picture.

Gershom Aitchison, host · [04:18]These protocols and processes we've been using for the last seven weeks, it's done very, very well, and we haven't had any instances of COVID or any scares, and it's been very effective. So they may be quite onerous, but they are very, very effective. And I think, if anything, they might look a little over the top, but they do work. So really, to echo what Jax is saying, let's just follow them to the letter, please, because it does help with everybody's safety. It keeps the school open, which is ultimately what we want to do.

Gavin, intro voice or played clip · [04:48]The phrase we hear people using at other schools is blended learning. What does that mean, and how is Edu Inc dealing with term three?

Gershom Aitchison, host · [04:54]Blended learning traditionally meant using technology in the classroom as well as using pen and paper. But in the context of COVID and learning from home, It means using technology in the classroom that gives access to people who are not in the classroom electronically, as well as using the traditional classroom method. A lot of schools are exploring this at the moment, primarily because if a child is in quarantine, for example, for fourteen days but is not ill, that they're still able to access the work that needs to be done, and they can still keep up with their work. So we've formulated a plan on rolling out some blended learning in the classrooms. It's not very easy, and it's going to be quite experimental to start with, so I would encourage parents, kids, and, and teachers to be patient while we're doing it, but we have a very fair idea of where we're going to go with it, and I think it's going to be quite effective by the time we get to the end of it. It's not an excuse not to be in class. It's there so that we can manage circumstances and situations that are beyond our control.

Gavin, intro voice or played clip · [05:56]Something that appears to have brought joy to many children is not wearing school uniforms and not having to shave because faces are hidden behind masks.

Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [06:03]Well, I think there are going to be a few disappointed children as they come back to campus because a few of the boys will have to have haircuts for the first time since March, and some of that pink hair will have to disappear. As we mentioned previously, we are not going to insist on school uniforms for the remainder of the year, but wearing civvies does not mean we're throwing the entire uniform code of conduct out the window. So the children will still have to adhere to the hair policy, the jewelry policy, everything else still applies, and we do expect them to be neat and tidy. We don't want pajamas and, and general scruffiness as they come onto campus. We just want to, to make things as easy as possible for the parents when it comes to the regulations on keeping the clothing clean. Kids are going to see things in tomorrow's email like they may not be wearing beanies, scarves, bandanas, savannas, et cetera. In other words, all the things that kids are touching and then possibly dropping and leaving behind. So all of those little things that they were using to hide the pink hair, long hair, et cetera, et cetera, I'm afraid those are out of the window.

Gershom Aitchison, host · [07:03]Yes, some of the boys, as you mentioned, Gavin, who have grown full beards, are going to have to, apply razor blades to their faces again, as we will all have to climb out of our caves and become sociable again, no more troglodytes, and, and, and looking less furry, as it were. The bottom line is, even though we're not wearing uniform, that we still neat and tidy, and we represent our school well enough.

Gavin, intro voice or played clip · [08:13]So it's sounding a little bit more like we're approaching some semblance of normality, but we have heard stories of second waves of infection and lockdowns in other countries.

Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [08:22]That is exactly why we need to maintain our vigilance as we go back to campus. The numbers may be coming down, our lockdown levels may be dropping, but that doesn't mean that our vigilance should drop too. We need to be careful. We don't want any second waves. We don't want to be putting anybody into danger. So let's just do what we need to do and have some fun while we do.

Gershom Aitchison, host · [08:44]As a school and as a, and as a staff, we are still dedicated to our ultimate goal, which we started out with, and that is that our students have a meaningful school year. So if they've done the work and they're prepared for it, that they'll be promoted to the next grade next year, and that our assessments in whatever form are meaningful so that we can do that. And I think the plan for term three Extends on that commitment that we started, on the 16th of March and that we saw through last term, and it's something that we will have to play by ear as we go into the new term.

Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [09:16]I am really, really looking forward to seeing everybody back on campus, as well as we've done online. It's just not the same as having those kids in class at school. They really are the soul of the whole place. Something to really look forward to.