Week 4 Newsletter - Braeside High School

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We have come to the end of week four. This has been a very eventful week with schools resuming physical learning.

Resumption of Physical Learning

It is always exciting having everyone operate from school. Braeside can never be the same without the voices of the Braestars and their various activities, be it in class, on the field and even in their interactions. Monday morning looked like a rebirth of the school. We appreciate you, parents, for your act of confidence in availing your children for physical learning. They are happy to be back to school. It has not been easy for most of them, learning remotely.

Exams

Our candidates continue to exhibit a great sense of resilience as they tackle one paper after the other. We appreciate you parents for availing them on time for their exams. Most of the papers have been done so far, however, we encourage each candidate to treat the last papers with the keenness we started with. It is our hope that they will stay focused up to the end.

Year 9 Transition to Key Stage 4

A lot of focus and determination is being witnessed among the year 9.5 students as they settle in the KS4 subjects. Their interest in learning is quite impressive. It is our hope that each one of them is enjoying what they chose and that they will settle down fully before moving to year ten. It will be good for them to know that all subjects are meant to help one realize their personal dreams. One only needs to concentrate and get the best out of their choices.

After School Activities

You may realize that our students have missed out on the activities that make them love school. Now that we are back to physical schooling, we resume our after school activities as from next week. They will be on voluntary basis and will strictly adhere with the COVID 19 protocols. The following activities will be happening after school: Clubs, Athletics/fitness, Netball - netball drills, Rugby- rugby drills only - no contact play or game.

If your child is involved in any of the activities, we request you to make arrangements to pick them by 4:45pm. For those on school transport, we shall have late bus.

Reflections from the Braestars

‘‘Online school was a lot harder for me and I wasn’t able to socialise with my friends. Coming to school has made me happier, made me improve on my grades and I have lots of fun’’. Bella O. Year 7N

‘‘Well, to say the least, it was quite the term in the beginning. I thought I would finish my first year in High School at home but thank God I’m here in school. Coming to Year 7 physically is not quite what I expected. I was expecting to be able to use lockers and ask my parents for money to buy break at the canteen, but when you are in a global pandemic, you’ve got to lower your expectations.

Unfortunately, I could not hug my friends and play sports like hockey. To be perfectly honest, wearing a mask all day is hard. It’s never been so hard to breath. One thing I enjoyed in school was group work but we will not be doing that anymore. Even though it is a big change, I am still grateful to be in school’’. Emily M. Year 7C

‘‘Online classes were less social because we were behind the screens and did it not feel like physical learning. When we came back to school, it was better because we switch classes and I was happy to see my friends again’’. Savannah D. Year 7N

‘‘This week has been extraordinary and fun. We all enjoyed as we got to meet our classmates again and our teachers. It is so much better than RTL as we get to see and listen to our teachers, classmates and being back in school has helped us appreciate everyone more. Everyone feels safe because of all the precautions that are taken’’. Mya W. Year 7S

‘‘Learning in this Corona period is hard as you never know who has the virus or not. I am glad to continue with my education both physically and virtually and after all, I am brave’’. Joshua M. Year 7C

‘‘Compared to RTL, I think that physical school is much more fun and so far, my week has been great’’. Ayannah H. Year 7K

‘‘Remote learning has an effect on student performance due to the fact that at the click of a button, one could go to YouTube and other sites and teachers would not be aware of what the student is doing. I prefer physical learning because there are less temptations. Physical learning is better because the teacher and the student have a connection. Teachers will know who is having a problem with a certain topic or concept. Teachers have an opportunity to help the student understand. Students also enjoy the interaction. Instead of being alone, they have fun and play with friends’’. Collins S. Year 8K

‘‘Physical learning is better than online because you are able to see your friends and communicate with them more. Online has a lot of distractions that makes it hard to concentrate while staying on the screen for long hours for classes and homework. However, this has made us discover a new way of life and made us know that anything can change’’. Olive K. Year 8C

‘‘Physical learning is more advantageous to me as it makes concentration, communication and interaction with teachers and friends easier. Online has it’s own concerns like technical difficulties’’. Nardos G. Year 8S

‘‘I prefer remote learning because I don’t need to wake up early, meet traffic and attending to lessons without interruption from other students; unfortunately there is too much homework’’. David H. Year 8S

‘‘Physical learning is better than online because during the online classes, I find it hard to concentrate and staying on the screen for long hours becomes boring. It is also easy to cheat during exams period by googling answers’’. Julio F. Year 8S

‘‘This one week of physical learning has been much more productive than weeks of online school because the distractions are less and friends motivate you to do good work. This week also showed me the importance of teachers physically talking to us as it creates more interaction. Even though we are still afraid of who will get Covid, the school has handled that with very strict protocols’’. Jeremy N. Year 9K

‘‘Coming back to school has been exciting and interesting at the same time. Online school had a lot of distractions and downfalls for example internet issues but the teachers were very patient and understanding. They would repeat and repeat till we understood. Being back to physical school has been amazing. There is something about learning with your peers that makes class more interesting and productive. Although we all have fears such as what if I get Covid, I think it has been handled well. It has been great to see my teachers and peers again’’. Aparna N. Year 9S

‘‘This one week of school that we have been back physically has been more interactive than when we were online. I have been able to communicate better with my friends and my teachers. My understanding of every subject I chose is now better’’. Nathaniel M. Year 9C

Have a nice weekend.

Regards,

Mr. Wellington Andati

Deputy Headteacher - Academics