Throughout these tough times, Tara has remained open for students who want or need to learn onsite. However, we were aware that many families would opt for an offsite learning offering. Anticipating this, since the commencement of the school year, the School Executive and staff considered many factors when planning to implement our Distance Learning Policy and move to online learning.

• What online platforms and resources will be best for teachers and students?
• What will we expect from our students?
• How will our planned learning experiences need to be modified for online delivery?
• How can we support and communicate with parents and students while the learning is online?
• What are some ways we can balance screen time with time to be active and develop fine and gross motor skills away from a screen?
• How will we maintain a strong sense of connection with our students and encourage them to stay connected and build relationships with their peers?
• What is the best way to engage the very youngest Tara girls in learning when they are only beginning to develop independence in literacy and digital skills? 

Online learning has presented challenges and frustrations but has also provided wonderful opportunities for both staff and students to learn and apply new skills. I have the great privilege of working with motivated, flexible and knowledgeable staff who have embraced the opportunity to present learning in new ways via a variety of online platforms. Collaboration between staff from different departments has aided the transition to, and enhanced the quality of, our online offering. Tara’s IT staff have graciously shared their knowledge, provided unwavering support and inspired professional ingenuity and agility. As Dean of Learning in the Junior School, I have been privy to the rich and creative learning offering across ELC to Year 6. Furthermore, the richness of collaboration between the Junior School staff across classroom, Specialist and LEAP areas has been inspiring. Whilst meeting the needs of girls who attended school and planning an online offering, Junior School staff have engaged in online chats, developed tutorials for each other and delighted in our shared discoveries. This reinforces the fact that we have always viewed ourselves as lifelong learners, something we also encourage in the students. 

Each days’ learning during this online learning period has been thoughtfully and skillfully prepared for students to access through Microsoft Teams. Careful consideration has been given to the content of each lesson, the delivery of instructions, the method for students to share their work and the way feedback will be provided. Materials and resources have been carefully selected to provide explicit instruction, provoke critical thinking and promote student engagement. Many videos created by staff to enhance learning, have been accessed by students during this time of online learning. These videos have included information and instruction on everything from phonics and reading special stories, to tutorials on how to use digital resources and information about different topics.  As teachers, we know that the best feedback is timely and responsive, actionable and useful. During the period of online learning, great care has been provided by staff in giving this kind of feedback to students. Via online platforms such as Teams, Seesaw and Canvas, students have received live verbal feedback, recorded verbal feedback and written feedback from their teachers, with details about what they have achieved in a task and specific suggestions for improvement or revision. Teachers have been able to send a task back for re-working, just as they would within the classroom.

I have taken great joy in following the learning discoveries and accomplishments of our students as they have responded to their daily learning tasks by submitting photos, voice recordings and video footage. There have been so many highlights. Girls in Years 2-6 have grown into more responsible communicators as they learnt to reply to threads within one post, address their teachers formally online, and to only post a relevant question after first thinking independently and having a go at problem solving themselves. Our ELC girls were delighted regularly with photographic updates of their friends’ engagement in numeracy, literacy and play-based learning from home. They ended each day by singing along with a video of their ‘Goodbye Song’ which had been recorded prior to the enactment of distance learning. It can be hard to know what to do when conflict arises when playing with your friends. Year 1 students used their toys to act out their ideas for solving some common playground problems. Year 3 and 4 participated in an ongoing project to create a zoo. They were tasked with designing enclosures, constructing paper animals and planning how to spend a budget of $300 for a family of 4. Latin Samba rhythms must have been filling many houses as the Year 4 students showed their creativity by playing them on household items for their music lessons. Balanced individuals include time for active moments in their day and it was great watching some video footage of the Year 5 and 6 girls demonstrating circuits they had designed for the development of fundamental movement skills in younger students. Online learning provided the chance for students to develop their coding skills through the programs Code Spark, GROK Learning and Minecraft Education. Ordering, directing, building and automation were used to manipulate and create. A beautiful celebration of special people we love was evident in participation across the Junior School in ‘The Gratitude Project’ art making experience, where students photographed hugs. 

While we cannot wait to see every girl back at Tara, we hope we don’t lose all of the wonderful gains and discoveries we have achieved during these tough times.

Travel – when you can’t travel!

This year, the Music Tour was scheduled to fly to New York, Boston and Anaheim. Day two the girls planned to meet their Harlem tour guides and embark on a cultural sightseeing tour of Harlem as well as a church service. Click here for a virtual tour of a Harlem Gospel Church Service, Amazing Grace. 

Students & Staff Online Learning 

Not being in a classroom has been challenging for students and staff. Finding creative ways to stay connected to our students and keep them engaged in learning is an important goal. The Senior School History staff (Mrs Lauren Morgan, Mrs Anika Donato, and Miss Rebecca Brown) have been collaborating to create an inspiring view of history. Mrs Anika Donato, dressed in character as Sir Robert Menzies to bring the topic of the ‘Communist Dissolution Bill’ to life. The series of lessons has proven to be memorable for the students! Well done for great learning! 

Fabulous Family Food

As billions of people around the world face stay at home orders, the shift to family meals has become one of the precious few good things to come out of the pandemic. The lockdown has given the Chauhan family wonderful memories. Arushi spent a lot of time cooking for her family. She did the cooking all by herself. She made pizza, brownies, cookies and almond cake. The most thoughtful gesture was making her Mum a birthday cake whilst she was at work, her mum said “it was the best birthday EVER!” 

Family Activities

Families are being creative and finding ways to entertain and enjoy spending time together. Send us your images of great isolation activities. Ariana ballerina dancing with her little sister Charlotte showing her a few dance moves during isolation. The Moujalli family have taken time out to venture out for street walks, explore the bush, family trainings sessions – very active!

 “Working during a pandemic is something that I can’t imagine any health professional has ever thought of, I know I certainly didn’t. But then all of sudden there we all were not knowing what was going to happen to us, our families and our patients, day by day. As a cancer nurse I am always in awe of my patients, but through the COVID-19 crisis they have taught us more than ever. The positivity they show day in day out coming in for radiation and chemotherapy is just incredible. When the general public was concerned about isolating and quarantining, my patients, some of them extremely ill, would still come in and say thank you to us with a huge smile. They would be the ones to bring us cakes, biscuits, chocolates and even cases of beer, when they couldn’t even see their own families. They would leave home, enter the cancer centre and head straight home again. So the nurses, radiation technicians and the doctors are the only people some people have seen for months now. So for them to take the time out to think of the nurses by baking and cooking for us just makes it all worth it.”

Do you have a story of an Act of Kindness by our community members? Please share it with us at community@tara.nsw.edu.au  

How do these law reforms meet society’s needs at this point in time?

These law reforms allow for the quick passing of legislation in order to manage the coronavirus and attempt to prevent its spread, in the eventual hope of eliminating it. We need a government that can react to changes in society and the situation quickly in order to effectively combat the coronavirus and help society as a whole. This also allows for legislation that supports Australian citizens and the economy in this time of crisis to pass as well, which helps to keep the country running.

How do they protect individual rights?

These law reforms protect individual rights by protecting our right to health and safety, as they have been created to manage the current global pandemic that has put every life at risk all over the world. While it is difficult to maintain these rights, due to the virulent nature of COVID-19, these law reforms provide protection of health and safety through reducing the risk of infection. They provide official orders and guidelines that are authoritative and final, helping to make the way to health and safety clear. They also set up plans for changing operations and routines that have been created with the health of every individual as a top priority, protecting a myriad of other rights.

Are these laws enforceable? How would government enforce them? 

These laws are definitely enforceable. For example, the Health minister is allowed to give any directions that may help limit and prevent the spread of coronavirus. If these directions (laws) are breached, then government agencies such as law enforcement can fine and imprison the offenders, up to several thousand dollars and five years prison time. In the space below write a short response discussing the types of laws that have been changed to address issues relating to coronavirus in Australia. Australia has experienced quite a couple of changes in laws due to COVID-19. Bills have been made and law reforms have passed in order to allow our government to respond to the coronavirus as quickly and effectively as possible. Most of the these new laws and amendments pertain to and affect Australia’s biosecurity, while others have temporarily changed various procedures and the way our society or organisations operate in order to reduce the risk of the coronavirus.

Describe your rights and responsibilities as an Australian during the coronavirus pandemic.

My rights and responsibilities have definitely experienced quite a change during the current coronavirus pandemic. It affects my rights as an individual and societal responsibilities. For example, my rights to freedom have been limited due to social distancing, but this impediment is a social responsibility. I have the right to health, safety, food and shelter, but due to my responsibilities as a member of society, I need to place extra care and consideration when exercising these rights – especially for factors such as food and safety, where it may be difficult to not overly prioritise oneself and avoid actions such as hoarding and bulk-buying basic goods, as well as making sure to stick to what I need and not go out to much. I also have a right to education, but I am responsible for following guidelines issued by professionals and authorities and limiting myself to online learning, which has been carried out in an effective manner for Australian citizens. The right to information has also been upheld by the government, with information about the coronavirus being released regularly, statistics being constantly updated and the information remaining as reliable as possible.

Tara’s entrants this year include a keen group of budding historians from Years 9 to 11 who are exploring a range of topics across a range of media including an interactive virtual museum exhibit on different historical views of the role of Viking Women (Guinevere Fisher, Year 10), a research essay exploring historical perspectives of Robert Menzies’ role as Prime Minister (Na-Young Kim, Year 10), a multimedia website exploring the controversy of Julius Caesar’s leadership style (Alexandra Doubleday, Year 11) and many more. I am looking forward to continuing to work with the girls as they complete their inquiry and develop skills in research, investigation and communication that form a crucial part of both the MYP learner profile and success in their senior years of study.  

So far this term, we have learnt about the spread of Communism with Mrs Morgan, the Petrov Affair with Mrs Awadalla, the Communist Dissolution Bill with Mrs Donato and the ANZUS and SEATO treaties with Miss Brown, with video presentations, quizzes and special teacher role-plays! Being able to review all lessons on CANVAS has been the most helpful aspect – as we are preparing for an upcoming assessment task due in late May. Students are in the process of creating a 4-5 minute podcast featuring an aspect of the Vietnam War they have explored. I can already say I am learning so much!

I am thankful for my teachers in these unpredictable times, as they are still able to provide me with the best possible learning

University of Wollongong HSC Support, online revision sessions. Register now—4 May to 1 July

Students studying for their HSC in 2020 are faced with unprecedented challenges. The University of Wollongong (UOW) is committed to providing additional resources and assistance to help students successfully complete their final year of schooling and transition to tertiary study.

With over 30 FREE subject-specific online sessions, the HSC Subject Support Series is designed to help students improve their knowledge and understanding of key subject content and discover what HSC exam markers and assessors are looking for. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and receive tips and strategies directly from education professionals with years of experience.

https://www.uow.edu.au/study/events/hsc-support-series/

Early Entry Applications for 2021

Early Entry Applications are open for many universities and all have different criteria and timelines. Links to these Early Entry programs are on the Careers Canvas pages available to students.

Applications to ANU Direct Entry and the Tuckwell Scholarship close on 25 May. Students may receive an offer to study at ANU in 2021 on 10 August or in December. Year 12 students applying to ANU are invited to a lunchtime meeting with Mrs Williams on Monday 18 May. 

The next closing dates for Early Entry Schemes are the University of Canberra on 5 July, MQ University’s Leaders and Achievers Round 1, closes on 10 July and University of Notre Dame’s Early Offer Program closes on 31 July.

Year 12 students are being assisted with applications individually and in Careers lessons, this term and in Term 3. All girls are to discuss their application with Mrs Williams prior to submitting it. 

Links to Careers Newsletters, many university and college undergraduate guides 2021, early entry programs with important dates, scholarships, Year 10 Subject Selection events and information, discussion topics and careers search resources etc are on the Careers Canvas page. All students have access to this information. Parents are invited to view this information with their daughters.