Teaching and Learning
We have been delighted this week with the incredible efforts made by staff, students and parents to adapt to our new OSL way of working. Whilst we have had a few teething problems it has been a joy to see such creativity and imagination flourishing even in these difficult times. This week has seen all manner of online fayre including Mr Loud’s new PE sessions that easily rival Joe Wicks and Mrs Knight making cookies with her class in a live session.
Whatever your experiences have been this week, and it has been easier or more trouble free for some than others, a huge congratulations! It will take time to get used to OSL and overwhelmingly, there has been the desire to make it work and put as much effort in as possible, so a huge thank you to the staff for being so creative, the students for getting stuck in and the parents for coming along with us and embracing the challenge in true ‘live & learn adventurously’ style.
If you have had frustrations this week, do please contact us on the OSL email oslsupport@sidcot.org.uk so that we can help things to run more smoothly. Please also bear in mind that this style of learning is quite intense and that regular breaks and a variety of tasks will make your learner not just more successful but more likely to learn effectively. Keeping calm and doing the best you can are certainly the best approach, teachers do all understand that it will take time to adapt. We also know that having lots of work all set at the same time can feel overwhelming, so will be working on making this a bit more bite-size and manageable. For everyone, balancing all these new things is hard, and we’re in it together so tell us if there’s anything we can do to help.
Equally, please bear with the staff who are working diligently to have things in place. If you have a query, email the member of staff directly and they will get back to you.
So, now we’ve had our first trial week, I’m really looking forward to seeing what we’ll all come up with next week. It’s been amazing to see what OneNote and Teams can do and we’re all learning a great deal together. Next week we’ll post some more pictures of the things people have been getting up to, and anything of note that your students do, please also feel free to share with us!
Charlotte Resuggan
Assistant Head (Teaching and Learning)
Pastoral Care and Wellbeing
It has been one week since Sidcot closed the physical doors to our school and opened the door to a virtual school community via our Online Supported Learning platform.
I have followed with interest the development of the move to this new way of learning and interacting with each other, a lot of which has been hugely positive and is a testament to the resilience, 'can do' attitude and adventurous spirit of our students and staff. I have also been thinking about what lies ahead and how we will manage this very different way of life, even though hopefully for not too long. One thing is certain, it is more important than ever to make sure we look after our own wellbeing and boost our mental health. The thought of a change in routine, not being able to physically connect with our friends and family, worries about other people's as well as our own health, etc might have a huge impact on how we are feeling. Remember, if you struggle with your emotions and think that your mental health might be affected, be sure to check out the 'Sidcot Wellbeing ' and 'Mental Health Advice' section on the OSL Firefly page. We have been encouraging students to check in with their tutor/Head of Year and tutor group via Microsoft Teams daily and it has been wonderful to see that students and teachers alike have relished the opportunity to connect, problem solve some problems and also enjoy a bit of humour together. The (virtual) door to pastoral and wellbeing support remains open for all our students and there are plenty people still around to help.
Veronika Chidemo
Assistant Head (Pastoral Care and Wellbeing)
IT Briefing
Since working from home for lessons etc. our Microsoft Teams usage has gone up with 330%! therefore to support this huge successful increase we have started to create a suite of short films and guides to support you at home that will be on Firefly (see link).
Guides will also be added for you. Please consult this webpage first should you have any issues: https://intranet.sidcot.org.uk/online-supported-learning/it-support
If your child has any problems please encourage them to email itsupport@sidcot.org.uk from their school email, if you as a parent require support please email itsuppot.parents@sidcot.org.uk
Please be reminded that students can obtain Microsoft Office software for free using their school email address and password. All they have to do is visit www.office.com and press install. Students are contacting teachers and having lessons through Microsoft Teams and completing their work on Microsoft OneNote. Teachers can then mark and feed back and further support your child’s online learning through OneNote. Finally, the first port of call to see set work is on Firefly (Tasks).
James Russell (IT Development Director)
Matthew Curtis-Dyke (Assistant Head Co-ordination)