The learning which has been going on at Our Lady of the Nativity Primary School, Lawson, has been “astronomical” according to its Principal Lisa Samojlowicz.
The school has been navigating its way around technology and social media to get the best outcomes for staff, students and parents.
“We are getting in touch with our technical side and working our way around Google Classroom, Zoom Meetings and social media. In fact, I started a daily Facebook Live post which has been going really well. Our reach has just skyrocketed,” Mrs Samojlowicz said.
“Initially we started organising our remote learning plan for K to 6 around what will work best for the parents. We also set up classrooms for parents to have access to learning materials. However, what we have found, for students in Stages 2 and 3 is that they were interacting with the online platforms more than the parents. For students in Kindergarten and Stage 1, parents were more interactive. We are now making adjustments to our learning approach heading into Term 2,” she said.
So far the teachers’ feedback has been very positive with many excited about the new learning approach getting a sense of satisfaction when they master a new learning program.
Parents have also embraced the change. “When it first happened we organised for resource packs to be picked up from outside the school. Everyone was so grateful before they had even opened them up to see what was inside,” Mrs Samojlowicz said.
“We have even had one parent who runs a homemade business in soaps donate a whole heap to the school to help us keep the children’s hands clean with the hygiene rules which are in place.”
However, one thing Mrs Samojlowicz didn’t expect when doing one of her daily Facebook LIVE posts, was to have one of the school’s cheeky goats, Justin, decide to have a nibble at her hair.
“We have two resident goats here at Our Lady of the Nativity, Debbie and Justin. I think I may have got a bit too close to their enclosure when I was reading and Justin decided to really chomp down on some of my hair!” Mrs Samojlowicz said.
“For me, the Facebook Live posts is my way of checking in with the school community, as our teachers are already engaging with their students remotely.”
Another way Mrs Samojlowicz engages with her students is by continuing the Birthday card tradition. Now with everyone at home, she delivers the cards and treats to the birthday boy or girl’s mailbox and gives them a shout out during her Facebook Live posts too.
With thanks to Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta.
