I saw the new Where's Wally book last week – the COVID-19 version. Wally is at the beach and as you've probably guessed, he is the only one there. Like Where's Wally, we've had to make some changes. As I mentioned last week, COVID-19 will bring its changes and two changes in the Middle School I want to mention are the Middle School Drama Production and the Year 8 Community Project.
The decision about the Middle School Drama Production of 'Kicker Thompson' was an easy one. Faced with either to cancel or shift, we've decided to shifted it into the final term; Week 6B to be precise. There is a lot on in the final term of a year. In most cases we'd be looking to declutter, but we're following the mantra of 'bite off more than you can chew and then chew like mad' and hoping to deliver a sensational personal developmental opportunity and experience for the boys. Auditions are likely to be late this term with rehearsals commencing next term.
The Year 8 Community Project has also had to have a rethink. The Community Project centres on the opportunity to collaborate with other peers and to deliver a service project within the community. COVID-19 took a big chunk of time from our Year 8's opportunity to plan and set up their project, and the restrictions placed on many community organisations has meant a 'back to the drawing boards' restart for quite a number of our Year 8 teams.
The Community Project will now move from a collaborative group of three project to an individual project that focusses on two aspects: a skill to be learnt by the student and an action that contributes to the welfare of the community or a member of the community. The three phases of the Community Project (Planning, Action and Refection) have been edited to allow this group of Year 8s the opportunity to complete their culminating project of the MYP, meet the requirements to receive a MYP certificate as well as experience in a real sense, albeit working on their own, the importance of service to both the recipient and to our own sense of worth and wellbeing. The Community Project Showcase is still scheduled for Week 10 Winter Term.
JPSSA/PSA Sport
Sport training resumes this week in a modified format.
Year 6: Thursday afternoon during normal JPSSA fixture time
Year 7 & 8: Wednesday after school training only at Scotch College playing fields and Friday afternoons during normal PSA fixture time
Fixtures are four weeks away yet. Most up to date details are at the Scotch Sports page which you can access here.
Traffic, Cars, Bikes and Parking
With a close to full return of students to school, managing traffic and the safe movement of students to and from the College will once again be one of our daily challenges. Each sub- school is writing to families this week about traffic flow as it pertains to their campus. For Middle School please help us and follow these regulations:
- Middle School boys are not to be dropped off at Mackellar Hall via the Stirling Road access way. This is a Junior School pick up and drop off zone only.
- Middle School's pick up and drop off is at the Gooch car park or the Kiss & Drop Off at the end of Stirling Road
- Please do not park and drop or park and wait on Shenton Road verges and have your son try to dodge the traffic each way. It seems crazy to have to point this out but it happens every day!
- Please do not enter the Middle School Staff car park in Saunders Street at all. Morning and afternoon this is a heavily trafficked pedestrian area for Junior School, Middle School and boarding students.
- Please do not enter the Year 7, 8 & 9 Boarding car park. This is a walkway for the 60 students who live in this area and access for the Residential staff who arrive for work at 3:15pm.