The year 2020 has definitely been one that we will remember. A worldwide pandemic which involved students working and learning from home will be a huge part of that, however, we also want to take thoughts and memories of the positive experiences and events of this year with us into 2021.
There has been a wide range of great experiences within the school, some of which have been a direct result of the changes and restrictions of 2020. In the Primary School, students have had opportunities to engage in their usual classroom learning programs along with the many other co-curricular and academic opportunities. This included Athletics Carnivals for Kinder to Year 6 and a Swimming Carnival for our Year 3-6 students. The participation and involvement at these events was outstanding. We had 11 Athletics school records broken and many students successfully represent Calvin at Huon and Channel Carnivals. We had 102 students represent the school outside school hours in soccer, basketball, futsal and indoor cricket.
“We had 102 students represent the school outside school hours!”
I remember multiple conversations with people outside the Calvin community commenting on the sportsmanship and role modelling of our students at these events. We also heard many stories of success and improvement in our weekly Line Up sessions. Our sporting achievements and participation was showcased in an outdoor assembly, in which we were blessed with good weather making this possibility a more regular occurrence in the future.
Students were able to practise their musical talents in our weekly music lesson and individual piano tuition throughout the year. This was all showcased in our annual Music Assembly, which due to gathering restrictions was filmed and made available to our parent community. This gave families the opportunity to keep and re-watch these items, especially those who can’t usually make it to our daytime assemblies.
Although we weren’t able to have camps this year, our Year 3-6 students undertook a range of activities that took their place. This included a trip to Port Arthur, rafting, rock climbing, crate climbing, roller skating, beach days, surfing, a ropes course and a day trip to Blue Lagoon campsite. Seeing the excitement and positive chatter after these events was encouragement that students were having positive experiences and gaining life long memories from these events.
“We had 75 students who received credits in these tests, with 48 receiving distinctions or higher.”
Throughout these experiences, students were also engaging in a strong academic learning program within the classroom. We continued our involvement with the University of New South Wales International Competitions and Assessments for Schools testing (ICAS), receiving many positive results. We had 75 students who received credits in these tests, with 48 receiving distinctions or higher, including 5 students winning medals for the best score in Tasmania! These medals will be awarded at the Final Assemblies on Tuesday 15 December.
As you can see, although 2020 has been a very different year in many ways, students have still been able to engage in a range of positive and memorable experiences, and the examples above are only from the Primary School. I encourage you to take the time to look at the positives that have come out of 2020 as we head into the busy season of Christmas and holidays. In 2020, we have learnt and reinforced that we cannot always be in control and we will encounter times of challenge and adversity, but as Romans 8:28 says “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purposes for them” (NLT).
Andrew Nash – Head of Primary