By Yuval Israel, Year 9
On Thursday the 9th of December, 2021, Dr. Hughes hosted an online “meet the principal” evening for parents at LGB’s Secondary School. The event, which was the second this school year, was set up to discuss the ULP, learning during a global pandemic, and the well-being of students, as well as answer questions from parents.
The agenda for the evening covered:
- Learning during COVID
- Study skills for students
- Global citizenship education
- Supporting the school community
A brief summary of each of the sections discussed in the evenings is provided below
Learning during COVID
During the past few months, there has been a high risk of COVID in Switzerland, and this is likely to continue for some time. Swiss citizens and residents are required to follow the “Plan de protection” issued by the canton in which they live, and so are schools. Some parents are expecting another lockdown to reduce the spread of COVID, meaning students would have to learn online. Given the current uncertainty, teachers are preparing for a potential lockdown by taking their materials home every night.
Study skills for students
Dr. Hughes discussed how students should study in order to learn in the most efficient manner. When a student needs to prepare for an upcoming exam or quiz, they should have a clean and quiet environment to do so. Further, the best way to improve vocabulary is through reading, and Dr. Hughes suggested every household should own at least 80 books that students could read. If a student is struggling to understand a subject, re-reading notes can be somewhat helpful, but if this fails, a study program to help understand the concept should be developed in coordination with parents.
Global citizenship education
Increasing the integration of global citizenship into school life as part of the ULP has been one of the key goals of the administration this year. Between the 6th of December and the 13th of December, the school held a cultural appreciation week, with each day honoring a different cultural celebration.
The aim of the week was to teach students more about different cultures that are present at LGB. On each day, there was cultural music in the mornings, a video about the origin of the celebration, and traditional food during lunch. Most importantly, during break each day there were festivities such as Bollywood dances for Diwali, breaking the Marmite for l’Escalade, and a dragon dance for Lunar New Year. At the end of the week, students played a Kahoot during mentor which asked questions about the celebrations which had been mentioned in the videos for each day.
Supporting the school community
Dr. Hughes expressed the view that for a strong community, students should have at least one person they can depend on if they have any problems or troubles.
Additionally, every student should have these areas cultivated through school:
- Physiological needs: every person should be able to talk about their problems, troubles and anything that bothers them
- Safety: children should be living in a safe environment
- A sense of love and belonging: children need to feel like they belong in their community and at home
- Self-esteem: children should have confidence in themselves and respect from others in order to succeed in school
- The capacity for self-actualization: students should be able reach their full potentials and use their talents
By hosting the evening, Dr. Hughes made parents more aware of what goes on in the school community and the efforts being made to improve the well-being of students.
