I recently read an article by Matt Cram in the Sydney Morning Herald and it had a defining impact on me as it resonated how I was feeling. Matt referred to the Dutch word that has no English translation – gezellig. It conjures up ideas of coziness, conviviality, simple beauty and contentment with a great sense of shared joy, mutual affection and togetherness. That was how I was feeling to be back at school amongst the staff and students. This feeling I could see, was reciprocated by the students.

Whilst in lockdown, there were some very positive outcomes. One of these was unstructured play and meaningful hands-on educational activities planned by teachers. Lessons were implemented with the support of parents. By incorporating playfulness into everyday tasks like cooking dinner or planting a seed, parents engaged their daughters in learning important skills such as Mathematics and collaboration. These activities also offered the girls a sense of contributing to the household. When children are happy they are easier to manage.

We can celebrate many wonderful outcomes of this second lockdown. It will be a time remembered by all.

As Nina Aberdeen recently wrote in an email:

“I think the girls have learnt such valuable life lessons from their teachers about resilience, adaptability, empathy and patience throughout this home learning experience. They have also undoubtedly gained a newfound appreciation for their school community…. Camilla is ecstatic at the prospect of being reunited with her teachers and classmates on Monday!”

Then during the week:”I didn’t realise how much Camilla had been missing school until I saw her skipping home Monday with the biggest brightest smile ever – she’s just so happy to be back with everyone.”

I think we all agree that the greatest component of our wellbeing is being surrounded by friends and family and the word used in Matt Cram’s article best describes how we are all feeling being back to semi-normal – ‘gezellig’.

—

Some quotes shared by the students in Year 4I:

“With the lead up to Monday, I was so excited and when I woke up, I had butterflies in my stomach.” Olivia Batt

“When I heard we were going back to School, I was out of my mind, blown away. I just couldn’t wait. When I woke up that Monday morning, I had butterflies in my tummy. I was nervous. When I got to school, my body froze solid but when I saw my teacher (Mrs Iacuone) my butterflies faded into ash. I just wanted to hug her and never let go.” India Vasilopoulos

“Coming back to School is great! I can see my friends and now we can play together.” Emily Venema

“On the day we went back to School, I was super, duper excited to see everyone. I can’t wait for everything to get back to normal and go and play outside with my friends.” Carla Martuccio

“My mum was ready for me to go back to School because she was sick of making hot lunches for me every day.” Erena Zhu

“When I woke up, I felt extremely nervous and had butterflies. Once I got into the car to drive my brother to school, I felt quite excited but then, when we were nearing the school, I got super nervous and sad that I would be leaving my mum because I was so used to being around her! I even started to get emotional. After I entered the classroom and saw all the smiling faces of my friends and teachers, I was absolutely fine!” Camilla Aberdeen