The changes brought about by COVID-19 have been far reaching, and the staff here at ABS have experienced the full magnitude of these.
The sunroom of Peter Williams’ house has been turned into a makeshift school, as two of his three children, Amira (7) and Elijah (6) have transitioned to a home school environment. With one in Kindergarten and one in Year 2, encouraging learning to continue has become a priority in the household, with Peter’s wife now wearing the hats of Mum, Classroom Teacher and School Principal!
Elijah turned 6 over the weekend, and was utterly dismayed to find that instead of celebrating with his classmates and friends, he would be celebrating it with just immediate family (though the Lego helped ease this a tad!), although he was able to have a Zoom party to include the grandparents. His younger brother Isiah (4) has perhaps taken to the home school the most warmly, and having known the alphabet already, has taken on some sight words and is proving to be quite the mathematician! Amira is a conscientious student who takes pride in her project work, and with the increased one-on-one time is making some excellent reading and spelling progress. Peter, who prefers not to work from home, has continued to work in his office in the business school, but due to changes this week at Avondale, will now be asked to attempt this from home!
Warrick Long has transitioned to home, using his study with a minimum of fuss. His wife Kerrie, who works for an Aged Care service has also started working from home, so the Long Household is now the hub of two different business. So far the co-workers are getting along well and all with the assistance of technology, can continue to function.
Technology has also added a dimension of fun into the situation, with the video conferencing technology allowing a variety of backgrounds. Warrick, while sitting at his study desk at home, chose the tropical island getaway and dressed the part for one of his Zoom conferences.
Departmental Assistant Diane Smith has also transitioned to home, and is able to support ABS well with the aid of her computer and internet connection.
Abs is still open for business, so feel free to connect with us via our email addresses, office phones (diverted to our mobiles) or send us a Zoom invitation, you never know what background you might find us in.
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