Regent Digest - Vol 8 Issue 26

SPECIAL VOLUME 8, ISSUE 26 FRIDAY 24 APRIL, 2020 POINTS OF I N T E R E S T: FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK  Shakespeare Week ear Parents, Wednesday, 22nd April - Friday I would like to thank you all for your patience, understanding and the 24th April 2020 incredible support to the school during these challenging times. So far, we are overwhelmed by the sense of community and engagement from all of you and  Book Week Wednesday, 22nd this is very inspiring and remarkable. This is a whole new experience for all of us and your advice, criticisms and backing over the past few days have been April - Friday 24th April 2020 immensely invaluable.  Year 11 Online Assessments As the Head of school, I am quite aware of the importance of the constructive feedback we receive from you which helps us to understand your situation. We do Monday, 4th May - Friday 15th everything we can to humanly take all of these on board and though some of these May 2020 decisions might be very difficult as we have done recently, however, we take them in the best interest of your children. We only hope that you will continue to trust us  Deadline for the to do the best we can, given the circumstances. The success we have enjoyed over Submission of Entries for the years would never have been possible without yours truly and we will continue Shakespeare & Book week to count on it as resolute partners in this daunting journey. Friday 8th May 2020 INSIDE The current global situation is worrisome in all ramifications – emotionally, THIS ISSUE: psychologically, financially and we are determined to make things work despite all odds. This attests to why our school is envied for its top-notch quality in terms of PFrrionmciTpahle’s Desk 1 - 2 resourcing, facility and educational attainment. Your support through thick and thin over the years has proven very decisive in moments like this. Despite the systemic From the 3 challenges in our clime, we have always pulled through and flown high – This will Editorial Desk be no different. From the 4 Throughout the Easter break, our staff worked relentlessly to get to grips with the Proprietress’ most cutting-edge technology available to online educators and prepare lessons for Desk - virtual teaching and learning. In this short time, we have managed to adapt our In Pictures current classroom resources to ensure they are workable and relevant to remote learning. The first week of term 3 has quickly flown by and more than ever, the LTVeeiraatrcunhaiilnngg and 5 - 12 level of connectedness, passion and dexterity from our students and parents have been second to none. This is a testament that nothing would stand in our way of Feedback from 13 - 15 ensuring that the deliverables are delivered to the 'Regent standard' despite the Students difficulties many are facing. I appreciate you all for calling in to commend and encourage our efforts. OLbuoutct kNeodt DLoocwkned 16 I am truly grateful to all our staff for their resilience and phenomenal work they RTaekspeonsibility 17 - 18 have churned out this week – sometimes even delivering their online lessons from all kinds of interesting places to deliver lessons from their cars, such is Medical Corner 19 their dedication to the cause. Yes, there have been some issues, which once identified, we have dealt with swiftly and with minimum disruption to any learning AWretieskt of the 20 that was due to take place. Our staff have truly burnt the midnight candle to validate and develop new skills through meticulous planning. Reader of the 20 Week QWueoetkation of the 20 STohminekthAinbgoutot 20

PAGE 2 FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK Once again, ‘Thank you’ for prioritising your child(ren)’s education and this cannot be underestimated as it is such a positive reflection. Thank you also for ensuring that your child(ren) attends lessons promptly and that they are being supervised accordingly. With your continued support, I do not doubt that the learning taking place will remain positive and worthwhile throughout this difficult time. We are also conscious of the time spent in front of screens for an extended time and this is why we have advised staff to deliver online broadcasts for only parts and not the whole lesson. All work set can then be completed offline, ensuring students are not fixed to their screens for hours a day as this would adversely tell on their health – If possible, they should use screen glare protectors. From my knowledge of my friends and former colleagues around the world, what we at Regent are offering is pushing forward the way in education and it is something we will most certainly be further developing over the coming weeks. The education we are providing is at least on a par with, if not better than the education being provided anywhere else worldwide under these trying times. How long will we continue with this I have been asked? The only answer I can give is we will continue to learn, adapt and grow through this experience, which will make us more resilient and flexible to the way the world has changed and we will continue as educators regardless of the situation we find ourselves in. We will not relent in providing you with valuable all-inclusive service and we hope that the partnership we have developed over the years will prove decisive at this time. I wish you all the very best of health please adhere to all safety guidelines from the authorities. Stay safe! Mr D. Andrew Williams Respect Responsibility Resourcefulness THE REGENT DIGEST VOLUME 8 ISSUE 26

PAGE 3 FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK hat’s in a word? No, really, what.is.in.a.word??? CORONA? Physicists know it as ‘a glow round a conductor at high potential’. Biologists know it as ‘a part of the body, resembling or likened to a crown’. Architects know it as ‘a part of a cornice having a broad, vertical face’ and, Astronomers know it as ‘the rarefied gaseous envelope of the sun and other stars.’ BUT… …at this present time, type that same word into any internet search engine and you are faced with hazard warnings signs; red triangles with exclamation marks inside of them! Statistics of this and that; doom and gloom…one word; just one word. HOWEVER… There is also one other word; one word and that word is HOPE! To Physicists, Biologists, Architects, Astronomers, whoever you are, whatever you believe in, HOPE means the same thing – ‘a confident expectation of positive outcomes’. AND… that is why the Board, Management and all staff of the Regent Secondary school are working hard to maintain the tempo and the standards that the Regent is best known for, regardless of these unprecedented times. Teachers are teaching out of their cars; students are signing in from all over the world and carrying on with their lessons, Regent is still working. Because we all have HOPE. Even more so, in this holy month of Ramadan, HOPE must be kept alive while we maintain all safety measures, obeying the directives of our various governments, whether you’re in Abuja, London or France. Stay safe. Ramadan Kareem! Happy Reading! Respect Responsibility Resourcefulness THE REGENT DIGEST VOLUME 8 ISSUE 26

PAGE 4 FROM THE PROPRIETRESS’ DESK IN PICTURES We are interested in seeing your pictures of how you are coping with the restrictions imposed on many people around the world. Each week, we will ask you to send in your pictures on a set theme and a selection of these are then published on our In pictures page. So please share your photos of you and your family inside your home. This week’s theme is “At Home”. Interpret the theme in any way you see fit and send your pictures to [email protected]. When taking photos or filming please do not endanger yourself or others, take unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Please include the title of theme in the subject line of your message and remember to add your name and a caption: who, what, where and when should be enough, though the more details you give, the better your chance of being selected. You can enter up to three images per theme. Pictures should be sent as Jpeg files. They shouldn't be larger than 5Mb and ideally much smaller: around 1Mb is fine, or you can resize your pictures to 1,000 pixels across and then save as a Jpeg. This is open to students, parents and staff. Deadline for submitting pictures is Wednesday of every week. I look forward to receiving your pictures. Thank you. Mrs A. Respect Responsibility Resourcefulness THE REGENT DIGEST VOLUME 8 ISSUE 26

PAGE 5 VIRTUAL TEACHING AND LEARNING MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE IN VIRTUAL LEARNING Gardner (2004) saw intelligence as an ability to solve problems or to create products that are valued. Each of us has some of this intelligence; 1. Verbal - Linguistic Intelligence: The ability to use Spoken and Written communications in learning. 2. Mathematical Intelligence: The ability to use numerals, and arithmetical symbols in learning. 3. Musical Intelligence: This involves the application of music to learning. 4. Visual-Spatial Intelligence: Capacity to think of images and pictures to visualize accurately and abstractly. 5. Bodily-Kinaesthetic Intelligence: Ability to process information physically through hands-on activities and body movement. With the ongoing Virtual Learning, teachers have inculcated a combination of activities that require Multiple Intelligences into learning, in a manner that would allow the students to achieve the learning objective. We possess multiple intelligences, which we can easily access to help us think, learn and work smarter during our activities, especially during the virtual learning process. These multiple intelligences, are already inside us just waiting to be tapped. Furthermore, scientific research has shown we all have within us, multiple ways of knowing, multiple ways of learning, of acquiring knowledge and of processing information. Yes, we are all smart in a lot of different ways. -Afekhai, Patrick (Science Department) Respect Responsibility Resourcefulness THE REGENT DIGEST VOLUME 8 ISSUE 26

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PAGE 13 FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS Respect Responsibility Resourcefulness THE REGENT DIGEST VOLUME 8 ISSUE 26

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PAGE 16 LOCKED DOWN BUT NOT LOCKED OUT Following the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the early closure of schools in Term 2, there was a lot of apprehension and anxiety as to what Term 3 would look like. Being a Year 9 student, the lockdown brought with it many setbacks like the cancellation of the Cambridge Checkpoint Examinations which were initially scheduled for the 6th – 8th of April, 2020 and the inability to take ‘Taster’ lessons and conclude the subject choices. I had mixed feelings about these because of the amount of preparation that had been put in place by the school and my friends in Year 9; the significance of the examination, the excitement of finally being able to choose our preferred subjects for IGCSE and what the alternatives would be. Initially I thought this would be a pointer as to what Term 3 would be like. I thought ‘Would I have physical contact with my teachers and friends?’ and ‘How would social-distancing play out?’ Interestingly, The Regent Secondary School is well known for taking proactive measures when situations like these arise. Therefore, it did not come to me as too much of a surprise, when the e-mail about resumption and continuation of the remote learning classes, came through. It has been four days into Term 3 and the remote learning experience has been exciting but with some glitches. The lessons I have had so far have been very insightful. Some lessons came with microphone malfunctions, some were seamless, some were more interactive than others and some were student-facilitated with the supervision of the teachers. Of all the subjects taken this week, French class seemed to be the most seamless because it had minimal complain of microphone malfunctions. Above all, the remote learning has become my new normal and I welcome it with open arms. -Carissa Moses-Saromi (Year 9 Benue) Respect Responsibility Resourcefulness THE REGENT DIGEST VOLUME 8 ISSUE 26

PAGE 17 TAKE RESPONSIBILITY Respect Responsibility Resourcefulness THE REGENT DIGEST VOLUME 8 ISSUE 26

PAGE 18 TAKE RESPONSIBILITY Respect Responsibility Resourcefulness THE REGENT DIGEST VOLUME 8 ISSUE 26

PAGE 19 MEDICAL CORNER FASTING DURING RAMADAN: HEALTH IMPLICATIONS What are the health implications of observ- ing Ramadan under lockdown and during a viral pandemic? Can fasting affect a person's chances of con- tracting the coronavirus? In fact, fasting is believed to be beneficial to the body in a number of ways, including through the effect it has on boosting our im- mune systems. There is also evidence that the ancient Egyp- tians fasted for long periods to purge their bodies of ailments and disease. Perhaps they were all on to something? More recently, studies have shown that fasting can actually have beneficial effects on the immune sys- tem by reducing the amount of general inflammation that can occur in cells around the body. Fasting is thought to put the body into an ‘energy conservation mode’ due to the lack of nutrients coming in. In an effort to save energy, the body recycles many of its old or damaged immune cells, which later promotes the generation of new, healthier immune cells when the fasting period ends. These new cells are quicker and more efficient at fighting infections so overall immunity improves. The key thing that sets a religious Ramadan fast apart from diets that promote weight loss through in- termittent fasting regimes is the abstinence from drinking water. This may make all the difference. While a study has shown that prolonged water fasting beyond 12-24 hours can have a slight detri- mental effect on the immune system, putting you at a slightly increased risk of catching any kind of infection, it also showed that immunity returned to a better state soon, after eating and drinking again. Granted, these studies were not looking at the specific fasting that takes place in Ramadan but sepa- rate studies show that the religious fasting of Ramadan has comparable health benefits to other types of fasting. This comes with the caveat of having a healthy diet in the periods between fasting. Fasts will vary in length depending on where a person lives in the world and what time of year the month of Ramadan falls in, but the evidence suggests that abstaining from both food and water for up to 12 hours can have an overall beneficial effect on your immune system. It is important to stress that the Muslim faith only expects fasting from those who are healthy enough to do so, and fasting must not be used simply as a way to boost your immune system. As this will be our first Ramadan during a coronavirus pandemic, it is impossible to know whether fasting may offer some level of protection against getting the illness itself and, although it is not be- yond the realms of possibility, it is important to stick to the things that we do know work: social dis- tancing, hand-washing, hygiene and self-isolation. -Dr. Amir Khan (NHS Doctor and a UK Senior University Lecturer) Respect Responsibility Resourcefulness THE REGENT DIGEST VOLUME 8 ISSUE 26

PAGE 20 ARTIST OFTHE WEEK Yadav Angad Pranay (Year 9 Benue) READER OFTHE WEEK The reader for this week is Eliman Kassogue (Year 7 Volta) He has read and reviewed the following books;  Therapy Session by Richard Cederberg  The Phantom Dog and Horse by Donald Ryles  Sea of Life by Dawn Anderson  Impasse by Richard Cederberg  Our Children by Caren Nivens QUOTATION OFTHE WEEK “O, let my books be then the eloquence and dumb presages of my speaking breast\" - William Shakespeare (1564-1616) an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. SOMETHING TO THINKABOUT Is lock-down being locked down? Respect Responsibility Resourcefulness THE REGENT DIGEST VOLUME 8 ISSUE 26