@TheRegentCollege Vol 4 Issue 2

@TheRegentCollege VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 FRIDAY, 18TH SEPTEMBER, 2020 EDITORIAL FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK It’s been a fulfilled week of virtual teaching and learning at TRC as Dear Parents and Guardians, serious academic activities have Greetings from the Regent College Online. We are pleased with the ease started. Teachers and students were with which our students have settled down, also that classes in all depart- able to engage themselves mean- ments have taken off. ingfully on-line with every ounce of Every aspect of our day to day processes that we can replicate will be pre- energy and resourcefulness. sented online to boost the vibrancy of the online engagements of this pe- In this week’s edition of riod. Students are expected to attend all classes, if there is any good rea- @TheRegentCollege, we celebrate son why they cannot they must send a prior mail to their subject teachers. the Regent School, Abuja @20. As stated in our regulations 95% attendance is required for a student to What a journey of academic great- be allowed to write exams in our college. ness! This edition is also rife with We had a webinar with parents on Friday 11th September. A recording of health tips on how far a sneeze or the webinar has been sent to you as well as the principal’s notes on the cough can travel. Such are still tips agenda that was discussed for clarity. We have standards of behaviour are valid even as the dreaded that we expect of our students one of which is a dedication to their stud- COVID-19 lingers on with its at- ies. This being a tertiary stage of learning, we ask that parents partner tendant effects. with us in requiring our students to take ownership of their academics and Expect as usual, messages from the not wait for anyone to prompt them before they study or do assignments Principal, Heads of A-Level and because deadlines must be met as scheduled. There is a penalty for not Foundation Programmes and from meeting a deadline which our students must avoid for them to end up the new Head of OSSD Programme. with good grades. Thank you. We see this stage as one in which we need to work hand in hand with Aondo-Aver Ajio parents to guide and support our students in developing the academic and Editor behavioural habits that will result in the successful navigation of their uni- versity years. Please rest assured that we will call upon you should the IN THIS ISSUE: need arise for us to jointly attend to an issue. Let us also re-assure you From The Principal……...………...……….3 that many students get it right from the onset and for such students we HOD’s Report……………………....………..4 work on their confidence and build on their latent abilities. Rosedale Teachers’ Training….….…….5 Thank you for entrusting us with the responsibility of playing these key Class in Session……………………..…….….6 roles in the academic journeys of our students. OSSD Programme.………………….……….7 Webinar with Parents………………….8-9 Yours sincerely, Medical corner …………………………….10 C.I.Ebiai (Mrs) Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 4 HEAD OF DEPARTMENTS REPORT Advanced Level & Advanced Subsidiary Programme Report The A-Level programme started with introductory classes after the orientation week. Although students had issues with clashes in their subjects on the time table, this has been resolved. Due to the subject combination of students for the Advanced Subsidiary programme students are bound to have subject clashes but the school has the policy to resolve this within the second week of resumption. Presently, all class lessons are done online and are properly monitored for compliance with the school rules and policies. Every class features enriching lesson contents that keep students engaged using online technology tools. All teachers have been trained to use online tools to deliver Cambridge Assessment In- ternational Examination (CAIE) syllabus contents. As the second week of academic activity winds up, the academic rigour established by the school will commence with the weekly assessments of students next week. These assessments aim at preparing the students for the 2020/2021 Cambridge International Examination. Students will be monitored on their ac- ademic performance weekly to provide the necessary assistance needed for them to improve on their strengths and weaknesses. The assessments will be conducted online and students are expected to ad- here strictly to the core values of the College by taking responsibility for their actions before, during and after each class and weekly assessments. As students attend classes from their homes, we will appreciate the assistance of our esteemed parents in providing the necessary facilities for their wards for them to achieve their desired goals. Awonusi Babatunde HOD Adanced subsidiary and Advanced Level Programme. Foundation Programme Report With the orientation programme over, students and teachers have since commenced academic work. Since, we were ready for both physical and virtual teaching, the transition was very smooth. Google Meet has been our main medium of teaching. This has been supported by Google Classroom and WhatsApp groups. Still basking from the benefits of the Google for Education training, and considering the fact that assessments can only be done virtually, Google Forms, Docs, Slides and Classroom are being used to administer tests and collect information from students and teachers. Other platforms includes Canvas, Google Drawings, MS Word and a host of other virtual tools and plat- forms. Students’ response, in terms of attendance has been very good so far and we hope to sustain the measures that have made this possible. Thank you. Michael Monday Business teacher/Head, University Foundation Programmes. Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 5 ROSEDALE TEACHERS’ TRAINING The ongoing Teacher Training Programme is an intensive and all-inclusive exercise that provides an excel- lent training opportunity for our team of educators to leverage the highly engaging content of Rosedale’s moodle learning platform. Teachers are being mentored and trained on current 21st-century learning strategies needed to deliver the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) programme, based on the On- tario model of education. The rich curriculum content coupled with live interactive sessions of the 4-week long training has been a source of inspiration and guide as teachers carefully modelled and role-played some of the strategies to enrich students’ learning experience in The Regent College. These strategies include, but are not limited to, 3 step interview, Think-Pair-Share, Inside/ Outside Circles, Four corners, Timed retell, Carousel brain- storming, and cooperative/collaborative learning. To effectively participate in Think-Pair-Share, for instance, there is a need for learners to develop skills of active listening, taking turns, asking for clarification, paraphrasing, considering other points of view, sus- pending judgment, and avoiding put-downs. Students become proficient in working in larger groups as they develop confidence and enhance their skills in speaking and listening. Two teachers at a “Think—Pair—Share” session. Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 6 CLASS IN SESSION Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 7 ONTARIO SECONDARY SCHOOL DIPLOMA (OSSD) PROGRAMME At the start of the 2020/2021 academic session, the Board and Management of The Regent College took another bold step to launch a Canadian University pathway; the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) programme. Among its very many benefits, The Regent College OSSD programme affords students who opt for it the privilege of having a Canadian student number generated and a file opened for them in Ontario, Canada, even though they are studying here at The Regent College. In this way, they are recognized and afforded the same conditions and opportunities as students studying on the ground in Canada. What’s more, they gain admissions into top Canadian, American and UK universities among others. In preparation for the smooth take-off of the OSSD programme, teachers are now rounding off an inten- sive four-week training programme. Since its commencement, teachers have spoken in one voice about the training, confessing to its enormous skill set benefits. Some teaching and learning approaches that seem very popular with teachers include: ‘think, pair share’ and ‘four corners’. Some completed tasks by TRC teachers are currently on display online as model examples for other trainees around the world. Thus far, the OSSD Programme has opened with a total of eight (8) students and counting. With classes already begun, students have been sharing their delightful experience so far. After an English class, Faiza Halima Gebi remarked in a feedback that the class “…was very informative and interactive J”, while Angel Obinna Uzo noted that it “…was inspiring and engaging J”. With the kind support of the Board and Management, everyone in the OSSD department is determined to ensure that our students are not just provided a Canadian university pathway, but that they are chal- lenged through high order thinking skills (HOTS) to take the lead everywhere they go. Timothy Hyua, HOD, OSSD Programme, English and Lit. in English Teacher Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 8 WEBINAR WITH PARENTS: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PRINCIPAL’S PRESENTATION The Regent College, Abuja, held her maiden Webinar for the session, 2020/2021, with parents of the new admitted and old students. The webinar took place on Friday, 11th September 2020 with the Principal, Mrs. Christiana I. Ebiai as the host and presenter. She welcomed everyone who was able to hook onto the programme to the webinar and rolled out the plans and expectations of the College for the year. Below are some of the highlights of the Principal’s presentation: Introduction of College Management Staff Members of staff heading the various departments were introduced to parents accordingly:  Foundation – Mr. Michael Monday  Cambridge A-levels – Mr. Babatunde Awonusi  OSSD Canadian University Pathway – Mr. Timothy Hyua  Activities – Mr. Olusoji Ayadi  Registrar/Head of Admin – Mr. Lawrence Olarubofin  Resident Doctor – Dr. Sayo Chukwudili Core Values (Responsibility, Respect, Resilience) The three standards of behaviour we expect in our students: Responsibility - Being accountable for their Academics, obeying college rules and regulations, Time con- sciousness, Regular Attendance, Obey college rules and regulations. Respect- They should have regard for other people’s feelings, rights, opinions, belongings. There should be mutual respect among students and in teacher/student relationships. Resilience- Being able to quickly recover from difficulties. Being able to spring back from curve balls that life may throw at you. Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 9 WEBINAR WITH PARENTS: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PRINCIPAL’S PRESENTATION CONTD. Rules / Regulations and Parents Role  Dress Code Tops – light blue, baby pink, white, black, grey Skirts/Trousers – Navy blue and Black No black on black Use of Phones – In- Class, they are to be submitted to the teachers as they walk in. Online- Please col- lect their phones especially during tests and exams. Online and In-Class Attendance – 95% minimum attendance before a student is allowed to write ex- ams. Use of the School’s Student Lounge- Only during short break, lunch hour and at the end of the day. Free time during lecture hours should be spent in the library or reading rooms. Adhering to COVID-19 Regulations on Full Resumption- Full adherence required for everybody’s good. Internet Usage Policy- We have firewalls that block risky sites in the college. We advise parents to ex- plore this to avoid negative learning online. Academic Rigour – This is expected for there to be good outcomes. We believe hard work gives good outcomes. Academic Probation – cut off mark 65%, when a student falls below this cut-off mark we place such a student on academic probation and arrange intervention classes until the student rises to an acceptable and stable grade above 65%. Academic Honesty – No plagiarism and malpractice, there are strict penalties for these offences. Mentorship – We attach students to teachers to act in loco parentis on behalf of parents. All students have a one hour mentorship meeting with their teacher mentor every Friday between 12 noon and 1PM weekly. Certification for Duke of Edinburgh Program /Co-Curricular Activities – The Regent College has been approved to run the Duke of Edinburgh programme. Outdoor Activities- Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Swimming Indoor Activities- Table-Tennis, Cookery, Dance, Chess, Monopoly, Scrabble, Ted talks. Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 10 MEDICAL CORNER How Far Does A Sneeze or Cough Travel? Most people tell you to cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. That’s good advice, but it’s also an advice many people don’t listen to. They sometimes turn their head and then sneeze in another direction or sneeze to the ground. But how far can the germs from your sneeze and cough travel? The truth is, contagious germs can spread further and faster than you may think, way faster. A sneeze shoots out of your mouth in the form of moist, germ-infested sheets. Once those sheet hits the air, it expands, breaking up into snotty strings, then a series of different-sized droplets all trapped in a turbulent gas cloud. Researchers at the University of Bristol assessed the airborne survival of bacteria in aerosol droplets from coughs and sneezes. They found the average sneeze or cough can send around 100,000 contagious germs into the air at speeds up to 200 miles per hour. The most critical time for spread of those germs, according to the re- searchers, is in the first few minutes after a sneeze or cough occurs. While aerosols that carry the germs eventually drop to the ground, that takes time. These germs can carry viruses, such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and adenoviruses, which cause the common cold. They can also carry bacteria, such as Streptococcus pneumonia or in laymen’s terms, that’s the pneumo- nia and the flu. Given the small size of bioaerosol droplets, they can remain suspended in the air for prolonged periods of time, from seconds to weeks to survive for 24 hours on a steel surface, and if you touch that surface and don’t wash your hands before eating, you may have just gotten infected. That’s why doctors advise that you stay at home if you’re sick. No need to be “tough” or “tough it out.” Just stay home until you feel better. Respect Responsibility Resilience