@TheRegentCollege Vol 3 Issue 9

@TheRegentCollege VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 FRIDAY, 29TH MAY, 2020 EDITORIAL FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK It is, indeed, a thing of much joy Dear Parents, and pride to have journeyed thus Greetings from The Regent College online. We are particularly pleased that we far since the start of the online have come to the end of online teaching and our exams start on Monday 8th programme. From all of us at June, 2020. We request your support once again in getting our students to take @TheRegentCollege, we say a big the revision week starting Monday 1st of June 2020 with all the seriousness it thank you, our esteemed readers, deserves. Many former students who ended up with distinction and above con- for your very kind support all along. fessed that they were able to perform with that level of excellence because of the refreshing reviews of the session’s materials in the revision week. With the online programme winding Cambridge International Examinations News down, it is our priority and pleasure The Regent College and The Regent Secondary School are celebrating the fan- to ensure that you remain at the tastic news we got from Cambridge on the sterling performances of our stu- forefront of information reach dents in the June 2019 Cambridge IGCSE & A Level exams. Our student, regarding how things are going at Jochebed Airede (Our Chairperson of the Students Representative Council), who the College. This is the sense you wrote the AS (Advanced Subsidiary Level) exam in June 2019 was celebrated by will get from the Principal’s mes- CAIE for her excellent performance in IGCSE History when she was in Regent sage as well as reports from the Secondary School. various Heads. In addition, some of She has once again done us proud with excellent performances in English Lan- our students who celebrated Eid-ul guage and English Literature respectively. She is to receive awards for High -Fitr have generously allowed us a Achievement in both subjects at the Advanced Subsidiary Level exams of 2019. peek into what “COV-EID” was like The British Council in conjunction with the Cambridge International Examina- for them. As part of this week’s tions are all set to celebrate her along with Thirteen (13) IGCSE celebrants. package, make sure to catch up CONGRATULATIONS! also on tips on mental and physical Keeping Abreast of Other Continents wellbeing in the challenging days of We are glad that with your support, we successfully kept abreast of other conti- the COVID-19 pandemic. nents in providing online classes. We say a big thank you for all you did to en- sure that our students did not fall out of the international calendar plan. With Thank you and, please, be safe. your help, we stayed in tune and successfully supported our students to stay in line in spite of not being able to resume. Tim Hyua Do stay safe. Yours sincerely, IN THIS ISSUE: C.I.Ebiai (Mrs) From The Principal……...………..……….1 HOD’s Report……………………....……....2 E-Learning Experience…………..……….3 Cov-Eid……………..….…………..………..4-5 Medical Corner.………………….……….7-8 Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 2 Page 2 HODS’ REPORT Foundation Programme Report With about ten days to the final examinations, nothing can be more important now than giving the upcom- ing examinations the best preparation it deserves. 99% of the mails I get from students recently have been examination-related. And so, we are all not leaving any stone unturned. With revision and rounding off of schemes of work in top gear, students had a stronger feel of the exami- nation atmosphere with the release of the final examination time table and guidelines. With these, students and teachers are brought much closer to the fact that the examinations are indeed very near. In the coming days, plans have been concluded to make teachers and students experience how the Class- Marker works, under simulated examination condition. This is to ensure that both teachers and students are no just thrown into the experiencing of the ClassMarker for the first time on examination day. It is pleasing to state that more students have embraced the need to do things in a more organised man- ner, as it relates to informing the school of their intended absence from classes. Worthy of mention too is the cooperation of teachers, which has made the arduous task of remote supervision and monitoring less cumbersome. We all look forward to an excellent ending for all the efforts put into this academic session. Thank you. Michael Monday Business Teacher/HOD, University Foundation Programmes Advanced Level & Advanced Subsidiary Programme Report This week marks six weeks of engaging online Class lessons at The Regent College, Abuja. Students had the opportunity to enjoy wholesome association with family members during the two days public holiday. Classes started on Wednesday and maintained the rigour, engagement and excitement of those in the pre- ceding weeks. The College is collating all vital information about students for onward transmission to Cambridge Assess- ment International Examination (CAIE). All students have put in so much during this period to boost their academic performance. The weekly online assessment result shows an improvement in students’ perfor- mance. We believe the efforts of the teachers, students and our esteemed parents/guardians during this pandemic will yield an outstanding performance in the CAIE result. Even after the CAIE deadline for submission of required information, the College will continue to engage students in activities which will prepare the students for university. This period will showcase several career oriented open online courses. We will roll out the details of these activities soon. In preparation for the post-CAIE submission activities, we encourage our amiable parents and guardians to keep up the good work of supporting the students. We also thank you for your unwavering support so far. Awonusi Babatunde HOD Adanced subsidiary and Advanced Level Programme. Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 3 Page 3 E-LEARNING EXPERIENCE Another Week, Another Gain 4:00 pm on Friday afternoon brought me to the end of another delightful week of insightful lessons and class activities on Google Meet, Submission of Homework Tasks on Google Classroom and most importantly, the weekly test. The aspect I really enjoyed from all of these has to be writing of the tests because I know that it’s the final phase of my time at the College and I’ll soon be done having to do so any longer! Also, while I did enjoy the school week and seeing my teachers [Mrs Pauline, Mr Tim and Mr Monday], my leadership instructor [Mr Soji] as well as my fellow classmates, I’ll have to admit that I was faced with the challenge of having to be cut off from lessons on some occasions due to connection hitches. But I’m glad that at the end of it all, I remained triumphant and was able to get as much information as I needed. And now, I look forward to the weekend rest! ESTHER ODE A2 Student Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 4 Page 4 COV-EID A Celebration At Home Eid, this year, was for me almost as any other traditional one, especially because I spent it with my family, with everyone converging in my grandmother’s house. Eid prayers were conducted at home in a congregation led by my grand uncle - the entire household and staff were present! After praying, we took pictures together, then paid visits to our aunt and uncle and took more pictures with them and ate food. Our uncle gave us Eid tokens (commonly known as gorron Sallah). Since we weren’t expect- ing visitors, we sat to- gether and had group discussions and relaxed - not having to attend to visitors or serve them. What was different about this Eid was that a unit of our family wasn’t present this time and the house wasn’t filled with visitors, so there wasn’t that usu- al loudness of voices and laughter vibrating the air around, as well as those traditional visits made to family friends. Still, we marked Eid in the most special way we could, even under the lock- down. ASTRI SALWA USMAN Foundation Student Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 5 Page 5 COV-EID CONTD. On the morning of Eid--Fitr, my family and I met in the living room downstairs, to perform the Eid prayers. Very quickly, it was over and there was nothing else to do except to sleep or eat. The sky was cloudy and dark, but that didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s mood as an atmosphere of positiv- ity was buzzing through the air. The day went on like any other Eid celebration, sans the usual car ride to the mosque and a lot of visitors. COVID-19 did not stop my family from dressing in our best Sallah clothes either, my sister and I even vowed to get an ‘instagram-worthy’ picture to post. Overall, it was a good day, Ramadan was concluded with Eid in the most beautiful way pos- sible this year, whether we had to stay home or not. FAUZIAH GEBI AS Student Surprisingly, I had a good Eid-il-Fitr. We woke up and it felt weird not to have the intention of fasting that morning, especially since we’d done it for a month prior to that day. We dressed up and took pictures like it was a normal Eid day. It seemed funny to get all dressed up to sit at home but my siblings and I enjoyed it. We prayed at home and even played an online Khutbah we got from the internet to make it seem like the usual Eid prayer. We ate, watched TV, talked, slept and wished family and friends, “Eid Mu- barak”. It was a good Eid all in all. I just wish we could’ve had other family members around us as well. MADIHAH MA’RUF LAWAL A2 Student Respect Responsibility Resilience

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Page 7 Page 7 MEDICAL CORNER Does Staying Inside Weaken Your Immune System We’ve all been told to “Stay Home, Stay Safe” in order to flatten the curve of this virus, but are we weak- ening our system while doing it? While we understand that lockdowns are important to prevent the spread of coronavirus, research is coming out that certain aspects of quarantine aren’t good for our physical or mental health. Sunshine is important for both mental and physical health because your body uses sun exposure to make vita- min D. Without it, you might be more susceptible to infection and may also feel tired or moody. So if you’re stay- ing home, that’s one thing, but ex- perts say you should be stepping out- side to get some sun too. It’s been noted that isolation and loneliness can affect your im- mune system as well. Loneliness is associated with chronic stress and inflammation, which can weaken your immune system. Research has found that it’s your perception of loneliness not an objective measure of social isolation that is associated with negative health outcomes. Fortunately, health officials say it’s still possible to spend time outdoors while social distancing, such as going for a run or walk, if you follow precautions like avoiding crowds, sticking to open areas, and not over-doing it. If you’re not able to get outdoors for safety reasons, you may want to consider adding more vitamin D to your diet or supplementing it. And if you feel alone, there are groups for that. Researching on neighborhood and social groups online that are designed around your interests can help you meet people and build connections, even if it is only virtually. So how do you know if your immune system is getting weaker?  You Feel Tired All the Time and feel sluggish, but if you’re getting enough sleep and still suffering from ex- haustion, it’s worth considering if your immune system is trying to tell you something.  You Have Lots of Stomach Issues: Low am ounts of helpful gut bacteria that a good immune system provides can leave you at risk of stomach ulcers, chronic inflammation and even autoimmune disorders.  You Feel Stressed-Out: You tend to get sick after a big project or assignm ent at school or fol- lowing an emotional situation at home.  You Always Have a Cold: I t’s perfectly normal to sneeze and sniffle through two or three colds from time to time. Most people bounce back in seven to 10 days.  Make no mistake, if you’re sick, staying at home helps you and everyone else. Respect Responsibility Resilience

Page 8 Page 8 MENTAL HEALTH Managing Anxiety During COVID-19 Anxiety is a normal and healthy emotion. When we face dangerous and potentially harmful situations, feeling anxious is not only normal but may be nec- essary for survival as it will trigger the 'fight or flight' response. (Adrenaline is released to increase strength either to fight off or flee from imminent danger). However, when a person's anxiety is excessive and carries on for prolonged periods, it may become a psychological disorder. Anxiety disorders form a cat- egory of mental health disorders that lead to exces- sive fear, nervousness, worry and apprehension. It may even become so severe that it begins to inter- fere with a person’s daily life and livelihood. The American Psychological Association (APA), de- fines anxiety as an emotion characterized by feel- ings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes such as increased blood pressure. Types of anxiety disorders include: Generalized anx- iety disorders, Panic disorders, Phobias, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Separation anxiety dis- order and selective mutism. Restlessness, increased irritability, insomnia and other sleep disorders, constant worry and loss of concentration are some of the symptoms. alcohol and illicit drugs. It may be caused by environmental, genetic factors, brain chemistry or withdrawal from substances like In times like this, one of the very important aspects of our mental health to keep an eye on is our anxiety level. We will not be able to avoid it entirely as it is very crucial to our survival. However, it can be moder- ated in a number of ways. Taking care of yourself and your community, according to the Centres for Dis- ease Control and Prevention (CDC), is one measure which helps you cope with stress. Other suggestions include:  Take a break from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting.  Take care of your body – take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate.  Exercise regularly.  Connect with others by talking to people you trust, caring and sharing in the process.  Always check with a doctor or pharmacist when taking over the counter pills to be sure of the chemical composition of the pill so as to avoid aggravating any health situation.  Diet: eat healthy, reduce caffeine, tea, cola and chocolate.  Sleep: get enough sleep (an average of 6.5 hours per night) and keep a regular sleep pattern.  Avoid Alcohol, nicotine and illicit substances. Respect Responsibility Resilience