Rydal Penrhos School Notes – Week 3 of Winter Lockdown.
Another exhausting week of remote learning draws to a close but spirits are high amongst our Rydal Penrhos pupils. This photograph shows that pupils have adapted well to the remote classroom; it also shows how lucky we are to live in North Wales and have such spectacular views from our windows…fabulous for ‘day-dreaming’!
Last week it was fascinating to look at the top 10 images that represent the pandemic according to our prep school pupils. This week I thought it would be interesting to gauge their opinions about words and phrases that have become part of their lives over the past 10 months.
The results are below, again in ascending order. I wonder if they would match your top ten:
10. PPE – not many could tell me exactly what it stood for but most knew it was ‘stuff that doctors wear’
9. Teams – a whole new meaning…not sports teams anymore, but online lessons
8. pandemic – over 7s could explain, under 7s knew it was ‘a bad thing’
7. sanitise – inextricably linked to the bottles next to ‘every single door’, even pre-schoolers knew what it meant!
6. bubble – no longer for popping, now for ‘staying in’
5. social distancing – over 7s knew it was 2m, under 7s had no idea…one thought it was where his Grandma lived!
4. coronavirus/covid – all knew it was something which makes us sick, some with more scientific knowledge than others. An argument took place about whether the ‘aerosols’ are red or green! I think this depends on which TV channel you are watching. My statement that they were, in fact, invisible was greeted with suitable distain!
3. lockdown – Collins dictionary reported a 6000% increase in its written use during 2020 so no wonder our pupils are chatting with this word more often
2. mute – all pupils from reception upwards were very keen to tell me that they hear this word multiple times a day now, especially ‘you’re on mute’!
1. enhaychess – all of the pupils, even pre-schoolers, said they heard this word every day. When I asked what it meant the older pupils could happily, and accurately, tell me. However there was a lot of discussion in the pre-school. They eventually told me that it’s ‘a big animal that we have to protect’. I did try to explain but I actually quite like their image.
Out of the mouths of babes…isn’t that the phrase?!
Mrs Lucy Davies
Head of Rydal Penrhos Prep School.
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