Mount Clear College year 12 student Montanna Bruhn can't wait to get back into the classroom when face-to-face learning resumes today - it's where she feels she learns best.
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Although she's come to grips with the self-motivation and workflow needed for remote learning in VCE, the interaction online can't replicate classroom discussions.
"I really like class discussions, when the teacher and students are able to come together and bounce ideas off each other. When it's online you can't really do that," she said.
Montanna and her VCE classmates across the state have endured COVID lockdowns disrupting their year 11 and 12 studies, and like last year's senior students, the class of 2021 will be eligible for special consideration in determining their final results.
The consideration of educational disadvantage process includes assessment of the individual impact of coronavirus on students including school closures, direct impact on student health, issues with remote learning and mental health challenges.
"Because we were in lockdown for a really long time in year 11 and we missed out so much last year I feel it has impacted on information we know now this year - I feel like we are still learning and understanding some things we should have known."
Montanna said last week's announcement of special consideration for all year 12s had taken a little pressure off.
"I felt relieved when I heard but I'll definitely push myself as hard as I can for that final result ... but it does take a little bit of pressure off our backs because learning has been so different this year and last."
Mount Clear College principal Lynita Taylor also welcomed the decision on special consideration for all year 12 students as acknowledgement of what they have been through.
"Emotionally it's a real positive for our year 12s," she said. "The pandemic hasn't gone away, we are still in it and there's uncertainty for adults and for young people what will happen. (Special consideration) is an acknowledgement that we know what you're going through."
We are really mindful that every child has experienced something different at home and comes back at different levels.
- Lynita Taylor
She said the current year 12 students had missed long stretches of face-to-face learning in year 11 which provides the grounding for their studies this year.
Ms Taylor said she was looking forward to having staff and students back on site, and the short notice would pose no problems.
"Each time we have lockdown we tweak and look at how we can make it better," she said. "Because it was a shorter lockdown we made sure to check in with every student, who all engaged at different levels, and how we work together as a team when we return to school is really crucial."
"We are really mindful that every child has experienced something different at home and comes back at different levels."
Woodmans Hill Secondary College principal Stephan Fields said it would be exciting to have the school community together once more.
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"It means that we have all done the right thing by each other," he said.
"Different year groups will have found things tough, but especially for our year 12s I'm really thankful we've only been away two-and-a-half weeks and not anything extended because term three is the most critical term for them," he said.
Staff will keep a particular eye on students they know who disengaged during lockdown, working to re-engage them with their learning.
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