Connections
Welcome to Connections - issue 9 - 11 November 2020
Viewpoint
For College updates please visit our website: http://www.guernseycollege.ac.gg/wp/
Last chance! Parent /Carer Survey
COVID 19 - UPDATE/LATEST ADVICE
Students being sent home after developing possible Covid-19 symptoms
Following advice from Education Services, any of our students who need to be sent home due to having possible Covid symptoms, and their parents/carers, should read the information in the leaflets links to which are below. These leaflets explain the situation and provide initial advice.
Leaflet for parents of students being sent home with Covid symptoms
Leaflet for Students & Apprentices being sent home with Covid symptoms
Information in the leaflets will be updated as advice from Public Health changes, so please do read them if your son/daughter/ward is sent home with possible Covid symptoms, even if they were sent home recently and you read the leaflets then.
Latest guidance
If anyone becomes unwell with any flu like symptoms (headache, muscle aches, blocked nose, fever, sore throat, cough, sneezing, shortness of breath or loss of taste or smell) they must stay at home. Anyone developing symptoms at the College will be sent home immediately and advised to contact the Coronavirus helpline to arrange testing.
Symptomatic individuals should isolate on their own until they have received a negative test result. Young children will require a parent or carer to isolate with them. Assuming family members have no contact with the isolating child and parent/carer, they can carry on their activities as normal.
If anyone becomes unwell with any flu like symptoms (headache, muscle aches, blocked nose, fever, sore throat, cough, sneezing, shortness of breath or loss of taste or smell) they must stay at home. Anyone developing symptoms at the College will be sent home immediately and advised to contact the Coronavirus helpline to arrange testing.
Symptomatic individuals should isolate on their own until they have received a negative test result. Young children will require a parent or carer to isolate with them. Assuming family members have no contact with the isolating child and parent/carer, they can carry on their activities as normal.
Information about testing is available here: https://covid19.gov.gg/support/getting-tested and these leaflets may also be useful to read:
College News
HE Graduation Event
GYONE
Digital Innovators
Computing Students from Level 3 Foundation and Extended Diploma courses attended a Digital Innovators workshop at the Digital Greenhouse together with Sixth Form Centre Students. The session was sponsored by First Central Insurance. Working in teams they had to collaborate on complex problems and then consider the innovation needed to craft a solution. Group working and problem solving against deadlines in a business environment is very different from the normal college experience – and our students said they enjoyed every minute of it!
Climbing Qualification Achieved
Well done to our Level 2 Public Services students who took part in climbing activities last half term which has enabled the group to gain a Level 1 climbing qualification. The students spent their time with Outdoor Guernsey at St Sampson's High School climbing wall. In order to qualify, the group needed to mentor a group of SEN students. The climbing also forms part of their main qualification and helps develop their leadership, teamwork, and communication skills. A great time was had by all!
Clashing swords & fireballs in our Coutanchez Library
The Library at Coutanchez has been ringing with the sounds of swords clashing and fireballs being aimed at evil monsters, since two Dungeons And Dragons (D&D) groups have playing there during break-times. These groups have been formed and run by students from our IT & Computing courses, who are seen in the photos in the midst of the action and rolling dice fast and furiously. D&D is a paper-based role playing game that promotes literacy and numeracy, team-building and problem-solving. Just don’t tell the students as they’re playing it for fun!
RETAIL APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMME
The Business, Finance and Retail Area recently held a retail employer breakfast meeting event. The event was to enable retail employers to find out more about the Level 2 and 3 Retail Apprenticeship Programme for which a new cohort is planned for 21 January. A presentation was followed by a forum where existing students shared their experiences and learning from the programme. Current employers with Apprentices on the scheme such as the Co-op and Waitrose were able to share their own views with new potential employers on the benefits of the programme and how it can be practically incorporated into the working life of the students to allow them to get the best out of their of learning. At the event the team was pleased to welcome a number of potential new employers who were considering the possibility of sending Apprentices to join the new cohort.
Performing Arts: Grimm Tales & Second Person Narrative
Our first & second year Performing Arts students are still busy rehearsing for their production of, respectively, Grimm Tales - suitable for children from seven to nine years on 18 and 19 November and Second Person Narrative - a one-act play by Jemma Kennedy on 18 - 20 November. Both will be held at our fabulous Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts.
There will be danger, wolves, comedy, drama and even a cabbage or two for the children and introspection, trials and tribulation for the adults. Buy your tickets from Guernsey Tickets.
Please come and support our talented students.
Open Evening
Don't forget our open evening is on Thursday 19 November from 4.00pm - 7.00pm in the main hall at Les Ozouets Campus. Everyone is welcome - school students, parents/carers and adult learners. Find out about our wide range of full-time, apprenticeship, part-time and professional courses. Chat to our programme teams. Discuss study options and enjoy a range of course-related activities. Come and take a closer look!
Quiz Night
Tech Day 2021 - Can you help?
#TECHDAY2021 will be on Thurs Feb 25. Our students are looking for mentors to offer guidance and advice on their tech projects that will be showcased at the event. If you think you could help we would love to hear from you - please contact our IT programme leader Dan Hunter - danh@gcfe.net
UCAS Applications
UCAS has a really useful parent guide, with the option for signing up to newsletters, accessed via this link. Please take some time to look at this information if your son/daughter/ward is in their final year.
Here is the application timeline
· Fri 4 Dec: Internal deadline for submission of UCAS application by student
· Fri 11Dec: Internal deadline for submission of UCAS reference by Tutor
· Fri 18 Dec: Internal deadline for submission to UCAS of student application by College
Handbook for Students, Parents and Carers
Here is a link to our handbook for students, parents and carers. It is an invaluable guide to Guernsey College and contains dates and contacts that will be very useful for you to have to hand. ProPortal allows parents/carers access to further information on a student’s progress on their course, including attendance, punctuality, time table, targets and progression. Instructions on how to set up an account to view a student’s profile can be found in this handbook.
Qualification in the safe application of Pesticides
If your work currently or potentially involves handling pesticides there are still a few places available on this recognised qualification in how to handle pesticides safely that meets the legal requirements of the Control of Poisonous Substances (Guernsey) Regulations. The certificate is awarded on completion of two one-day courses to be held on November 17 and December 1 2020. Please contact Fiona Fish for more details fionaf@gcfe.net
KEY DATES
Term Dates
Friday 18 December 2020 - Term ends
Monday 4 January 2020 - Term starts
Monday 8 - Friday 12 February 2021 (inclusive) - Half term
Monday 15 February 2021 - INSET DAY (College closed for students)
Thursday 1 April 2021 - Term ends
Monday 19 April 2021 - Term starts
Monday 3 May 2021 - May Day Bank Holiday
Monday 31 May - Wednesday 2 June 2021 (inclusive) - Half term
Friday 25 June 2021 - Term ends
Parents' Evenings 2021
1 March 2021 - courses based at Delancey Campus
8 March 2021 - courses based at Coutanchez Campus
15 March 2021 - courses based at Les Ozouets Campus
Student Progress Reports and Parental Surveys
Survey 1: Autumn term
Survey 2: Summer term
Student Events
Christmas Celebration: Friday 18 December 2020
Future Workforce Recruitment Event: Date to be confirmed in March or April 2021
Apprentice of the Year Event: Monday 7 June 2021
Celebration of Achievement Event: Thursday 10 June 2021
Summer Ball: Friday 11 June 2021
More information on the above events can be found in the Handbook
Provisional Exam Dates
iGCSE Maths: 25 May and 8 June 2021
GCSE English: 7 and 10 June 2021
Contacting You
The College’s preferred method of contact with parents and carers is via email. Please add the email address of your child/ward's course Customer Liaison Officer to your list of ‘safe senders’ or to your contacts list/address book to ensure communications from them arrive directly into your inbox, rather than going into ‘junk’ or ‘spam’.
As you will be contacted directly by the relevant CLO regarding events specific to your child/ward’s course/programme area, it is important that they have an up-to-date email address for you. Their details are listed below.
Customer Liaison Officer Contact Details
- Hospitality & Catering/Hair & Beauty/Sport & Public Services/Creative & Digital Arts/Performing Arts: Gillian McCartney gillianm@gcfe.net
- Business/Office Administration/IT & Computing: Fiona Girard fionag@gcfe.net
- Construction & Engineering: Fiona Fish fionaf@gcfe.net
- Health & Social Care/Childcare: Julie Jones juliej@gcfe.net
- Access/English & Maths/ESOL/Student Support Services: Lindsey Hutchins lindseyh@gcfe.net
Apprenticeships:
Programme Leaders Contact Information
Creative & Digital Arts and Performing Arts: Jon Snow - jonathans@gcfe.net
Childcare: Paula Grady - paulag@gcfe.net
Business, IBCP: Cheryl Stevenson - cheryls@gcfe.net
Engineering: Mark Pratt - markp@gcfe.net
Access, Progress to...: Sue Lambeth - slambeth@gcfe.net
English & Maths: Philip Emberton - phile@gcfe.net
Construction: Timothy Le Tissier - timothyl@gcfe.net
IT & Computing, Office Administration: Dan Hunter - danh@gcfe.net
Health & Social Care, Public Services: Liz Curtis - lizc@gcfe.net (Kayleigh Baddeley is now on maternity leave)
Gift of Learning
Stuck for a Christmas present idea? Why not give the gift of learning 📚🖋? We have a number of courses starting in January next year (and a few later in the year too). Subjects include Photography, Sewing, Mandarin,Silversmithing & Jewellery, Furniture Restoration, Maritime skills, Soft Furnishings, Signing and an IT course for the over 65s - Sovereign Silver Surfers - with free places sponsored by
. For details about how to enrol or buy a course as a gift click here and go to pages 45-50.GYM MEMBERSHIP
Our Sport department is also on the lookout for volunteers their students can undertake consultations with - interested? Get in touch with toma@gcfe.net
Visions Hair & Beauty Salon
Princess Royal Centre for the Performing Arts
Follow PRCPA here to keep up to date with the latest developments:
https://www.instagram.com/performingartsgsy
Alternatively visit the website, follow The Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts on Facebook or on Twitter @PRCPAGuernsey and now on Instagram @performingartsgsy
WELL BEING
Although we are incredibly fortunate to be living in Guernsey being surrounded by so much uncertainty in the world is hard. Human beings crave information about the future in the same way we crave food and other primary rewards. Our brains perceive ambiguity as a threat, and they try to protect us by diminishing our ability to focus on anything other than creating certainty.
But sometimes — maybe always — it’s more effective for us not to attempt to create certainty. Though evolution might have rigged our brains to resist uncertainty, we can never really know what the future will bring. And during improbable situations like the pandemic, which has disrupted our routines and destroyed our best-laid plans, we need to learn to live with ambiguity.
“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is,” wrote mathematician John Allen Paulos. “Knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.”
So how can we best cope when everything feels so out of control? Here are seven strategies.https://ideas.ted.com/7-strategies-to-help-you-live-with-uncertainty/
Useful Links
https://www.facebook.com/GuernseyCollege/
TWITTER
Guernsey College@GuernseyCollege
WEBSITE
http://www.guernseycollege.ac.gg/
COLLEGE PROSPECTUS