Battye House Report

It is wonderful to see the boys of Battye House back on campus at Berwick Grammar School. The boys have been reconnecting in person during their classes and outside in the yard with many conversations being had about the positives and negatives of remote learning vs face-face learning.

During our time in remote learning we had to find new ways to engage as a House and setting up a Battye House Team in Microsoft Teams worked very well.

Here we were able to setup a number of channels and boys were able to participate either through posts or uploading photos.

Highlights included the:

• Men of Battye Read channel –The boys continued on with DEAR every Friday morning during their Mentor time. Many boys also chose to post a photo of what they were reading so that the rest of the House could see.
• Men of Battye ANZAC Day Photos – Many staff and boys battled the cold on ANZAC day to get up and participate in a dawn service at the end of their driveway. While this dawn service was different to what many had experienced before it was still an important way to pay our respects. Numerous photos from students and staff were posted to our TEAMS page showcasing themselves paying their respects.
• Men of Battye Exercise – The boys showcased what exercise they had been doing during their time at home. With some of the highlights being Ainsley and Mr Lardner’s cycling, Mr Simpson’s swimming and Miller almost dunking on his basketball ring.
• House Challenges – Boys worked through some sporting challenges set by the Physical Education Department and upload videos of their attempts. Battye House were the leading House in the House Challenges during the remote learning period.

Finally, our biggest challenge undertaken was led by our performing arts students. The aim was to perform Hooked on a feeling by Blue Swede with students and teachers recording themselves singing, playing instruments, clapping and singing ‘Ooga-chaka’ and then editing it all together. The editing is almost finished and we are eagerly awaiting to see the final product.