✩Chocolatemilkshake cartwheels through VCE✩

[Geoo]

Haha, yes I would be totally jealous of my sister if she were doing that. They haven't gone online at her school yet so she still has to go. I have been online for years, so to me it is really interesting seeing other students experiencing online learning.

Bummer about competitions, hopefully they will start up again later this year though. I think most sports have been canceled around the state, are you still practicing?

Enjoy the last week before the holidays!

[Chocolatemilkshake]

Haha, yes I would be totally jealous of my sister if she were doing that. They haven't gone online at her school yet so she still has to go. I have been online for years, so to me it is really interesting seeing other students experiencing online learning.

Bummer about competitions, hopefully they will start up again later this year though. I think most sports have been canceled around the state, are you still practicing?

Enjoy the last week before the holidays!

Hi Geoo, thanks for the reply! It's super cool that online learning works for you and that you are used to it during these bizarre times (you'll be offering us all tips ). Have a fantastic holidays 

Also, obviously no training anymore which is really disappointing but I know that literally every sporting club in the state is in the same situation. It's so abrupt, as I went from fully expecting training today (and school tomorrow), to literally having nothing on for three weeks (this is what it feels like to go to a private school with three weeks of holidays) and the uncertainty about whether school will open again. Luckily I was able to take a floor bar home so I can continue some light strength programs and handstands at home but really, it's impossible to do anything without equipment.

[J_Rho]

**Mini Update**
20/03/20

Curious to know who is now doing online learning instead of going into school? Next week my school is going to online learning but the Year 12s are required to come to class still, which I think is a good initiative (but that also means I have to watch my sister get to do homework in bed while I have to catch the bus to school) The school is going to feel so empty!

Anyone else studying Station Eleven? The irony! It's about a flu pandemic that wipes out most of the world. In fact, there is one scene where a character gets seven shopping trolleys full of items. It makes me laugh a little.

That's pretty much it! Unfortunately competitions have been cancelled, but I landed a new skill on floor yesterday which was super exciting. Also, I still haven't received any SAC marks back.

*waves*

✩ CM ✩

OMG ME!! Its crazy how St John Mandel describes what a panic-stricken world looks like is what we are seeing now. This is what my English teachers sent out today:
"Dear students,
Further to this morning's brief consideration of our designated Term 2 text, Station Eleven, please be advised that we will proceed with the study of this novel. We are aware, given the current circumstances, that such a novel may present genuine concerns for students regarding its content however we are acting on both advice received from DET and our own professional judgement. Please be assured that both Mrs M and I will- as always- teach the subject matter with sensitivity and within a framework that allows for robust discussion and creative responses.
We look forward to working with each of you throughout this challenging time and supporting your studies as best we can."

[Chocolatemilkshake]

How's French going CM? What was topic was your Oral based on? Do you reckon that a role play would be harder than just a conversation?

Bonjour Snow Leopard, thanks for checking in 

At the moment, French is okay but still insanely challenging (like all languages - I can't believe you do more than one ah). I just really need to start getting on top of grammar, listening and reading (essentially become better at everything). My oral was a role play where the teacher pretended to be my mum and I had to convince her I was allowed to go to a concert (the night before a test). I think that doing a role play was actually easier than a conversation (well at least a bit less nerve racking) because you could literally make up anything you wanted to argue your point. Plus I am great at arguing and am quite defensive of my position in an argument, so that was pretty fun!

I would never have the courage to go first by choice.

Haha the only reason I went first is because it's almost less stressful as you don't have the pressure of those going before you (and in the past I often have gone first for orals). Unfortunately I still haven't received any SAC marks back though, including the french oral (hopefully we will be sent our results soon).

[Chocolatemilkshake]

\Yeah, same!!!How does your teacher teach your class? For my LOTE 3/4, we have a booklet and our teacher has also taught us to do summaries, brainstorms etc. Out of curiosity, what grammar did you cover in 1/2 French?
Oh, for my LOTE 3/4, this will be our last SAC for Unit 3 and I feel like it's gonna be harder than a conversation. Were you given the topic in advance?

Our teacher gives us a number of different activities relating to a specific topic we are studying (en ce moment, nous sommes en traîn de faire l'ennvironnement). To be honest, our grammar as a whole class really sucks (in 1/2 we covered subjunctive, future and conditional tenses, past participle/present participle, etc). Yes we were given the topic in advance.

And is it just me or did you find it really hard to do well in Unit 1/2 LOTE Exams. There's so many different sections and the grammar part...Do you try to memorise grammar as you learn it? Also, have you done your general conversation script yet? ^{I still haven't, like I'm actually gonna fail the oral exam if I don't get a move on with it}

Yes my French exam was my worst out of all my ones in year 11 (86%) and I found it quite challenging. We do three sections (no grammar section) so it replicates the year 12 exam. Yes I try and memorise grammar but I really haven't done as much I would have liked. And nope I haven't started by general conversation script, it is difficult having 5 subjects at once and knowing when to prioritise certain elements of each subject. And I'm sure you won't fail the end of year oral!

And also like how do you feel about learning French via remote learning if necessary in the near future? I'm not a native speaker in either of the LOTE's that I do and don't know anyone that fluent in these LOTES apart from like my classmates and teacher.
In regards to doing 2 LOTES, it's not so bad. The only problem is for my LOTE 1/2, we're so behind other schools and all of my peers are legit only doing it for bonus points. Like as in we all still need to memorise the present tense. 

To be honest, our french class is really not that good either and is definitely behind other schools (as in our study score average will be somewhere in the mid-twenties) and like your class, a lot of kids are doing it for the scaling. It's a fun class and the people are lovely but just not super fantastic at french, unfortunately. So I'm not too stressed about working on french at home, as long as I can still chat to my french teacher online and practice with a few other girls in my class who are at my standard. 

[Chocolatemilkshake]

Chapter 6: All Online
17/04/20

It has been too long! At the moment I'm just really missing training, I miss the jolting of my body and that good feeling after exercising. Not that I’m not excising, I’m trying to do strength programs and I walk everyday, but I miss the actual cool stuff and all my amazing friends. Online "zoom" strength sessions are not the same (and I'm still searching for my motivation as well...)

Chemistry
I love chemistry because I can teach myself the content and work through questions at my own pace. Unfortunately, I always end up neglecting the subject because I’m naturally pretty good at it and my other subjects (cough cough **french and spesh) take up SO much time. I really dislike the style of teaching in this class, so it’s actually way more productive online because the teacher just lets us work out our own pace. I'm lucky because I am able to work through the content myself and I feel bad for students who find this more difficult.

English
I love exploring the themes and ideas but hate the essay bit Online classes are actually quite productive! Our teacher splits us into smaller groups to work and then we discuss on google meet which is really effective (much better than discussing as a class where only me and two other students ever have anything to say haha).

French
I was really happy with my SAC score (95 percent  ). I know I’m probably an average student in terms of the state cohort, given that it is quite competitive and all, and that my mark will scale down significantly. Despite this, I’m really proud of my score because I put a lot of work into it! I have an online SAC next week though which a little scary. I hate the idea of typing french and doing a “sac” in an entirely different format to what I’m used to.

Methods
Always not much to say about this. I need to start doing more practice questions and I always feel behind the state, because so many ANers learn way ahead. I mean, I’m a little ahead of my class but this subject really doesn’t receive the attention it deserves.

Specialist
I love complex numbers! They are so much better than circular functions which literally took me ages to finish! I think I need to lower my expectations for this subject though, ultimately I’d be really happy to hit a 35 at the end of the year.

Overall, this weird online learning style is strange. I think the worse thing is I always feel guilty for relaxing and I think I procrastinate more. I’m the type of person that works way better when I have a jam packed schedule and in isolation, I’ve gained 25 hours of “nothing” time where I’d usually be doing extracurricular activities or travelling to school.

Anyway, hope your online learning experiences are going well

EDIT: also Vic Champs would have been today so that makes me a little sad

[Chocolatemilkshake]

**Mini Update
24/04/20

I had my first online sac today for French and I really feel like I failed. Like I missed so much of the listening, made stupid grammatical errors and ran out of time. Does anyone ever feel like this after a sac? Tossing between one attitude where it’s like ‘it doesn’t mean anything, it’s only one sac’ but on the other I’m beating myself up, even though I know I did my best under the conditions.

Anyways, it was so hard to take it seriously at home and I hated turning my bedroom into a place where I had to do a test. The worst thing is that I still HAVE the sac because we had to scan it in. It’s still in the same room as me, the mistakes blaring and I can’t even throw it away.

Positives; it’s the weekend and I have a sac free week. Also, I’m going to read a book

[Evolio]

Hey Chocolatemilkshake.

This is really cliche but...
It's okay. You still do have other SACs like you said. The SAC's finished and you can relax now! You've done the ultimate best you can which you should be really proud of, even if it's really hard to feel that way now!
And yes, I've had that horrendous feeling after SACs that I failed and it was horrible but we can turn this into a learning experience for next time and hopefully it goes better!

Oo, by the way, which book are you reading?

[Geoo]

I 100% get you and I'm sure you're going to do just fine, I just know you will. I had my lab prac based chem SAC with second hand results a week ago, and it was one of the worst SACs I think I had ever done, due to how confusing the instructions were, and what was being asked. So you're not alone! I felt the exact way after my SAC. I am kind of beating myself up for it, feeling pretty down about my performance, but what's keeping me going is that it is only one SAC and that it is over now. It can be a pretty hard mindset to get into, but try to be happy that you did do your best at the time, you should be proud of yourself and that now it's done and dusted.
Enjoy your weekend! What book are you going to read?
_{Just beaten by Evolio}

[J_Rho]

Hey CM,

It's okay to make mistakes, and it's more than okay to feel shitty about SAC's and the way you performed. I truly believe that failing is the key to success as it truly helps you learn from your mistakes. You did your absolute best and that is all you can ever ask for, ESPECIALLY as this new learning environment is strange and unfamiliar and really difficult. I had a 5-hour maths sac this week and it was really hard and I know for a fact I'm not gonna do well, I missed the second part of a question (there was like 30 extended response questions) and I didn't realise until the time was up, oop. I'm proud that you did you best in these difficult circumstances.

Sending you positive vibes ♡

[Chocolatemilkshake]

//

//

//

Thank you guys so much! Might be cliche but your support is really helpful and puts things into perspective

I'm going to read The Knife of Never Letting go by Patrick Ness. I read it at the start of last year (wow that feels like a long time ago) and I really loved it because it's so different to anything I have read before and explores some great themes! I would definitely recommend it although I do feel like it's a book which you will either love and appreciate or really dislike.

[ashmi]

Hey Choco!

Give yourself a pat on the back for getting the task done. It's alright to make mistakes and I can totally sympathise with you and making silly mistakes. Making mistakes is a good thing because it means there are things we can change! You did your best and that is all that matters (the online sacs are really hard and we are all in this together).💕
It is alright to feel down and all after assessments but I'm 100% positive you will be fine.💕
Take care of yourself and relax this weekend!

[whys]

Hi CM! Looks like I’m a bit late to the party, but I agree with everything that’s been said above. I know how it feels when you know the performance you gave wasn’t reflective of your abilities - but it happens to all of us and that’s okay. What matters is that you acknowledge that maybe you didn’t do as well as you could have, but you gave your very best and that’s all that matters! Making silly mistakes sucks, but it’s okay if it happens.

Enjoy the book!

[Chocolatemilkshake]

Chapter 7: hi just an update
04/05/20

First of all, thanks so much for the above comments and support from the 2020 gang. You guys are the best mostly anonymous online friends I could ever have haha

Anyway, it’s funny how I have so much more time, but it feels like I have less time. I’m definitely struggling a bit with the routine after for the last 5 years having so many different outlets from school. Now school feels like the only thing I’m doing and it's difficult to stay productive when the line between working and relaxing blurs.

Chemistry
Just got my chemistry mark back today and I’m so happy! It’s a way better mark than I was expecting and really sets me up for the next SAC (which is not until late this term). At the moment, this subject is pretty chill. I’ve finished covering unit 3 by myself, but we haven’t even gotten to electrolysis yet as a class, so I tend to just work at my own pace. I feel like chemistry is the only subject that hasn’t gone wrong and I wish I could spend all my time on it (but I sadly have 4 other subjects that are all harder to worry about).

English
My love-hate relationship with english grows everyday. I’ve been writing so much english lately just to try and stay on top of the huge amount of work our teacher sets, yet every essay takes so much energy. I literally have to tie myself to my chair to even start writing, otherwise it will never get done. Sometimes I feel like all these hours are just a waste and I still will fail, simply because the work I put it is never enough and I will never be able to write well under pressure. Also, upcoming sac in 2 weeks (I only just realised how SOON it was). I’m terrified because text response is terrifying and they haven't given us too much information on how it will work at home (another home sac, ergh)

French
So I’ve moved on from that kind of dodgy SAC, and am trying not to think to hard of how badly I did (the thing is, it is out of 15 marks, so every mark that disappears lowers the score dramatically). Luckily, next is writing, which I really enjoy! Because this is the only subject I’ve done two sacs for, at least I can relax a little bit. It releases a bit of the pressure knowing it can be in my bottom two.

Specialist
SAC is in two weeks and I really need to lift my studying game. It’s worth 22% which is crazy! Also, it’s so much more challenging than my other subjects (if anyone has any tips on how to approach a 5 hour SAC, much appreciated!) At least we’ve finished the content for the SAC now (although are continuing to learn new content at the same time).

So that’s about it. Two weeks quiet before the storm of SACs smashes me over. Sometimes, it honestly doesn’t feel real that I’m in year 12. Next year, I (or we if you are in yr 12 too) will have finished school   

Not much else to update really. I've been walking a lot and trying but failing to maintain my strength. Finished re-reading Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness which was fantastic (really looking forward to the movie next year) and looking for any book recommendations (I like sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian but am pretty open to reading anything with a good plot, character development and exploration of themes).

Spoiler

Also a side note: I have realised how much I MISS biology (I mean you don't miss something till you don't have it do you?) Now I 100% know that this is the subject I want to pursue and it really sucks having to spend an entire year studying all these other subjects that are not my true passion (except chemistry, which is a close second to bio I suppose). Anyway, just a thought of the day and I'm really looking forward to finishing high school so that I can go into university level depth into this incredible subject

If you read to the end, thanks for sticking by!
CM

[whys]

Anyway, it’s funny how I have so much more time, but it feels like I have less time. I’m definitely struggling a bit with the routine after for the last 5 years having so many different outlets from school. Now school feels like the only thing I’m doing and it's difficult to stay productive when the line between working and relaxing blurs.

Yes yes yes omg! I relate to this on a whole new level. No matter how much I study, it's never enough because either way I'm consistently behind and there's always something I haven't done/studied. And I feel you with taking breaks - honestly doesn't feel like a break and it feels like I'm studying a lot haha.

Just got my chemistry mark back today and I’m so happy! It’s a way better mark than I was expecting and really sets me up for the next SAC (which is not until late this term). At the moment, this subject is pretty chill. I’ve finished covering unit 3 by myself, but we haven’t even gotten to electrolysis yet as a class, so I tend to just work at my own pace. I feel like chemistry is the only subject that hasn’t gone wrong and I wish I could spend all my time on it (but I sadly have 4 other subjects that are all harder to worry about)

Congrats! That's really good, and I'm glad you find solace in chem (it's a pretty cool subject). I will forever be mad at VCAA for taking all the really cool organic chemistry stuff out of the study design though (you suck VCAA, I was really looking forward to learning about that stuff).

My love-hate relationship with english grows everyday. I’ve been writing so much english lately just to try and stay on top of the huge amount of work our teacher sets, yet every essay takes so much energy. I literally have to tie myself to my chair to even start writing, otherwise it will never get done. Sometimes I feel like all these hours are just a waste and I still will fail, simply because the work I put it is never enough and I will never be able to write well under pressure.

Are you me? Are we the same person? Because I really feel you on this one. Every day my hate (AND love) for English grows and manifests itself in my frustration and inability to produce a great essay within an hour. And that's IF I decide to sit down and write an essay...

Sometimes, it honestly doesn’t feel real that I’m in year 12. Next year, I (or we if you are in yr 12 too) will have finished school   

Sometimes I still feel like I'm in primary school haha. Not ready to enter the adult life at all... I love being a kid (or something like a kid). Can't believe we will have finished school by next year!

I have realised how much I MISS biology (I mean you don't miss something till you don't have it do you?) Now I 100% know that this is the subject I want to pursue and it really sucks having to spend an entire year studying all these other subjects that are not my true passion (except chemistry, which is a close second to bio I suppose).

This sounds exactly like me with psych. (I have thereby concluded we are the same person). I can't wait to learn a bit more about the human psyche in uni too! I miss it, and honestly helping all my friends that also do the subject gives me joy (that sounds like a really nerdy thing to say but it's true).