Zaara Rockman 6c
There have been different advantages and disadvantages that I have faced while trying adjust to the “Lockdown Experience”. Although I have had the privilege of going to bed and waking up at any time I please, I am often faced with a ton of work once I decide to dedicate my time to doing it. This would leave me cooped up inside the house for hours while doing homework or simply relaxing, without thinking much of going outside to get a little bit if fresh air. However, I am proud to say that I have made efforts with my family to make the most of this period of isolation.
There are four people in lockdown with me , namely my mom, dad, sister and brother. Since the beginning of lockdown, we have been able to dedicate more time to praying together as a family. We have also been able to play board games and bond in ways that we would not have been able to under normal circumstances. I feel as if we have grown significantly closer in within the past few weeks, both spiritually and emotionally.  We have been trying our best to keep positive and we know that although we find ourselves in tough times, we have the power to stay strong and get through this together as a family.
One of my favourite school tasks was a “Lockdown Diary” from Mrs Carstons, where we were instructed to write a daily entry about our experiences at home. The homework for Maths has been especially demanding in my opinion, because of how much we receive each day.
As I am working mostly from my tablet, I have had to face the challenge of being a self-tutor. Sometimes I find myself uncertain about whether or not my method of teaching myself will help me in understanding the work set out for me. However, I have been able to grasp more content in each day, which is a huge advantage for me. Our  teachers have always been willing to help us by making themselves available to post work on the D6 or WhatsApp groups and to answer our questions.
I often find myself thinking of what I could have been doing if we were not on lockdown, and this leads me to missing the simplest things. I miss going out with my family, going to the beach, spending time with family outside my household, hanging out with my friends, and even going to school. These are some of the things that I often take for granted, but that I now miss more with every passing day. Once we have overcome the challenges we now face, I intend to appreciate these things a lot more and to always give thanks for the little things that bring so much joy to my life.
My mom often tells me not to allow my head to be bombarded with everything I need to do at once, but to rather take on a task one step at a time. This is therefore what I want to advise everyone else as well, seeing that we are all faced in similar situations. Let us try our best not to become discouraged because it may feel as if we are drowning in the workload we are faced with. Let us rather try our best to keep going rather than giving up. With positivity and a great attitude, I am sure we can accomplish anything that we set our mind to.
Jessica Craill 12
I now know how my fur babies feel when they are stuck at home and can’t go for walks in the morning. My dad has to work every day.  He had to convert his indoor braai area into an office (in his opinion, doing so is cardinal sin), and he says that he gets a lot more work done at home than he does when he is in his office.  Everything is much the same in our house. I receive my school work through the D6, over WhatsApp and by email. I found Life Sciences to be the easiest. Physical Sciences and Mathematics were, equally, the most difficult.  It is hard to say if I’ve used a lot of data as all four of us in my house share the WIFI.  I’ve definitely used the family computer and my tablet for most of the work.  I’ve used BBC Bitesize, Siyavula and Photomath.  There are four of us in lockdown together (six if you count the dogs too).  Let’s just say that when tensions run high, it’s best to avoid each other.  But if we are all happy, then life is great.  The challenges have been teaching myself Maths and Science and getting enough exercise.  On the positive side, I get to work at my own pace, I can type my Life Sciences summaries as I read through the work instead of spending hours every Saturday doing them after the fact and I get my work done sooner, giving me more time for reading.  I’ve missed my freedom of movement and my best friends.  Advice that I received that helped me was, “Don’t leave for the day after tomorrow what you can do today.  Even if you start today and finish the day after tomorrow.” I also believe in this mantra: Slow down.  Calm down.  Don’t worry.  Don’t hurry.  The message I would give others is : “If you ever feel stupid……Remember that baby sloths sometimes grab their own arms thinking they’re tree branches.”  I fear that my printer is going to run out of ink before lockdown is over, because ink is apparently not an essential item.   I hope that I’ve done enough and worked hard enough to do well in finals.  Apparently, lockdown applies to all people and animals, except for the neighbourhood cats.  They walk around like they own the place.  Overall, I think that this whole thing was a good experience to have, as it teaches you responsibility and self-discipline.
Tania Smith, 9R

My family has no members going to work each day as my family are teachers.  The most important rule is to avoid interaction with other people (known as social distancing). I get my work from the D6 and whatsapp groups. Maths and Biology are my favourite because my sister is here to help me. I'm using a lot of data but it's all for a good cause and I'm working from my phone most of the time. I have used Vodacom-eSchool and educational programmes on TV (317). There are 4 of us in lockdown and it is
going quite well. We are using this time to actually bond with each other. Lockdown has allowed me time for self-reflecting and getting creative, I have missed the most my fellow SCA members , my school friends  and SU & SCA sessions during the school week. What has been hardest is self-studying and staying away from the television. Advice I received is that God is greater than the highs and lows and HE uses trials and tribulations as an invitation to intimacy with HIM.  My favourite message is “You are stronger than all your fears combined." I hope my peers will BE POSITIVE , this too shall pass and it's only temporary; Stop comparing yourself with your peers; Use the resources you have and make the best out of it; Calm yourself ,the storm will pass; God wants to take you through the storm and then give you blessings.  I really hope this will blow over and our lives could go back to normal
L-isten to God's voice and reflect
O-bey HIS WORD and teachings
C-all on HIS name and be calm
K-now what the purpose of all this is
D-well in HIS presence
O-ffer a prayer
W-ait and be patient .This shall pass
N-urture our personal relationship with HIM
Jordan Oldham, 12R
I have had many experiences at home, mostly waking up to loud banging from the kitchen and my Dad starting a new project on the house every day. I never thought that a puzzle could bring me so much joy. My oldest brother still goes to work as he in the health and safety industry and is using all the necessary protection. The only thing that has been unusual during this lockdown is when my mom decided it was time to start working out - that did not end well. We have a group for each subject and have been reviewing our daily dose of homework from there as well as on D6. My favourite subjects have been Maths and History.  I use  wifi throughout the day as everything has become online. I work from my phone and laptop. I am spending my lockdown with my parents so it is just us 3 in the house. It is going well. My dad has been doing his own thing during the day and my mom and I usually bake, play games and clean up, which is usually my cue to go back to studying. Some challenges I have faced from working from home would be that I am out of routine which I don't like, as well as missing out on birthdays. The thing that I have missed the most during lockdown is my church, Father’s House as well as my newborn niece. it has been really hard not seeing my best friends every day and missing the last summer sunsets on the beach. However, advice that I was given was that we should all make the most of this time. My only fear is that this is my matric year and the future just got a lot scarier.  I'm afraid of how my marks will turn out. However, I know that Riebeek has amazing teachers and that they will all be understanding and have comforted and reassured the matrics thus far. My advice to everyone is that we are all in this together and will get through it together, for now, all we can do is work our best and prioritize. Have faith in your abilities and don't procrastinate too much.