From Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience

I hope you are well and looking forward to a well-deserved break over the Winter vacation period. For those of you that have returned to your permanent homes, I trust you had a safe and pleasant journey. For those of you staying for longer, do please enjoy your time with us
over the vacation and let us know if you need any support.

As you know from my previous email, the Government is recommending students’ return to campus is staggered in the new year. This is to ensure Covid-19 testing can be offered to all students and staff prior to face-to-face teaching starting in the Spring term.

Timetables for the Spring term will be available from Monday 14 December. Please check your timetable regularly for updates. Your timetable will indicate when your first face-to-face teaching session is taking place.

Your School will be in touch with you next week to provide further information about the Spring term relating to your study programme.

Based on the timetables, we have set out the following recommended arrival windows.

Arriving during your recommended window will enable you to be tested before your face-to-face teaching begins for Spring.

We will be offering asymptomatic testing on both Canterbury and Medway campuses seven days a week from 4 January 2021.

Ideally, to meet the Government recommendations, you should plan to arrive around 5 days before your first face-to-face teaching event and have two asymptomatic tests booked within 3-5 days of each other. Please ensure you review your timetable first before booking your tests.

Postgraduate research students who need to return to access specialist facilities may of course return early and are encouraged to book asymptomatic tests ready for their return.

The booking system for new year asymptomatic Covid-19 testing will be open next week and we will contact you then by email with details of how to book.

If it is available, you are also advised to have a test local to your home address, prior to travelling.

These dates are designed to help you follow the Government recommendations. We know this will not be convenient for all of you and some of you may have already made other travel plans. We will support you whatever your travel arrangements and intended arrival date back
to University.

Thank you for working together to keep our University community safe.

We have put together some tips that help you to study effectively remotely.

Check out support available

Make sure you check out our online study support including the Online Learning at Kent: A Guide to Successful Study Online and you can speak to an adviser from the Student Learning Advisory Service. 

Get into a routine and stick to it

Work out when you are most productive – are you a morning bird, afternoon person or are you a night owl?

Find your perfect spot

As draconian as it sounds, we are much more productive when sitting at a desk, so try and study there. If you are fortunate to have access to a quiet lounge or kitchen space then make use of that.

Get rid of all your distractions and that means your phone

The phone is by far the biggest time killer. I would advise that you turn off all your settings so you are not disturbed. If you find your phone too much of a temptation then just either switch it off or leave it in another room.

Create a study schedule

Set specific times for studying and for breaks. Start out doing periods of 30 minutes to study and five minutes for a break. When you know you have a break coming up, you will find it easier to focus on your studying. As you get used to this schedule, increase the study times to 45 and then 60 minutes. You could also try the Pomodoro technique. 25 minute intervals of work followed by a break.

Meditation

Recent studies show that meditating before you study can improve your reading comprehension, memory, concentration, stress and anxiety. There are some great apps that help you to meditate such as Headspace.

Noisy housemates

If you are lucky to have noise cancelling headphones, these can work like a dream. Or another idea is to work out when your house is the most noisy and quiet and organise your working hours around those times. If neither of these work then you might have to call a house meeting.

So many of you have been brilliant, resilient and caring as part of our College communities this term. We wanted to thank you by spreading festive cheer, so we have put up real Christmas trees around the campus, some huge and others small but all with lights so you can see them as the dark nights draw in. You can find them now or follow a trail which we will publish next week, but do try and spot them all if you can and tag us in any photos via twitter @unikentccl or Instagram @unikentlive.

The cheer will continue both on and off campus with the College RLAs, postgraduate student volunteers, hosting College events all accessible via social media and zoom:

• Win cash prizes in the ‘Tw’elf Days of Christmas’ daily on your College Facebook page
• Bake Christmas cookies with RLA Ally and the KU Baking Society 10 December (borrow baking bags with equipment if needed on campus)
• Origami Hour – A Christmas Special with RLA Dani 15 December (paper available to collect if needed on campus)

There will be even more to do, such as Lip Sync battles, Zoom chats & cookbooks, baking boxes and jigsaws to borrow, all advertised on our CCL Team webpages. Do come and join in.

The College and Community Life team focus on welfare and support, to ensure you have a positive experience of student life. Join us now and throughout the new year:

Our thanks and good wishes to you all for a wonderful (safe) Christmas and winter break.

Best, Jacqui, Miriam, Jodie and Bethany

The College and Community Life Team

Student Support and Wellbeing continues to operate until 22 December and then will return on Monday 4 January. Wherever you find yourself over the vacation period, please find below some information to help you stay well and connected:

• For expert information to help you through the challenges of coronavirus from Student Minds, check out the Student Space website which provides advice, as well as telephone, email, webchat and text support.

• For 24/7 free online support from peers and trained professionals, all Kent students can access Togetherall.

• If you’re having a difficult time and want to talk to someone, you can call the Samaritans free on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org.

• If you would prefer to receive support via text message, Shout is a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope, simply text 85258.

• Spending Christmas on campus? There’s lots happening for our on campus communities – for information on events, where to eat, meet, study, worship, walk and much more, check out the vacation webpage. Local GP surgeries (University Medical Centre in Canterbury, St Mary’s Island and  in Medway) are operating according to normal opening hours apart from bank holidays, outside of these please use NHS 111.

More information, advice and resources will be posted throughout vacation on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts – check out @UniKentSSW.

If you do not have symptoms of Covid-19, ie are asymptomatic, you can make an appointment to be tested for on campus.

Canterbury and Medway appointments are still available to book online.

Please remember that asymptomatic testing is for people not displaying Covid-19 symptoms. If you do have symptoms, please follow our Self-Isolate, Test, Inform procedure and book a test via the NHS Coronavirus website.

You should ideally have two asymptomatic tests 3-5 days apart and then return home within 24hrs of your second negative test result. If you are unable to wait for a second test, please return home as soon as possible after your first negative result.

If you decide to get tested, please register for an NHS login before your appointment. You can set this up using your email address. Please note that you will not receive your barcode until you arrive to be tested, however you can still set up the rest of your account.

Once registered, please bookmark this link to the NHS Coronavirus Testing site on your phone. Pre-registering for an NHS login will speed up your appointment and make the testing process even easier.

Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience

This year has come with many difficulties. If you find yourself struggling financially, you are welcome to apply for financial support from the University. Please note the deadlines and university office closure dates below.

Kent Emergency Short Term Loan

You will need to have your application for the Kent Emergency Short Term Loan completed and sent to us by 14.00 on Wednesday 16 December to receive any money by Christmas.

You should complete and scan the application form to FinancialAid@kent.ac.uk (Canterbury) or UKMFinance@kent.ac.uk (Medway) along with scanned copies of your bank statements (for all bank accounts UK or abroad). These statements should show all transactions back 30 days from the date of the application.  Payments will be made directly into your bank account – no cash can be issued at this time.

Other financial hardship packages

The other financial hardship packages are still available for students to apply but please be aware that any application may not now be processed or finalised before Christmas. Students should therefore not rely on receiving any funds granted before the New Year for these packages.

Office closures

Financial Aid and other Central Finance offices will be closed for Christmas from midday on Tuesday 22 December 2020 and will re-open on Monday 4 January 2021.

Blog post by Second Year Law Student, Ellie House. 

Although lockdown ends on 2 December, the new tier system will bring its own challenges – especially as we try to navigate through the Christmas period. Here are some top tips on ways to feel festive this December, while still staying within restrictions and keeping safe!

1. Take a walk with those in your household/bubble

A great way to stay active during this time is taking walks outside. There are many beautiful walking spots around Kent and within Canterbury and exploring those with your household could be a great activity! If you also want a festive feel, try taking a walk through Canterbury (or your local area) and looking at this year’s Christmas lights.

2. Try some festive baking

This is an activity you can do by yourself or with those in your household! Try making a festive cake or some cookies and get creative with your decorations. If you’re feeling extra Christmassy, you could even try building a gingerbread house, or having a gingerbread house making competition with your friends – this could be together if you’re a household or over Zoom.

3. Take time to do some festive arts and crafts

A great activity if you feel like you’re in a creative lull is doing some festive arts and crafts! There are many different things you can create with a Christmas theme, but if you’re stuck for ideas, you could try a wellbeing art kit.

4. Decorate!

If you haven’t done so already, decorating is always a fantastic way to feel more festive. You can put up a tree and decorate your home with all the glitter and tinsel you can find. Whether you stick to a traditional red, green and gold colour palette, or change it up with something a little different, you’re bound to feel more in the Christmas spirit once your decorations are up.

5. Have a Christmas movie night in

Unless you’re the Grinch, Christmas movies are bound to get you in the festive spirit. Set up a movie night with your household and watch all your favourite Christmas classics, and maybe even a few new releases out for Christmas this year. You can make it more interesting by having each person pick their favourite film, or if you don’t have time to binge-watch them all, pick them out of a hat. You can also feel more festive by drinking hot chocolates and eating festive snacks!

6. Make your own Christmas cards or gifts

Whether you’re creative or not, you can still get into the Christmas spirit by making some DIY gifts for your family and friends. There are lots of tutorials online for all sorts of gifts, so you’re bound to find something you’d enjoy making and that would be appreciated by your friends and family.

7. Have a ‘Zoom’ Secret Santa

Use an online Secret Santa generator to each pick someone to get a gift for and set a budget for how much you’re each going to spend. Then, buy your gifts online and get them delivered to each other’s addresses! Make sure you set a date for when you’ll all open the gifts and call each other whilst you open them to see everyone’s reactions.

8. Festive ‘Come Dine With Me’

Why not get together with the other members of your household and have a festive ‘Come Dine With Me’? You can each cook a meal for everyone in the evening, and then each ‘guest’ can rank the meal out of 10! Whoever gets the highest score for their meal wins. Make sure to add a festive element to each of your meals, maybe by making a Christmas-themed dessert or even just adding some brussels sprouts to your dish!

9. Hold an online Christmas quiz

You can find plenty of Christmas-themed trivia questions online or come up with your own. Put them together in a quiz and test your friends’ Christmas knowledge. You can come up with a prize for the winner, or just play for fun – it’s completely up to you!

10. Volunteer

During this difficult time, it’s especially important that we give back to our local communities and help those in need. Helping others during this festive period, even if it’s just donating a small amount of your time, can really make a difference to someone’s Christmas. Take a look at the volunteering opportunities around your local area and see what you can do to help. Whether you’re able to give up your time for charity, or you have some change to spare and buy some food for the foodbank on your weekly shop, helping others during this difficult December is something we should all strive to do.

No matter how you spend your Christmas, try to get the most out of December whilst staying safe.

Residential Life Assistants (RLAs) are postgraduate student volunteers who host events and support initiatives within your College. They will help you to form a College Committee in the spring, to find your voice and promote your ideas and values. They will support you to shape the ways you can all come together to make your College Community, where every student is welcome no matter what their background and whether living on or off campus.

Fawaz (studying Bio-digital Architecture MSc)

Ally (studying Economics MSc)

Maria (studying Forensic Osteology MSc)

Ishaan (studying Environmental Anthropology MSc)

Daniella (studying Criminology MA)

RLA festive events

Get involved with The Tw’Elf Days of Christmas competition on your College Facebook page (daily prizes awarded). Find your College Facebook page on the College webpage.

We also have a Christmas Cookies baking event coming up hosted by the RLAs and Kent Union Baking Society for live baking fun! If you’re staying on campus you can borrow the equipment you need for the bake from the College Life team.

We’re adding more events to our College events page so keep an eye out.

College Life Team

The RLAs focus on events but also work closely with the College Life Officers (CLOs) who are experienced, full time staff working in the central College and Community Life team. Your CLOs can offer you individual or group support if you are struggling, by email (cclteam@kent.ac.uk), phone, or Teams. Their focus is on welfare, support, and access to specialist services.

Following the announcement of the Student Travel Window, here’s few things you need to consider when planning your journey home for Christmas.

Everyone should follow the national lockdown restrictions until 2 December 2020 and not travel home before 3 December.

1. Decide when to travel

The Government has set out a Student Travel Window from 3-9 December 2020. All teaching will move online from 4 December to help support this. Please remember to keep up with your academic timetable online until term finishes on 18 December.

To help you travel home safely and reduce the spread of the virus, we ask that you travel during one of the following timeframes (depending on when you have face-to-face teaching):

• If you do not have face-to-face teaching on 3-4 December 2020, please try to travel home between 3-6 December 2020.
• If your face-to-face teaching continues until 4 December 2020, please try to travel home between 5-9 December 2020.

We understand that the allocated dates will not be suitable for all students. Some of you may have already made other plans or intend to stay with us for longer, which you are very welcome to do. Please be assured we will support you whatever your personal circumstances.

Once you know your travel plans please make sure you have completed the Winter Vacation/Student Travel Window survey which was emailed to you by the Accommodation Team on Friday 13 November 2020.

Please note: If you have tested positive for Covid-19 or have been notified to self-isolate by the NHS test and Trace system, you will have to follow the self-isolation guidance before travelling home. See our self-isolation support.

2. Book a test

You can book a Covid-19 test before you leave campus to help protect your loved ones and stop the spread of Covid-19.

3. Plan your journey

If you are being collected by car between 3-9 December 2020, the person collecting you will not require a parking permit. They can park free of charge in marked parking bays on campus. Please have everything you want to take home with you ready for when they arrive so you can quickly load the car and make your way home.

If you are using public transport, book your tickets in advance, take a face covering, check for travel disruptions ahead of time, and avoid busy times (we anticipate 5-6 December will be busy). See our tips for travelling during Covid-19.

National Express has enhanced their coach service to help students get safely home between 3-9 December and you can get a 10% discount. Read more and get a discount code.

If you are planning to take the train, please book in advance and check South-Eastern’s website for travel disruption. Find out more on South-Eastern’s website.

You can read our full advice and FAQs for travelling home for Christmas, including travelling outside of the ‘Student Travel Window’, on our Transport webpages.

4. Planning international travel

International students: you can travel home from 3 December. Before you travel, you should:

• Check the COVID-19 entry requirements for your destination country
• Speak to your travel insurer
• Check with your carrier for latest developments at your destination
• Plan ahead to avoid busy times and routes

If you are a student abroad and are travelling back to the UK, you should:

• Speak to your travel insurer
• Check GOV.UK for advice on returning to the UK
• Plan ahead to avoid busy times and routes
• Complete your Passenger Locator Form before you return to the UK

5. Leaving on-campus accommodation

If you are leaving your on-campus accommodation for the winter break, please make sure you:

• Remove all rubbish from your accommodation, kitchen, and bins
• Turn off all electrical items and lights (but not the fridge!)
• Dispose of any perishable foods or take them with you. You can also donate any unwanted items. 
• Close your windows but leave the vent open
• Check your doors are locked

If you live in part-catered accommodation and are staying after the travel window don’t forget your winter vacation move out dates.

In case another lockdown delays your return, we also recommend taking all your important items with you.

Remember that items left in communal areas are not covered by your standard room insurance, so you may wish to move items into your bedroom.

Read more about moving out on our accommodation webpages.

Have a safe journey home and we look forward to welcoming you back in the New Year!

Photo by Nubia Navarro on Unsplash