Principal Introduction
Dear Students, Parents and Carers,
The cold weather has set in this week! As winter arrives, let's focus on the positives for the coming weeks and months.
Today our Year 11 students had an Elevate session where they continued their learning of explicit study techniques and how to achieve VCE success. Please ask your child about what their take-away was, and what study group they are going to set up! Year 10s and 12s also have Elevate sessions through the year, one of many opportunities for students to actively engage in their learning and best outcomes.
Even though it's only May, we are already starting to build the 2024 timetable. Therefore, our Year 9s, 10s, and 11s are beginning their Course Counselling or Course Confirmations. Year 11s received important information yesterday about their Year 12 program, and today Year 9s are part of the Subject Supermarket. Year 9s will bring home a blue book this afternoon which must be treated like gold! It's their main subject and pathway resource for the rest of Senior School, so it can't be lost for the next three years, there's a challenge for them! Today students will hear from each subject domain about what is available to them at Senior School, in preparation for their selections which happen in Home Group over the coming weeks. Parents should read through the book with a highlighter in hand together with their child and discuss the many options. Please look out for your parent information which is provided by email.
Last week our Year 11 and 12 students went to The Age Victorian Careers Expo to explore the unknown. Along with endless course and career ideas, our students also saw thousands of other students, all of whom are highly invested and independently motivated towards their own outcomes and pathways, in short, they saw their competition! It's a hard fact of life that as our seniors head towards the end of their high school time, they need to prepare to enter the adult world where they will be competing for jobs, courses, and careers. Please talk to your child about their goals, and assist them with being strategic in how they work towards them. Contact their Home Group teacher if you would like additional resources or ideas to make their plans happen.
Our teachers' professional development this year continues in Term 2 with ongoing training in School Wide Positive Behaviours (known as EMC Expectations), Professional Learning Communities involved in classroom walkthroughs (students will see other teachers coming in and out of their classes making observations and asking them about their learning for the lesson), creation of Individual Learning Plans for relevant students, and working with a new structure and documentation for our Disability and Inclusion Program, creating and sharing the adjustments made in and out of the classroom for students with additional learning challenges which ensure they can be successful in their learning.
In the first weeks of this term we have also had a Curriculum Day, Athletics Carnival, Specialist Programs information evening for Grade 6 students, Tasmania Camp for Year 10s, several packed College tours, our School Captains at Voice to Parliament with MP Peta Murphy, many focus groups with our College Review panel, and our Student Leaders providing training workshops to 60 class captains during Home Groups. We are packed with opportunities and exciting events, please keep an eye out for what is coming next and talk to your child about what to get involved in.
Kind regards,
Laura Spence
Assistant Principal.