Dear EMC Community,

I would like to recognise that the start to the 2022 academic year has been well received, students have a spring in their step and the staff have been reporting that the energy in classrooms has been positive.

I really appreciate the continued support for our College to remain COVID safe. We are aware that COVID is present in our community, and we are all grateful for the proactive work that our families and staff are taking to minimise the disruption to learning for students. This Collective responsibility has seen case number at school remain low.

Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Commemoration (DEMC)

One of the culturally significant events that we run each year is the DEMC – we dedicate time to stop and reflect on the positive contribution that Dame Elisabeth Murdoch made to the Langwarrin community, but also the impact that her name has had on the College. We recognise the students that have made a significant contribution to the culture of our college, by living the College values.

This year students were recognised for living the College values of:

Respect,
Empower,
Aspire,
Courage and
Honesty.

The recipients are not only outstanding role models but outstanding human beings who have given time and energy to support our community to be stronger, be better, making sure that we do better. We thank these recipients for their commitment to self and others and look forward to them continuing their leadership journey.

Their profiles can be found on the College website here: https://www.emc.vic.edu.au/news/article/148/dame-elisabeth-murdoch-commemoration.html

The importance of sleep in learning success.

As we return to onsite learning following the disruptions to 2021 several students have spoken about the changes in routine, and the challenges in maintaining their concentration. When we discuss this further, students identify that their sleep routines aren’t compatible with learning excellence and with high performance at school. If your child is struggling with the school day, it might be worth discussing with them how they are getting 8-10 hours of sleep every night.

The following Headspace info graphic may be a great conversation starter with your young adult.

https://headspace.org.au/assets/Factsheets/HSP225-Sleep-Fact-Sheet-DP3.pdf

Inevitably students raise concerns about the use of technology and social media after 7pm, you may be able to support your young person to establish a new healthy strategy for sleep preparation.

Traffic congestion

Over the past few weeks I have been out the front of the College during morning drop off and afternoon pick up. I have noticed that it is very congested and sometimes students are being picked up in the bus bay or slip lanes without the car being parked. This is challenging with regards to student safety and ask that you consider more safe options, like picking your child up at the church on the corner of North rd. and Warrandyte rd. or at the community centre. A short walk is great for the student’s wellbeing and can assist to take the pressure of you as parents and the congestion in the pickup bay.

Sun Smart – Survey question

Whilst out the front of the College I have noticed a significant number of students not wearing hats, as an aging adult who is getting thin on top, I am left wondering why students are not wearing hats during terms 1 and 4 each year. I know that it is a challenge and maybe not seen as ‘cool’, but I also know that sunburn is the leading cause of melanoma later in life, and during these formative years, I think that home and school need to work together to build a sun smart culture and ensure that students have options to keep themselves safe from sunburn. I have attached a link for your discussion at the dinner table with your young person… https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/what-is-cancer

A number of students have asked me about sun smart hats and the addition of a hat to the school uniform policy. I am interested to hear from the community about a preferred style of hat: https://forms.gle/GHqAsAgZGWbdKDeC8

Year 12 Camp

Last week our Year 12 students participated in the annual Lord Somers camp. This was a wonderful opportunity for students to engage with each other and staff, where they built the relationships required to be successful in 2022. This is the first of several events that the College will run to connect, engage, and inspire students to be the best versions of themselves in 2022.

One of the challenges is to build the understanding of what high performance at year 12 looks like and re-establish the strategies and behaviours that lead to learning excellence in both VCE and VCAL. In speaking with some students yesterday, it is obvious that the two years of remote learning has had an impact on the routines and self-belief that students have. I encourage parents to take some time out with their child to discuss things like:

Balancing school commitments and work, sport and social commitments
Creation of a dedicated study space, which is free of distractions and interruptions
Creating a study plan and identifying small rewards
Finally sleep routines.

Students who are successful in VCE will take time to intentionally plan for success. If your child needs assistance I encourage you to book a time the Home Group Teacher, Team Leader or Student Achievement Leader.

We have a very strong focus on students successfully completing their senior Pathway, and 2022 bringing a renewed focus on academic excellence across our College, especially Year 12 VCE. We will be collaborating with universities to run workshops and engagement programs to support student to understand what high performance takes and provide the structures to ensure that they are successful in attaining entry to their university program of choice.

Yr 7 interviews

Our year 7’s started 2022 in a new fashion, where we scheduled a student/parent/teacher interview to better understand the challenges of 2020-2021 and looked to establish a positive working partnership for 2022. We know that the success of a student at school is significantly influenced by the attitudes and supports at home and how well they are developed through partnerships with the College. I am incredibly excited by the work that the year 7 team is undertaking and looking forward to year 7’s have a wonderful start to their secondary schooling.

We would like to ask that those parents/carers that participated in the year 7 interviews take the time to complete the following survey https://forms.gle/kBvPAbAGRELCxrca7

Your feedback is important as it will influence the program that we run for 2023 transition events.

Teacher practice – Goal Setting

This year the College is working with teachers to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills around student goal setting in the classroom. This work will use the professional learning strategy – teaching sprints, where teachers practice a defined skill over a week period. This new goal setting strategy will be launched with students in week 5 – and I hope that when you discuss your child’s learning with them that you ask them specifically about goal setting and what skills, knowledge and understanding they are focussed on improving at this time. All teachers in all subject areas will be working with students, so start small and find out what they are focussed on and maybe put this in a visual place like the fridge and check in with them each day to see how their progress is going.

Finally I hope that everyone has an outstanding term 1, 2022 and look forward to a year full of growth and learning excellence.

Kind regards,

Dean King

Principal

Brekkie Club