From the Acting Principal

Lockdown and remote learning

As you may have heard, the State Government has announced that Melbourne will go into lockdown from midnight tonight for seven days.  This means we will be making a brief return to remote learning from Monday following a student-free day tomorrow, and expect to be back onsite from Friday next week.

Students will be asked to take any necessary items home with them this afternoon for this period of time.  Staff will spend the day tomorrow preparing and adapting resources for the commencement of remote lessons next week.

AHS staff have done a brilliant job maintaining an engaging learning program for students during previous periods of remote learning and we have every confidence the same will be true on this occasion.  Likewise, AHS students have demonstrated their commitment and focus on their learning in the remote environment in the past.  Whilst we look forward to returning to school face to face as soon as possible, I am sure that our students will continue to demonstrate our school DARE values and show that same focus and determination over the next week.

A Newsfeed will follow with our revised Remote Learning Handbook, but in short please note:

• Students are to follow their regular timetabled classes,
• Rolls will be marked each period via Teams and any absence should be explained via the Compass Parent Portal per normal,
• Lessons will be shortened to allow breaks away from the screen and physical activity,
• Year Level Leaders will provide further updates around any necessary changes to the assessment schedule, as well as Year Level WebEx assemblies so please keep a close eye on the Newsfeed.

Parents/ guardians, I would like to thank you and acknowledge your important efforts to support your child during this disrupted period, whilst no doubt managing your own working from home situation.  Please bear in mind these challenges also apply for our staff.

Student wellbeing remains our priority and we encourage families to be in touch via Year Level Leaders/Tutor Group teachers with any questions or concerns.

Thank you to each member of our school community for your support during this challenging time for the broader Victorian community of which we are all a part.  Please stay well and keep safe.

An invitation

AHS parents and guardians are warmly invited to attend our Annual General Meeting and parent workshop on June 8th.  This will be one of the very first occasions we have been able to welcome parents/guardians to the school and we look forward to seeing many of you there.  The session will commence at 5.45 pm with a brief school tour conducted by members of our Leadership Team to see the progress of our Stage 1 building project first hand.  The tour will be followed by the formal presentation of our Annual Report, before moving into a workshop focusing on one of our School Strategic Plan goals, To develop students who feel socially and emotionally connected and who flourish in their school community.  The workshop will be a great opportunity to meet with members of the Leadership Team to explore our newly developed Auburn Learner Qualities (ALQs) and to offer your insights as a parent of an AHS student.  There will also be the opportunity to find out more about the Respectful Relationships initiative and some of the many ways we strive to build a safe, welcoming and inclusive learning environment.  Please RSVP here:  https://www.trybooking.com/BRSPK

Curriculum Day

Teachers took part in a range of targeted professional learning workshops during our recent Curriculum Day on May 18th.  There was a focus on our whole school writing strategy and supporting students to express and deepen their understanding of concepts through the use of subject-specific terminology.  Other sessions included Respectful Relationships at AHS, the use of formative feedback to promote learner agency and our GANAG instructional model as part of fostering a positive learning environment.  I’d like to thank those staff who facilitated these highly engaging sessions for their leadership and generously sharing their expertise, and to our whole teaching staff for their focus on continuous improvement and improving outcomes for our students.

Student Attitudes to School Survey

Student voice is highly valued at Auburn High School and students are offered multiple opportunities throughout the year to provide feedback on their perceptions and experiences at school.  Students across all year levels took part in the annual DET Attitudes to School Survey this week.  Along with our Pivot Student Survey, this data provides us with useful insights that enable us to continue to improve the school experience and learning outcomes of our students. 

Kangourou des Maths

Miriam Boisbouvier-Wylie, Honorary Consul-General of France, joined us this week to celebrate the achievements of AHS students in this year’s Kangourou des Maths competition.  The competition was inspired by the work of two Australian teachers three decades ago and has grown into a worldwide event with more than 100,000 students taking part – including our very own French Immersion and Binational students.  We congratulate each of them on their aspiration, effort and participation.  Special congratulations to Jayden Kurniawan in Year 8 and Remy Wilson in Year 7, both of whom finished in the top one per cent of more than 44,000 participants.