From the Principal Class Team

International visitors

On Wednesday 5 August, we had 55 visiting delegates from International Student agencies and the Department of Education and Training.  The presentation for this event was very well received and included some of our International Students performing a humorous and engaging speech, a beautiful poem about studying in Australia called ‘the lucky one’  and a song performed in both English and Vietnamese which brought a tear to the eye of some of those in the audience. The visitors were taken on a tour of the school and we received some very positive feedback about the well cared for buildings and grounds and general appearance of the school and performances by the students.

Congratulations to Miranda and the group of International Students who made this such an engaging and positive experience for all involved.

Kwong Lee Dow Scholars nominations

The Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program is an academic enrichment program designed to support high achieving Victorian Year 11 and Year 12 students.  These students are selected in Year 10, they must apply and selection occurs based on the school’s endorsement and the student’s academic performance, community contribution and leadership skills.  At least one Young Scholar from each participating secondary school will be selected. 

The selection panel will consider:

• School endorsement

• Academic performance: the student should be in the top 5 per cent of the Year 10 cohort

• Leadership potential: students must demonstrate evidence of leadership, active citizenship and community involvement.

Students selected may obtain the offer of a guaranteed place in an undergraduate degree at the University of Melbourne when they finish their secondary studies.  There is also the opportunity of an overseas scholarship during their University studies.  Year 10 students need to apply by 15 October.  A flyer containing all the information can be downloaded at:

https://study.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/51482/Kwong-Lee-Dow-flyer.pdf

Interested Year 10 students should speak with the Middle Sub School.

VCAL real talk

On Wednesday 12 September, the VCAL students in both Years 11 and 12 had the opportunity to speak with people working in a range of different vocations.  Students were asked about careers of interest and guests within the different areas spoke with students in a round robin of small groups or as a talk to the cohort.  Students were able to ask questions of the guests who were engaging and provided thoughtful answers to student investigation of their particular trade or profession.

VCAL Partnership with Sunshine Hospital

Continuing with our partnership with the Sunshine Hospital, we had three teams of Year 12 VCAL students create functional and user-friendly spaces to enhance the facilities for those staying or visiting at the Hospital. One group of students designed and created a new Kitchen space in the community based rehab treatment room.  A second group developed a functional bedroom space for day and overnight stays in the rehab unit and the third group renovated an outdoor terrace area for use by staff, visitors and guests.  This included designing and building a planting trolley so that herbs and other plants can be grown and enjoyed by all who use the space.  All three makeovers were a credit to the teams who worked on them and each of these projects were a great success and show what can be achieved when community groups support one another.  Each of the updated facilities has a plaque naming the student team from the school.  Congratulations to all students and staff involved in these projects, it was lovely to see the work of these groups of students acknowledged during the presentation event at the Sunshine Hospital on 29 August.  The students gave a wonderful account of how they achieved the final product and an overview of what they had learned during the process.  The students not only articulated an overview of their project but also their appreciation of their mentors at both the school and the hospital. 

Digital Thumb Print

Our Years 7 & 8 students enthusiastically participated in the Digital Thumb Print program delivered by Optus. This interactive program showed our students the importance of protecting their personal information, behaving responsibly and how important it is to stay safe online. Ask your child about their experience and open the dialogue about this important topic. 

And finally...

Thank you to everyone who attended Parent-Teacher interviews on Wednesday, 19 September, and we wish you all the very best for a relaxing, enjoyable break.

Principal - Ms Kerrie Dowsley 

Assistant Principal - Mr Craig Jennings

Assistant Principal - Mr John Coulson

Assistant Principal - Ms Tracey D'Elton