Learning & Teaching
Wantirna College
Semester 2 Reports
Released: 3pm Monday 18 December
via Maestro and Compass
PLEASE NOTE - Semester 2 reports will not be released on Friday 15 December as previously published, due to unforeseen technical issues that we have now overcome. The new date for the release of Semester Reports is 3pm Monday 18 December.
It's great to see more and more families logging into Maestro to access really important information about their children's attendance, learning progress and achievement. If you want to know more about how to access and use Maestro, please use this comprehensive guide to assist. Remember that the reports will be released on Maestro for Year 7-10 students and parents will need to log into Compass and Maestro to access them. If you have any issues, please contact:
maestro@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au
Parent Feedback on Student Conferences
We are keen to learn more about the parent and student experiences of our Student Conferences that are held at the end of Term 1 and Term 3. The conferences are an opportunity to build partnerships between home and school. They are also an opportunity to discuss student learning, engagement and improvements and we want to ensure they are as effective and meaningful as possible.
Please complete this short survey to help us improve our conferences into the future: Student Conferences Survey
Teacher Achievements & Highlights
It's been a great year in learning and teaching and I want to pay tribute to our incredible staff whose dedication and passion for the College and our students is exceptional. Last week, at the Awards Night, we honoured the students for their achievements, and I'd now like to share some of the achievements of our teaching staff.
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority VCE Exam Assessors
A significant number of our teachers successfully applied to be VCE exam markers this year, in recognition of their teaching experience and skill. It's a significant commitment to become an assessor and we thank:
Peter Kos - Biology
David Black - PE
Ben Karwan - English Language
Caitlin Scholefield - English
Tanya Moran - Legal Studies
Sherry White - Geography
Mel Zulfic - Applied Computing
Surya Ganesan - Foundation Maths
Douglas Wu - History
Janelle Cavarra - Health and Human Development
Paul McGlynn - Specialist Maths
NAPLAN Assessors
Ben Karwan
Michaela Pirititidis
Victorian Institute of Teaching - Provisional Registration to Full Registration
When teachers first qualify to teach, they become provisionally registered and have the first couple of years to build their craft before they apply to become fully registered. To be granted full registration through the VIT, graduate teachers must engage in an extensive inquiry project guided by a teacher mentor. The process culminates in a final presentation of their learning to a panel of their peers. I have been lucky enough to preside over many VIT panels this year.
Congratulations to the following teachers:
Lucy McLennan
Erin Robinson
Matt Leithhead
Brodie Martin
Stephan Daw
Qingyang QIN
Isabel Yu
Marissa Thomas
Conference Presenters and Professional Achievements
Claire Baillie
DATTA Vic Conference Presenter
Kylie Rackham
Presenter on the Disability Inclusion reforms to many school leadership teams and some principal networks.
Carrie Wallis and Natalie Manser
Presented and 2 VASSP principals conferences about using data and evidence in education.
Danny van Bergen
- VCAA Top Class/Top Acts Panel member 2023
- The University of Melbourne Graduate School of Education for early career teachers.
- Presented at the Advanced Ensemble Conducting Workshop representing the region.
- Panellist for 'Turning Challenge into Opportunity" for the Australian Band and Orchestra Directors Association (Vic)
Michelle Lam
- Presenter Victorian Music Teachers Association Piano Day
- Australian Society for Music Education
Beryl Birrell
Inducted by Drama Victoria into their 'Legends' - Amazing.... (see Performing Arts page for details)
Douglas Wu
Nominated as an outstanding mentor teacher by one of his student teachers and recognised at an event held by the University.
Staff Induction
On Thursday 7 December, the Assistant Principal team and Learning Area Leaders inducted sixteen new and enthusiastic teaching and education support staff into the College. It is a difficult climate for recruitment in education at present and we are lucky to have candidates of such a high calibre joining us. We ran three intensive fast-track sessions about teaching and learning at the College, and look forward to working with them next year.
New Roles 2024
Next year, Leanne Wilson will take on a new role of Maths Curriculum Specialist, assisting in the implementation of the new Maths curriculum for Year 7-10. Leanne has been a Learning Specialist this year and has also led the Literacy and Numeracy support programs over the past two years (Quick Smart, Tutor Learning Initiative and the MYLNS programs). Her expertise and hard work have been pivotal in ensuring high quality interventions for students who need support to bridge their learning gaps. The NAPLAN data in Year 9 tells a definitive story about the positive impact of the work from Leanne, our tutors and the work and quality teaching from Maths and English staff. Wantirna College (brown in the graph below) is last/near last in the number of students in Year 9 requiring additional support. Congratulations to all.
Tanya Moran has been the Humanities Learning Area Leader for three years and is moving into a newly created role, Inclusive Practices Leader, working alongside Kylie Rackham to lead our small group intervention programs next year (numeracy, literacy, social emotional development, executive function, and others). Tanya has been an inspirational Curriculum Leader ensuring high quality documented curriculum and teaching excellence in her faculty. Finally, Luke Mason will be taking on the role of Humanities Leader.
I am looking forward to another great year in 2024 with staff, students and parents, and I thank you for your enthusiasm, support, and ideas throughout the year. Have a great break!
Natalie Manser
Assistant Principal