Secondary School News

I can't believe that it's already the end of term one. I'm very proud of how our year has started at Collingwood College. As our school Open Day has been approaching I have been visiting both our primary school and other local primary schools about attending high school. I have had a selection of students from across Year 7 attend with me and speak about their learning experiences at Collingwood College. I haven't seen a group of students speak so articulately about their learning before. Well done, to our Year 7 students and teachers for an amazing start in 2024.

Many families attended our three-way conferences this term. It's so important to your child's education to keep connecting with teachers so that we can work collaboratively to support your child's learning.

As always at Collingwood, we've had so many things going on in the secondary school. Over the last two weeks we've had our Cultural Day celebrations, Iftar Community Dinner, Crazy Hair Day and our 2024 Collingwood College Open Day. Many thanks to our SRC students and the amazing teaching staff that have helped support these days from ideas that have turned into great community events. You may have seen the poster around the local area promoting our Open Day this year!

Term Two plans to be just as busy and exciting as Term 1. We start the term with the first of our Year 9 Journeys camp to the Glenelg River. Our Year 10 students focusing on securing their work experience. Collingwood College is again supporting the Reclink Community Cup.

I would like to also extend thanks for the Rotary Club of Richmond for their support of our year 10 Next Steps Program. It was a pleasure at their Inspiring Women’s Event about our amazing school community.

Make sure you have a safe and restful holiday period. Enjoy the sunshine and I look forward to catching up with you again in term 2.

Kind Regards,

Angela Watters

Secondary Assistant Principal

The International Baccalaureate

As students embark on their transition into secondary school, the opportunity to experience a broad range of engaging studies is crucial for development as a life-long learner.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme, which has been introduced at Year 7 this year, is already providing an engaging and rigorous mainstream programme for our students. Students have started to develop skills and approaches to learning across and within their subjects through independent and collaborative inquiry learning. The MYP is empowering students to make connections between learning and develop global perspectives.

In each subject, students have been learning about a topic through a Statement of Inquiry (SOI) which has provided a framework (lens) for their learning - a ‘big idea’ for students to explore and reflect on throughout the unit of study.

Students are also learning to use different types of questions (factual, conceptual and debatable) to explore the statement of inquiry and guide their learning.

At the core of the MYP is the IB Learner Profile which consists of ten attributes that encourage students to become active and responsible members of their communities. Students who have embodied these attributes in the classroom or extracurricular activities, have been recognised by their teachers throughout the term and celebrated on the screens within the school.

A way to assist your child with their studies at this stage is to have conversations about their learning at home; ask them about the inquiry focus for each of their subjects and to share with you what they are learning.

Laptops

Equipping students with the skills to access digital information and use different applications for research and presentation of work is part of the MYP. It has been wonderful to see students bring their own device to each lesson for this purpose. If your child still requires a laptop, our school has five available laptops for purchase. These laptops are from the The Intrepid Foundation; a not-for-profit organisation, which invests in a range of responsible initiatives from supporting local communities to wildlife conservation and the climate. Please see information in the link below. https://www.theintrepidfoundation.org/t/laptops-for-good These Dell laptops are pre-used and have windows installed. Please contact the office for more information.

I would like to congratulate all families on a wonderful start to the term. Please do not hesitate to make contact at any time with questions. I look forward to seeing you at the MYP Showcase and Celebration event early next term so that you can experience your child’s learning with them.

To end, I must share how incredibly exciting it is to be able to access the new Year 7 Learning Area - it was definitely worth the wait for this beautiful space for teaching and learning!

Lori Michael - Teaching and Learning Leading Teacher/MYP Coordinator

Year 7 Orientation Camp

By Sarah Powers, Year 7 Coordinator

Take a moment to consider your own experience in year 7. Whether it was amazing or challenging, it was likely riddled with strong emotions, new friendships, and the overwhelm of starting high school. In an effort to ease the uneasy transition into year 7 we hosted our sleepover Orientation Camp in Week 3 of this term, and we are happy to say it was a success!

Up until camp it was strictly business with our incoming year 7s: welcomes, lockers, new teachers, organisation, timetables…the list goes on. It’s a tremendous shift from primary school and the focus was on settling into high school and developing healthy routines. Each new experience for the year 7s presented opportunities for celebration, like successfully opening their combination lock or finding the right classroom on time. This cohort did an incredible job right from the start.

However, by the end of Week 3 we all needed a break! The focus of this camp was to support students to build connections with other students, their teachers, and the school. We began this process with some good old fashioned team building activities. Students were in mixed groups between the three classes and had to rely on each others’ strengths to be successful in games like the giant slingshot, dodgeball and trivia. That evening, Chef Judy and the VET Hospitality students prepared a beautiful dinner that we enjoyed in the sun on the mezzanine. A big thank you to the students who helped organise all the tables, and a thank you to the delightful weather well-suited to our al fresco dining experience.

I’m happy to say the sleepover wasn’t too wild and most students were asleep before midnight. (Teachers, not so much, but we powered through!) We awoke nice and early in preparation for our day in the CBD visiting the Marshmallow Laser Feast exhibit at ACMI, the Australian Centre of the Moving Image. It was hard to tell if the students were more excited about the exhibition or the 7/11 Slurpees they purchased while we waited for our tour…either way, the excitement was there. Following the exhibit we relaxed by the Yarra River and students took the opportunity to sing the spontaneous anthem of the camp: “Call Me Maybe”, the 2012 pop classic from Carley Rae Jepsen. Ahhh, to be young.

By the time we returned to school we were empty of energy but full of memories. Year 7 Orientation Camp was a success, and it left happy to continue working with this kind, funny and creative cohort for years to come.

Collingwood College Inter-school Cricket

Introduction:

The Year Ten Inter-School Cricket Tournament held on the 22nd of February, showcased an exciting display of talent and sportspersonship among Collingwood students. Organised with the aim of promoting physical activity, teamwork, and healthy competition, the tournament brought together many budding cricketers.

Participants:

Pallas Antony

Leo Braddock

Osgar Bryant

Ben Holmes

Leon Leviston-Camillery

Casper Schoonbrood

Jarvis Seymour-Jones

Noah Stafford-Bell

Zsofia Stavropoulos

Zahra Vanlangenberg

Our Games:

Collingwood made two appearances on the pitch, the first of which they won in high spirits. The score sheet reflected differently in the second game but that did not diminish spirits at all.

Highlights:

Several standout performances highlighted the talent present among the participating students. From powerful batting displays to skillful bowling and agile fielding, individual players showcased their abilities.

Conclusion:

The Year Ten Inter-School Cricket Tournament proved to be a resounding success, providing students with a platform to showcase their cricketing abilities while promoting values of Collingwood College. The tournament not only fostered a sense of camaraderie among participants but also served as a source of inspiration for budding cricketers to pursue their passion for the sport. With its thrilling matches and memorable moments, the tournament will be remembered as a highlight of the school year, encouraging continued participation in sports and fostering a culture of healthy competition.

Acknowledgments:

We extend our gratitude to all the participants and teachers, (Aaron and Annie - what legends) whose support and enthusiasm made the Year Ten Inter School Cricket Tournament a memorable event. Special thanks to the organising committee for their efforts in ensuring the success of the tournament.

Author:

L.R.Braddock

Collingwood Sports Captain

INSTRUMENTS FOR SALE (updated 15 March) - Contact Person - Steve Wu

Please click on the attachment below to see a list of Stringed instruments for sale. If you

have an instrument for sale please email Steve at: fengchih.09@gmail.com

List of instruments for sale - 15 Mar 2024.pdf

COLLINGWOOD COLLEGE ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM

Collingwood College is online! Feel free to follow us on:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/collingwood.college/ and like us on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/collingwood.vic.edu.au/ to keep up to date with everything that our school has to offer our students and the community.