CAS 

Collingwood Alternative School

Rotary Club Richmond Excellence in Education Awards

Congratulations to our amazing Educational Support staff member, Ecem, who was nominated for the Rotary Club Richmond Excellence in Education Award. Ecem came to Australia from Turkey two years ago to study a Masters in Teaching TESOL. Ecem started working at Collingwood Alternative School this year and has been an invaluable member of our school community ever since.

Ecem approaches every aspect of her role with enthusiasm and professionalism. When it comes to supporting the students at Collingwood Alternative School, Ecem makes it her mission to get to know the students so she can discover their interests and strengths. She then uses this information to help create links within the curriculum or to engage students outside of the classroom. Students at CAS have said they feel they have improved in confidence, academic ability and engagement due to Ecem’s guidance and support. Ecem communicates with students in a way that promotes mutual respect, empathy and collaboration.

It has been wonderful to see the students make connections between the effort they put in with Ecem and the academic progress they can make. This is why our Education Support Staff are so important in our schools!

Ecem has demonstrated creativity and fantastic problem-solving skills at Collingwood Alternative School. She often is the first person to come up with an idea to make processes more efficient, the campus more welcoming or the classroom environment more ordered. You can see her influence in every aspect of the school community. Ecem has been a wonderful addition to Collingwood Alternative School and her support of both students and staff is acknowledged and appreciated.

Thank you,

Mel

Melanie Singleton

Campus Principal - Collingwood Alternative School, Collingwood College

Operation Newstart Bus Donation proudly purchased by

 The Community Bank Clifton Hill - North Fitzroy

Operation Newstart is a re-engagement program hosted by Collingwood College and is located at the Collingwood Alternative School. Collingwood College has provided governance for the program since 2001 and has seen over 800 students referred from over thirty Department of Education, Northern Metropolitan schools in the region. The unique outdoor adventure and life skills program promotes valuable strengths and skills, that are sometimes hard to find inside the classroom, for students experiencing difficulties in their mainstream school.

It is fair to say, given the natural spaces we seek, that our bus is our classroom and the most prized possession we own. From the oceans of Torquay to the peaks of the Cathedrals, or the rivers in the Rubicon valley, our bus delivers us safely to these beautiful locations. When our last bus, a 2003 Ford Transit, started to creak, we put out the community holler that we needed some support to keep our young adventurers safe.

It was no surprise, that the Community Bank of Clifton Hill - North Fitzroy, who is very proud to have contributed almost $4.5million back to our community in 20 years thanks to their customers, came to our aid.

We cannot thank the Community Bank of Clifton Hill - North Fitzroy enough for valuing the safety of the young people attending Operation Newstart and/or the Collingwood Alternative School , by proudly donating a brand-new Ford Transit Bus, seen below.

In the photo from left to right we have Phil Wheatley, EO of Operation Newstart Victoria, Laura Roulston, Youth Worker ONS, Chris Millard, Principal Collingwood College, Lee Chia, Ro Roberts and David Fielder from the Community Bank Clifton Hill -North Fitzroy, Azzam Hussein past ONS/ CAS student/ current Collingwood College Student and Brendon Delaney, Program Manager ONS)

Feel free to jump on the Community Bank’s socials to see how they support our local community @COMMUNITYBANKCLITFONHILL   #CommunityBankCliftonHillNorthFitzroy   #PartneredByCommunityBankCliftonHillNorthFitzroy

Brendon Delaney

 Program Manager

Operation Newstart

www.opnewstart.org