Viewbank College

From the Principal Class

Dear Viewbank Community,

As we wind up for the holidays, I wanted to thank the whole community for a really positive start to the 2024 school year. 

Term 1 is always busy – camps, sport, music programs, NAPLAN testing, parent meetings, excursions. 

Our students have engaged well in the learning program and all of the extra-curricular activities.

A few reflections:

The College has established a number of approaches to making the learning highly visible and accessible for all students, no matter where they are in their learning. 

Educational research shows that making the learning explicit, visible, and engaging students in reflecting on their learning (learner agency) provides greater success for students.

  • Our 5 P’s approach to establishing consistent classroom expectations and routines has gained traction and is a great way to acknowledge those students who engage positively in the classroom environment. They are also great signposts for students who need support and reminding. The 5 P’s are:

Polite, Positive, Punctual, Prepared and Productive.

  • Learning Behaviours Matrix. This also clearly establishes the path for students to improve their approaches to learning – the soft skills that will bring success. 
  • Compass checkpoints. This has been a shift in the way we provide feedback on learning. Continuous reporting provides more timely and targeted feedback to allow students to progress their learning.

We recognise that we have some challenges in making these changes accessible for parents. Many schools are grappling with how to provide feedback in a more effective way that demonstrates real genuine growth and improvement as the central focus. 

 

We continue to look for ways to improve.

 

Thanks to all of those parents and students (nearly 70% of families) who attended our Student/Parent/Teacher conferences over two nights. 

It is such an important way to connect with families and communicate the academic, social and emotional growth of students. 

I hope that, as parents, you were proud of the way our students can demonstrate understanding of their learning and their areas for improvement.

Languages Exchange

The first part of our Languages Exchange program is complete. 

Our Japanese and German students had a wonderful time, with many experiences both at school and with their host families. 

I wish to sincerely thank all of the Viewbank families and staff who hosted the teachers and students. 

This program really builds the global perspective and intercultural understanding of our students. 

We look forward to the return journeys to Germany and Japan.

Big thanks to the Languages team, including Chris Mertins, Tim Hocking, Jaclyn Curnow and Mio Fukumori for their organisation of the program.

International students

We welcomed 12 new international students from Years 7-10 at the beginning of this year, and we are expecting one new Vietnamese student in term two. 

This is another program that contributes to our intercultural understanding and diversity.

Viewbank College - 2024 Community Forum

Viewbank College invites members of the College Community to our Forum to be held on Wednesday, May 1st.

The evening will start at 6.30pm in the Performing Arts Centre.

The forum is an opportunity to participate in table discussions with Viewbank College staff and student representatives and provide input into our current and future direction.

Some topics for discussion:

  • College Vision, Values, and motto
  • Future of Education- preparing young learners for an uncertain future
  • Communication channels and protocols -all community stakeholders 

We will also hold a panel discussion with Principal team.

Bookings for the event are required through the Try booking link:  https://www.trybooking.com/CQJXB

 

Tea, coffee and biscuits provided on the night.

We are looking forward to engaging with all interested stakeholders.

 

I wish all of our families a lovely Easter, however you celebrate!

Stay safe, relax and we look forward to seeing our students return on Monday 15th April.

 

 

Sharon Grimes, Principal

Emma Ford, Assistant Principal

Rachael Smith, Assistant Principal

Anna Crosswhite, Assistant Principal

Penelope Cleghorn, Assistant Principal