Teaching and Learning

While last week was National Literacy and Numeracy Week, it is sometimes important to stop and reflect on just how many wonderful opportunities our students experience alongside their everyday learning programs. The past few weeks have certainly been a great example of this. Our students have been involved in an incredible range of experiences, and I wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate just some of them.

Book Week

Our students (and their parents and carers) are to be commended for the wonderful costumes we saw during our Book Week Parade. The imagination, creativity and effort on display were fantastic!

It was also lovely to see so many proud students welcoming their special friends into their classrooms and sharing their learning spaces and activities with them.

Our Level 3 and 4 students were also fortunate to participate in a visit from author and illustrator Matt Shank, who has written and illustrated more than 20 picture storybooks.

To top off a wonderful week, more than $1,000 was raised through our Book Fair. These funds will go straight back into resourcing our school and classroom libraries, helping us to continue building a rich collection of books for our students to enjoy.

National Science Week… which became three weeks at SEPS!

Not many schools can boast the range of authentic, hands-on experiences our students have enjoyed as part of National Science Week.

Students had the opportunity to board an aircraft and experience what it might be like to travel on an airline before visiting Creative City. The following week, they explored the work of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, learning about how emergency service personnel care for critically ill and injured patients.

Last week, the aircraft was transformed again, this time representing a military aircraft delivering humanitarian aid to communities affected by natural disasters. Alongside these hands-on experiences, students also had the opportunity to learn more about the important work of the Royal Australian Air Force.

What an extraordinary way to bring science, technology and real-world learning to life!

Fathers’ Day

Fathers’ Day was celebrated in style on Friday, with the wonderful dads, grandfathers and other special men in our students’ lives joining us for a picnic on the oval. There was plenty of fun and friendly competition as families also put their creativity to the test in our Lego-building challenges.

Victorian State Schools Spectacular

Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday, a group of our Level 5 and 6 students had the incredible opportunity to perform in the Victorian State Schools Spectacular.

After learning five dances, our students performed alongside approximately 2,000 students from schools across Victoria. The performance was incredible, and they represented Sandy East with confidence, enthusiasm and pride. We are incredibly proud of them!

School Sustainability Festival

Our Sustainability Team participated in the Port Phillip EcoCentre’s School Sustainability Festival – a fun, interactive and inspiring day celebrating local student environmental leaders.

Held at the beautiful St Kilda Town Hall, student leaders from participating schools presented workshops to one another on sustainability initiatives and environmental issues. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to share their knowledge, hear ideas from other schools and see themselves as leaders who can make a positive difference.

Our Sustainability Ambassadors also headed into the city to explore the connection between inland areas and Port Phillip Bay through our waterways and stormwater drains.

At Elwood Canal, students saw first-hand how the choices we make in our homes, schools and communities can impact the environment around us. They investigated the diversity of wetland invertebrates, learned about frog identification and conducted water-quality testing.

It was another fantastic authentic learning experience – and, importantly, one that our Ambassadors can now bring back to SEPS and share with their peers.

When we stop and look back at just a few weeks at SEPS, it is remarkable to see the breadth of experiences available to our students. From literacy, science and sustainability to performing arts, community celebrations and student leadership, these opportunities help make learning memorable, meaningful and connected to the world beyond the classroom, and SEPS, the wonderful place that it is.