From the Assistant Principal

Years 7-9

AIESEC Global Goals and Food Bank drive

Last week, global youth leadership organisation AIESEC conducted workshops with our Year 9 Humanities students focusing on global food security, sustainability and food waste, as part of their Geography studies.  The University of Melbourne student volunteers also ran sessions for our 7S class, who were joined by our Grade 5 neighbours from Auburn South Primary School who came across the road to take part.

Key messages:

1.  We all have the power to make a difference, and every little bit helps!
2. A happy plate is an empty plate – don’t buy/serve up more than you’re planning to eat.
3. Consider your ‘food miles’ when selecting produce – for example, make the decision to choose the Australian oranges instead of the Californian ones.  They’ve travelled such a long way to arrive in your fruit bowl!

Thanks to Yuna and all the facilitators for these thought-provoking and engaging presentations.

The presentations aligned perfectly with the current Food Drive for Food Bank Victoria initiative being run by our student leaders.  It is fantastic to see the rapidly growing stacks of non-perishable items donated by our school community for the benefit of those who are not as well off as we are.  Auburn South Primary School is also supporting our Food Drive which is very much appreciated.  Food Bank contributions can be left at the office until Wednesday 24th August.

AIESEC is an international, youth-run, not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation that provides young people with leadership development, cross-cultural internships and global volunteer exchange experiences.  The organisation focuses on empowering young people to make a progressive social impact.

Student – parent – teacher conferences

Our Term 3 student-parent-teacher conferences got underway this week, with the first of our two remote sessions on Wednesday.  Feedback from families about the convenience of the remote format has been overwhelmingly positive.  The second session is scheduled from 12pm on Thursday 25th August.  A reminder that this will be a pupil-free day.

The conferences are a great opportunity to check in with your child about their progress, both in terms of their academic development as well as their learning behaviours and study habits.  The Learning Behaviour reports are important checkpoint at AHS, with teachers providing a snapshot of where students are at in terms of the learning dispositions and habits which really are the key to their academic success.  Students are encouraged to reflect upon these and to set themselves some personal goals to celebrate their strengths and mindfully work on their areas for improvement across semester two.

Mobile Phone policy

As you know, all Victorian government schools are subject to the Mobile Phones Policy.  In short, this means that students are required to either leave their phone at home, or to lock it away securely in their locker between 8.45am-3pm.  This includes during recess and lunch time.  Should you need to contact your child during the day, please phone the office and we will be able to pass a message along for you.  Similarly, should your child need to contact you during the day, they may to come to the office and call you from there.

AHS implemented the Mobile Phone Policy a year ahead of the DET mandate, following an extensive consultation process with students, staff, parents and guardians.  The feedback was overwhelmingly in favour of doing away with phones at school and the change was almost seamless.  The absence of mobile phones during the school day removes this additional cognitive load and distraction for students, enabling them to better focus on their class work and to engage face to face with their teachers and peers.  Please contact the relevant Assistant Principal should you have any queries about this DET policy.