From the Principal Class

Return to school

Our VCE students have returned to the College during the past fortnight. As a staff, we have been incredibly pleased to have them back in physical classrooms. The process has been very smooth, with students very mindful of the required hygiene practices and respectful of maintaining social distancing with staff. Attendance across both year levels has been very high.

We have clear guidelines for the return of our Year 7-10 students and will continue to be mindful of easing students back into classroom spaces after 11 weeks away from the College. Libby Whiting, our Wellbeing Leader, has created a Wellbeing space online for students with lots of information, activities and links for students to engage in mindfulness and self-care.

I want to congratulate our Level Leaders, who have done an amazing job, contacting students and families to check in and provide support. The have also initiated a range of fun challenges and events to keep our students connected during this time of remote learning.

As a whole staff, we will spend some time in the next few weeks reflecting on the challenges of moving into a crisis response, being resourceful and adapting to the challenges and then identifying the opportunities and lessons learned from remote learning. Staff have demonstrated great resilience and adaptability throughout this past 12 weeks.

Thank you to all parents and carers. You have been incredibly supportive of student learning and positive of the College and of teacher efforts. Teaching is incredibly complex work and I believe the transparency of remote learning has given parents insight into that complexity. Thank you to the College Community for your part in ensuring this whole process has enabled continuity of learning for our students.

Please note that students in Years 7-9 will be dismissed at 3.05pm each day.

Breaking News!!

Massive congratulations to the Viewbank College students and staff involved in the Young Person’s for the Planet Team (YPPP). This amazing and committed group have won the Secondary Student Action Team of the Year Award in the Resource Smart School Awards (run by Sustainability Victoria).

The Viewbank College’s Young Persons Plan for the Planet (YPPP) Team is made up of passionate students from all year levels, who are dedicated to taking action on a local, national and international scale to fulfil the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal’s. The team meets every week to create plans and actions that benefit our school, community and ultimately, the planet.

The students have been incredibly active, making beeswax wraps to sell to the community and reduce use of plastic. They developed and conducted workshops on Real lives https://reallivesworld.com/ at the International Young Persons Plan for the Planet (YPPP) Singapore Conference. They are currently working on creating a vertical wall garden project at our school. This project will contribute to a multi-use community space to highlight the importance of sustainable practice.

Special thanks need to go to Rose Howard and Molly Brown (Sustainability Captain 2019).

It was Rose’s idea, which was supported by Molly and the entire YPPP team. The staff who supported the YPPP team throughout should also be acknowledged - John Patterson for his huge efforts in organising the bees wax. Caitlin Vine and Chloe Timms for supporting the students in their trip to Singapore to present their work. Finally, the tireless work of Veena Nair and Finn Mulhall to advance STEAM at Viewbank College and make us a lead school in this area.

BRAVO!

You can watch the broadcast of the ResourceSmart Schools Awards here

School Programs

An update of advice regarding a number of College events.

As you may be aware, the VCE exams starting date has been pushed back and will start on Monday, November 2nd through until Friday November 20th.

The General Achievement Test (GAT) will be held on September 9.

We have secured another date for the Valedictory Dinner in December, but will confirm this day soon. This event will go ahead, pending loosening of restrictions.
The Production rehearsals continue, and we are currently negotiating the event format with the production team, with the possibility of dates for performances early in term four.
We are waiting for announcements regarding school sport, with the possibility of some sports being able to recommence in term 3.
We continue to look for music performances to occur throughout semester 2 in different formats- subject to easing of restrictions.

Student Reports

We have adjusted the semester reports to reflect the changes to programs during remote learning.

There is a stronger emphasis on the development of learning dispositions and in some subjects, a reduced curriculum program.

VCE subjects for Units 1 & 3 may have SACs held over until early term 3, so not all SACs may be reported on at this time.

We will hold parent/student/teacher conferences during August.

At this conferences you will be able to get greater feedback on student learning progress. At this stage we are considering what format these will take.

Year 7-10 - return to on-site learning

Dear Parents/Guardians and Year 7-10 Students

As you know, all students in Year 7-10 will return to school on Tuesday 9th June.

We are all looking forward to the return of students in what will be an exciting and welcome return to onsite learning. I am sure many students are excited at the prospect of catching up with friends but may be nervous about the return to on-site learning.

We encourage you to read the points below to have an understanding about arrangements to make this return as smooth as possible and discuss this with your child:

Attendance Information

We ask that students do not come to school if they have any symptoms of a cold or flu or any other illness.
If a student becomes ill at school parents or carers will be contacted immediately and will be required to attend the school to collect their child.
Unless students have notified the school that they are medically vulnerable, or if they are unwell, students are expected to attend school as per usual.

Organisation

To minimise congestion in the locker areas, students will be dismissed in a staggered fashion, utilising an A-K and L-Z system at the conclusion of period 2, 4 and 6. Further details will be provided upon your return.
It is strongly suggested that students seek to avoid using public transport to travel to and from school where possible. Students are encouraged to walk or ride a bike to school, and families dropping and picking up students should arrange to do so away from the College main entrance.
Students are encouraged to download the COVIDSafe app prior to their return to school, as per the State Government’s instructions.
Students will still be required to keep their phones in their lockers.
If it transpired that a case of COVID-19 was identified amongst the school community, the capability to trace contacts is important in order to contain the spread of the virus. During the day, our timetable will enable contact tracing but the COVIDSafe app will support effective tracing in the travel to and from school.
Adjustments will be made to all practical classes in which equipment is shared among students. These arrangements will be reviewed as restrictions are eased across the community.
In the canteen, students are required to follow the updated distancing requirements as indicated by the floor markers. The canteen is preferring card payment - no phones. Pre-ordering via an online system should be available soon.
Remember to bring your own water bottles as limited taps will be available for drinking water. ie chilled water coolers.
Students are permitted to wear PE uniform to school for the whole day (optional) if they have PE on that day to reduce congestion in the PE change rooms.

Hygiene at school

Whilst social distancing is to be practised by staff members, it is not compulsory for students to be socially distanced. We do, however, encourage students to keep their distance from others where possible. Think smart!
There are a number of additional arrangements we have made in order to support the health and wellbeing of all staff and students. Additional cleaning has been arranged and sanitiser and cleaning products will be available. There will be cleaning products placed in every classroom.
Parents and carers are asked to provide students with sanitiser so that students may maintain good hygiene practises and be ultimately responsible for their own wellbeing. Recommended for those with sensitive skin!
Remember the basic practises re coughing, sneezing, hand-washing, etc that we have become well-versed in over recent weeks.
Do not share food and please protect others by putting all your rubbish in the bin.
Central heating will not be turned on, in order to reduce flow of recycled air throughout school.

Compass Kiosks

The Compass kiosk has been relocated to the Library for Year 10 students, to reduce congestion near the IT office. For Year 7-9 students, the kiosk has been relocated to the foyer of the Performing Arts Centre. If students are leaving early, they must see an office staff member for approval to be able to sign out as per normal procedures.
We are minimising parents and other visitors on-site so please try to contact the College by phone or email if possible.

We are excited and eager to welcome you back to school. We are confident that learning has continued to progress for you throughout this time of isolation and though we know that many students have missed the company of their peers, we also know that you have made significant efforts to look after each other. You can find out more about student wellbeing, in the return to school, at our Wellbeing Hub https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MnmS5CXV73PJ5YsoaW5mrULnx-Y0Twy8

Please contact the College if you require further clarification about arrangements for the return to on-site learning.

Bring on Tuesday!

Transition back to face-to-face learning at school tips for parents.pdf

Transition Back to School Tips for Students

We hope you enjoy the below video made by Ms Brown's Theatre Studies students.

COVID-19 Emergency Food Relief

Viewbank Scouts is supporting BANSIC (Banyule Support & Information Centre), who provide emergency food relief to those in our community who may be struggling.

http://www.bansic.org.au

You can support this initiative by dropping off a bag of groceries to the Viewbank Scout Hall, Rutherford Road, Viewbank, between 10am – 2pm on Saturday 13 or Sunday 14 June.

Please bring non-perishable items in a shopping bag and make sure items are within the best-before-date.

We will be following recommended social distancing and hygiene practices.