Sydenham Campus Principal Message
Sydenham Campus Principals’ Report
We are fast approaching the end of another busy term. Thank you to all the students and staff on campus who have been working hard on our Campus goals;
Improving Student Attendance,
Seating Arrangements based on Student Data,
Fostering pride in our environment-classrooms, corridors and in the yard.
We are planning to celebrate our progress towards these goals at our Campus Assembly in the last week of term. (We will include details and photos in our next report.)
During this term, students have been participating in many co curricular programs and taking advantage of the opportunities provided by our community partners.
Students from Years 7-10 have been involved in;
The Australian Maths Competition involves students across the country competing in problem solving tasks written by leading educators that have a deep understanding of the curriculum. The purpose of the competition is to help demonstrate the importance and relevance of Mathematics in student’s lives. There were 21 students from the Sydenham campus at Copperfield College participating in this event from Years 7 to 10 on Wednesday the 3rd of August. They did a brilliant job focussing the entire time and putting in their best efforts to complete the 30 question online activity. It was great that they celebrated the event afterwards with a morning tea, chatting and replenishing their sugar levels to continue their normal timetabled classes. Congratulations and well done to the participants. Thank you to Ms Jacqui Slattery for her organisation and support.
Year 10 ‘Kick Start’ program
supported by FutureGen. Students from both junior campuses participated in a 2 day ‘kick start’ to their second semester. Presenters from FutureGen engaged students in Pathways discussions as well as introducing them to a simulated ‘world of work’ and employer expectations. This is the first time since the pandemic that we have been able to run this program and judging by student and staff feedback it is a welcome return.
Thank you to Murray Wilson (Foundation Manager) and Simon, Philippa and Janine from FutureGen for their time and efforts in delivering the program.
We also held our first ‘My Career Rules’ session for the year with Year 10 students interested in a career in IT. Tim Kitchen from ADOBE and Catherine Morris from ABCN facilitated the digital session on campus. Mentors were very generous with their time and knowledge and student feedback was very positive.
Student reflections included; The thing that I will remember the most is that you do not need to know what career you would like to pursue before Year 12 ends. There are many pathways available (university, TAFE, etc.) that enable us to reach our dream job!
Mentor feedback included; Career conversations have come a long way since I was in high school. I don’t think I really had the opportunity to hear from professionals about what drove their choices, how they got to where they are and what is important to their overall success and satisfaction.
We were also able to run our first face to face ‘Interview to Impress’ with ABCN and mentors from UBS. Year 9 and 10 EAL students from both KP and Sydenham campuses enjoyed sessions based on interview skills, public speaking and communication strategies.
Mentor comments included; The students became more relaxed and confident over the session. It was lovely to meet the students and watch them be very engaged.
Student feedback included; My mentor taught me don’t ashamed about you weakness, ask questions The most useful thing was having the mentors to guide you. I will use these new skills to apply for a part time job in the near future
Thank you to Mr Ata and Mr Heinrich for accompanying the students and for their support back in the classroom.
Thank you to Sarah Pearson, Gabby Dubois and the members of the Campus Well Being Team for their organisation and support of Wear it Purple Day on 29/08/22. Wear It Purple strives to foster supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for rainbow young people. More information can be found at
https://www.wearitpurple.org/
Student Led Presentations were held last Thursday and Friday and they are always a joyous celebration of our students’ learning journey. Students were asked to prepare and present, to their families and campus staff, their goals and progress over the course of this year. Our students are so talented and they are bring a unique sense of themselves to their SLPs. They showcase their learning, their hobbies, their passions and their interests. It is not out of the ordinary to see them bringing in musical instruments, models and drawings. Thank you to all of our wonderful students who confidently presented and to all the staff who have prepared, supported and encouraged the students.
Feedback from families is always positive with one mother saying ‘I’m dewy-eyed’ after seeing her son’s SLP.
As we approach the end of term, we encourage families to contact the Campus if there are any questions or inquiries.
Making an appointment through the general office on
9361-3888 is recommended and appreciated.
Thank you again for all of the continued support from our students, staff and families.
Mary Chiodo and Michael Gruis Campus Principals.
Ms Mary Chiodo and Dr Michael Gruis Campus Principals