Patterson River Secondary College Newsletter

Principal's Report

Term 2 

This term kicked off with our annual athletics carnival in the first week. Following a few years of dismal weather it was great to have a beautiful autumn day for athletics this year.

Following a busy first term it has been nice to see everybody settle into the year. It appears that many of the structural changes that we made to both staffing and student timetables are making an impact and I am looking forward to seeing the improvements in student outcomes towards the end of the year. 

Community

I have been proud of seeing our students involved in a range of community activities over the course of the last two months. A large number of our students were involved in a range of ANZAC Day ceremonies and excursions, including:

  • Seaford RSL school ceremony (College Band performed and student leaders lay a wreath on behalf of the school).
  • Year 9 students visited the Shrine of Remembrance
  • Year 7 ANZAC Day Ceremony (hosted by Year 7 leaders)

It was great to hear staff and students over the course of the week make the connection of ANZAC Day with our new Monash House (which is named after Sir John Monash). Monash was an influential General during WW1, serving at both Gallipoli and on the Western Front. Monash was also responsible for the creation of ANZAC Day and the construction of the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne.

A number of our student leaders and art students have been involved in the planning of a piece of street art with the City of Kingston. The artwork will be created on a fence that backs onto the Eel Race Creek opposite the school. Students worked with the artists to look at how they could tie in the College Values along with key aspects of the area into the artwork. Their next step will be the production of a draft design for feedback before a group of Year 10 students will be involved in the completion of the artwork over a two week period next term.

Students involved in our new Hands-On Learning Program have been completing projects around the school, including the installation of fencing to prevent litter entering the Seaford Wetlands with Frankston City Council, re-vegetating our sand dunes as well as completing a number of building projects around the school. 

Excellence

So far this term, students have achieved outstanding results in state and regional competitions. These have included exceptional performances in the following areas:

  • Futsal (Indoor Soccer) State Champions x2
  • Aerobics Team (Qualified for State Championships)
  • Plain English Speaking Competition (3rd place overall)

In addition to the above performances, our students have been excelling in a number of other areas. I was impressed with the professionalism and total number of students who performed for Dance Night #1. It has been great to see this event go from being a showcase of a few dances to a small audience to a highly polished event in front of hundreds of people.

Good luck to our aerobics team who will compete at the state finals this weekend in Geelong.

Respect

Over the last couple of weeks, it has been great to see staff and students involved in a number of activities that improve the respect that we have for each other in our school community, including the celebration of IDAHOBIT Day, National Reconciliation Week and the Year 7 Anti Bullying Campaigns. Young people are often an easy target by the media, however I am constantly inspired by our students and the way in which they treat each other and demonstrate the virtues of tolerance and understanding towards each other.

This week our Year 7 students celebrated National Youth Day. The day began with each form completing a presentation on anti-bullying. Congratulations to 7D who were recognised as having the best presentation. The remainder of the day was spent participating in a range of different activities and helping to complete an art installation in the Year 7 Centre.  Many of the activities were organised and run by our VCAL students who did a fantastic job. 

Parent Voluntary Contributions

At our May College Council meeting, our school council approved the use of $15,000 from the Library Trust fund to spend on equipment and furniture for the creation of a dedicated reading area in the Library. This space will be designed for whole classes to complete targeted reading comprehension lessons and for students to have a comfortable place to relax and read outside of class time. The School Council also approved the use of $24,000 to be spent on a new lighting bar and LED lights for the Performing Arts Centre from the Buildings & Grounds Trust. This new lighting bar is urgently needed to light the front of the stage following feedback from groups using and looking to book the centre. We believe 

Parent voluntary contributions play an important role in us being able to provide equipment and resources beyond what the Department of Education and Training provides for a typical school. These contributions are tax deductible and highly appreciated.

Student Surveys

During the course of this year our Leadership Team has been designing a customised survey that will provide teachers with feedback from one of their main classes. The 40 question survey will provide teachers with a very high level of information to assist them in their performance and development planning. The questions will be divided into the following four main areas:

  1. Teaching & Learning
  2. Curriculum Planning & Assessment
  3. Student Inclusion & Wellbeing
  4. Student Management & Engagement

The results will also be able to be collated to provide the school with rich information to track the progress of individual forms and cohorts to better allow the school to ensure that initiatives and areas of focus are targeted towards areas of need. We are currently seeking feedback from teachers and students on each of the survey questions before rolling out the surveys next term.

New Principal's Commendation Awards

The Principal’s Commendation Awards will be expanded this year to include each of our College Values:

  • Persistence
  • Excellence
  • Community
  • Respect

The Persistence, Excellence and Respect awards will be awarded to 1-2 students per class. The community awards will be awarded to students who have assisted the school, local or broader community through an extra curricula activity. A select number of students from each year level will receive an award at the end of the year for achieving awards in each of the categories.

Study Tours - Homestay Families Wanted

Patterson River will be hosting a study tour for students from China in August and we are seeking families who might be interested in hosting a student for the week (Monday 6th - Sunday 12th August). Families will be provided with $280 to cover board. If you are interested please contact Mr Blaise Northey via nor@prsc.vic.edu.au 

We will hosting an information evening for families interested in hosting international students (either short term or long term) on Wednesday 20th June 7-8pm in the Performing Arts Centre. 

The Teenage Brain, Sleep  and Devices

Over the last 10 years, research in adolescence and brain development has assisted teachers and schools to better understand the enormous changes that occur during the teenage years. One of the biggest understandings that we now have is that the decision making part (frontal cortex) of the brain is the final part to mature. This helps us to better understand student decision making processes and allow us to provide them with strategies and tips to improve more considered approaches.

Due to the large amount of changes (mostly neural pruning) occurring during the teenage years, they require large amounts of sleep. Unfortunately this also occurs when they are wanting greater independence and their brains want to stay awake later than normal. Together with electronic devices (which delay the feeling of tiredness), teenagers often find themselves sleep deprived which can have a devastating impact on learning, moods and emotions.

I often speak to parents who are struggling to assist their child to manage healthy sleeping patterns. If your child is struggling to manage their sleep and the use of devices then you could try the following strategies:

  • Stop screen time 1hr before bed time.
  • Leave all electronic devices in the kitchen or lounge during the night
  • Turn off the wi-fi at a certain time (most routers now have a button to pause wi-fi)

Summary (via Better Health Channel)

  • Sleep research suggests that a teenager need 8-10 hours of sleep every night.
  • Most teenagers only get about 6.5-7.5 hours sleep per night.
  • Teen's body clocks naturally shift to make them feel tired later in the evening, but early school starts do not enable them to sleep in the mornings.
  • Chronic sleep deprivation can have dramatic effects on a teenager’s life, including affecting their mental wellbeing and reducing their academic performance at school.
  • Smart phones and other devices used around bed time reduce sleep time.
  • Avoiding stimulants such as coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks in the evening can help to promote better sleep.

For further information visit https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/teenagers-and-sleep

Mr Daniel Dew

College Principal