Secondary School News

SECONDARY REPORT

It is so good to have reached this point in the year and to be able to wish all our students, staff and families a wonderful summer break with very few restrictions in place.

While the year has of course presented many challenges for our secondary students, teachers and families it has also been a time where there have been remarkable demonstrations of resilience, flexibility and resourcefulness.

Our senior school students enjoyed a wonderful Valedictory ceremony on line. This was a first and while it was very successful, we sincerely hope for a face to face event next year. They went through the exam process and the final assessment tasks with a strong sense of purpose and dedication. Congratulations.

Our year 10s and 11s finished the year with all the preparation in place for their new studies in the senior school for 2021. They too have bounced back in a most remarkable fashion.

Our Middle School Students have continued to engage in their learning right until the final week and they too should be congratulated. Our Orientation Day for all our new year 7s has been very successful and we met a wonderful group of young people on the day and during their individual interviews.

Again we need to thank all members of our community for their efforts throughout the year. Our Year Level Leaders, Leading Teachers and Learning Specialist have done a fantastic amount of work following up with student concerns throughout the year. Thanks to Liria Stratus, Steph Moussi, Lisa Bianchi, Melanie Singleton, Jennifer Campbell, Lori Michael, Robert Redfern (VET) and Rachel Wood (VCAL).

Homegroup and subject teachers have also made great efforts this year to support all learners and to differentiate their programs when necessary. Our Education Support staff have worked with individuals and groups to assist with learning programs, either on line or in the library. Other members of this team have also been providing a great service in the front office or behind the scenes.

All our Wellbeing staff have worked tirelessly to follow up on wellbeing issues and the distribution of devices. Thanks to so many of you who make up this very rich, diverse and creative community.

Please enjoy a well-earned refreshing break. I look forward to seeing you all in 2021

Judith Clelland

Assistant Principal

Secondary Education

FROM THE MIDDLE SCHOOL.…..

As 2020 draws to a close, I sit in my office and reflect over the year we have just experienced. The Year of the Pandemic, Isolation and Lockdown. All of these words are so commonplace now, almost scary how used to this language we have become. When we hear these words now, we do not cringe or panic, instead we accept, comply and help to combat this disturbing situation.

Throughout it all, we have all worked together as one community. Teachers, students and parents have all striven to ensure connection, learning and support are provided for our young charges, as well as our families and teaching staff. An unusual year, but one which really did teach us all new ways, new attitudes and new modes of learning.

Throughout it all, we remained connected. The ES staff, the Office workers, the Well Being team and the Maintenance staff continued to work their normal hours as they still oversaw the running of the school. Our teachers put in many extra hours to navigate Remote teaching and our Principal Class attended school every day to support students, staff and parents.

But we all got through it! What 2020 taught us was invaluable. We all worked together. We all went through some very hard times, but never alone. Parents could reach out and seek assistance. Students could let their teachers know if they were not coping. Teachers could confer and seek guidance. The words “It takes a village to bring up a child” were never so true.

At the heart of it all, it is the welfare of the child that is paramount. Never before have our students realised how much they value and look forward to coming to the school. It took the loss of the ‘freedom’ and ‘ability’ of attending school for our students to realise how much they took this for granted and how important their interaction and attendance was in their daily lives.

I saw the joy the Middle School students showed when they were all reunited back at school. Who would have thought that school would be missed so much? And missed it certainly was. Hopefully, this Lockdown will not occur again, but if it does, we are all prepared and ready for battle. We know what to do, how to do it and how to enjoy it.

I would like to wish the students of years 7, 8 and 9 the very best for the New Year. I would also like to wish them a wonderful, enjoyable New Year. But most of all, a safe, relaxing and happy summer break. Chill out, take a well earned break and enjoy the sunshine. Re energise and come back ready for a new school year. Come back to Collingwood College and enjoy the learning.

I will miss the management of Middle School, as that is where I have been for the last ten years. It is time to hand over the reigns to the new Learning Community Leader, Angela Watters. I am happy to step aside and see wonderful younger teachers taking over. It is their time to put their stamp on this wonderful school and bring their energy into the school. Exciting times ahead!

Thank you Collingwood Community or your support and encouragement over the last decade. It has sometimes been hard, but mostly fun, satisfying and most rewarding. I hum the words “Good Old Collingwood Forever…” and really feel it.

Liria Stratus

Middle School Learning Community Leader

VCAL FINAL DAY AT COLLINGWOOD COLLEGE

YEAR 9 BOTANIC GARDENS VISIT - CHINA SISTER SCHOOL PROJECT

Due to the worldwide pandemic this year, we were not able to run the China Trip program with the year 9. Instead, we did a collaborated project about environment, more specifically the gardens with our sister school in Suzhou China. Suzhou is known to be the garden city of China. The feudal families built a lot of gardens in Suzhou back in the dynasties. They are a true cultural heritage. In contrast, Melbourne, as the garden city of Victoria, treasures its gardens for their natural beauty. In week 8 of the fourth term, students in Year 9 embarked on a journey to the Botanic Gardens to gather material they need for their video projects that we will send to our sister school in China. We hope to resume our China Trip program in 2021.

LOTE Department