Principal's Report
Hello Collingwood College,
As we come to the end of this difficult term, staff have continued to be impressed with the attendance and engagement of our students during remote learning. Staff work incredibly hard to maintain the best possible learning environment for all of our students online and ensuring that our students maintain positivity towards their learning.
Our teachers are also very thankful for the ongoing support they receive from all parents and carers. It makes such a difference when there is a close and positive partnership between home and school. This partnership is so important as it assists the children to have the best possible education available whilst learning remotely.
We are still unsure what Term 4 will look like, however, we have had conversations with our staff around building contingencies for all students depending on the situations we are presented with. The Department of Education (DET) will provide us with guidelines that we must follow once the Premier has announced the roadmap out of lockdown. We will inform the community of any new arrangements in the coming weeks. Fingers crossed we have everyone back onsite to start Term 4!
Staff Changes
As the term draws to a close, we inevitably have to farewell staff or welcome the return of past staff members, and this term is no different.
We farewell Anastasia Kailis and welcome back Lisa Bianchi, who will be taking Ana’s classes for the duration of Term 4. We also wish Sarah Alexander well whilst taking leave in Term 4. We will announce her replacement over the holiday period.
Finally, I will be taking leave for the first week of Term 4. Margaret Doucas will be College Principal for this time. Sormeh Afkari will step into the Primary Assistant Principal role.
School Device Usage Over the Holidays
As the school holidays approach, this is a reminder that we have loaned out to Collingwood College students over 150 devices to complete online work. Some of these have been provided by the Victorian Government, however all devices have been loaned out for the purpose of completing assigned schoolwork.
We are asking our parents to remove devices from students over this holiday period, unless schoolwork has been set by the classroom teacher. This will ensure that the devices remain damage free and ready “if” online remote learning continues at the beginning of Term 4.
If onsite learning resumes at the beginning of Term 4 all devices need to be returned.
Enrolments and Transitions for 2022
We are very grateful to parents who have made contact over the last week in regards to enrolment changes for 2022. As we move into Term 4, we ask parents to continue to liaise with the school on this important matter, as this information greatly assists us in fine-tuning the planning for next year. As plans unfold for the return of students at some stage next term, we will provide families with all of the necessary details for the Prep and Year 7 Transition programs. We thank everyone for their patience on this matter.
We are delighted to let you know that Wurun Senior Campus has been announced as the name of our new senior secondary campus for Collingwood College and Fitzroy High School. Wurun Senior Campus is located on the traditional land of the Wurundjeri Woi wurrung people, on Queens Parade Fitzroy North, the historic Fitzroy Gasworks site. The Department of Education and Training consulted with the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation along with representatives from Collingwood College and Fitzroy High School on the campus name. Use of the name ‘Wurun’ for the campus has been approved by the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation. Wurun (pronunced wuh-RUN) is a Woi wurrung word of the Wurundjeri people meaning river white gum. Our senior campus will also feature an embedded Indigenous narrative developed in collaboration with the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation. Examples of these interpretative elements include native planting with Woi wurrung language naming at the courtyard entry; a 25-metre concourse mural depicting a linear narrative of the Wurundjeri Woi wurrung people’s history and culture and the wayfinding colour palette informed by the manna gum. Having an Indigenous name for our campus and these design elements as part of our campus fabric will build on the indigenous perspectives within our curriculums and help ensure carriage of the local Indigenous culture well into the future.
Thanks everyone. I wish you all a safe and happy holiday period!!
Take care,
Sam Luck
College Principal
Collingwood College
Cromwell St & McCutcheon WayCollingwood, Vic, 3066
Ph: 03 9412 7700