Weekes' Weekly News

Dear Sacred Heart Kew Families,

You may have seen or read that last week, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) Executive Director Dr Edward Simons launched MACS Vision for Engagement, an evidence-informed and authentically Catholic commitment to nurturing calm, respectful and inclusive classrooms in which every student can thrive academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. This will see teaching respectful student behaviour elevated to a core developmental focus across MACS’ almost 300 primary and secondary schools. 

The Flourishing Learners position statement, Vision for Engagement, is the companion document to Vision for Instruction, and aligns with the MACS 2030 strategic plan. It communicates MACS’ system-wide, evidence-based approach to supporting students to be actively engaged in their learning, equipping them to flourish and make meaningful contributions to the world. 

Why are MACS implementing this? Why do MACS think this is important? 

Young people today are facing unprecedented challenges. Evidence now charts declining mental health and resilience, rising anxiety, increased social isolation. Students often arrive at the school gate distracted and preoccupied, holding devices that expose them to distressing disinformation and online predatory and bullying behaviour.

These complex challenges demand a purposeful and coherent response from parents and schools, to reclaim classrooms where calm is the norm; where respectful behaviour is not assumed, but taught; where routines are consistent, expectations are shared, and every student feels safe, seen, and supported; where excellence is not reserved for the privileged few, but is expected for all; where our Catholic commitment to excellence and equity for all is not an aspiration, but a lived reality; and where the dignity of every child is upheld, not just in words but in practice.

What does this involve? 

Student academic, behavioural, communication, engagement, health, and wellbeing needs are interconnected and complementary facets of student learning. 

Vision for Engagement complements our Vision for Instruction. Both are grounded in world-class evidence and research from most successful teachers. Where our Vision for Instruction focuses on what we teach and how we teach it, Vision for Engagement focuses on the conditions essential for learning. 

These Position Statements reflect our belief that every child and young person is made in the image of God and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and given the best opportunity to flourish in their life. 

How will this be implemented within MACS schools’?

Based on evidence of how students learn and thrive, Vision for Engagement articulates six engagement practices and two implementation strategies that, when attended to in a consistent and sustained manner, create enabling learning environments and support young people to be learners.

The six ‘Engagement Practices’ which form part of the ‘Vision for Engagement’ are:

• teaching respectful behaviour 
• fostering belonging 
• focusing on attendance
• promoting mental health and wellbeing
• enabling motivation
• targeting individual learning needs

The two strategies deemed the most effective for successful implementation are: 

• a whole-school approach
• a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS)

The practices and strategies are not necessarily new to schools; however, Vision for Engagement conveys MACS’ expectations in relation to engagement practices and solidifies the importance of engagement as a learning improvement strategy. It is an expectation that all MACS schools will attend to the engagement practices. How schools do this will differ due to local context. 

For students, Vision for Engagement means: 

• behaving respectfully towards others
• attending school every day, on time
• adopting classroom routines that ensure expectations are understood
• listening intently and paying attention
• participating in instruction that is targeted to need and supports growth and achievement
• persisting with complex tasks
• feeling safe and connected at school
• being supported with mental health and wellbeing
• benefiting from stronger partnerships between the school and family
• experiencing caring relationships with teachers and school staff
• receiving a coordinated and effective system of support across all areas of their learning

For teachers, Vision for Engagement means:

• being supported with high-quality professional development and resources
• clear guidance and a focused and consistent whole-school approach to creating and sustaining learning-enabled environments
• reclaiming the classroom to truly focus on teaching

By taking a whole-of-system approach, MACS Vision for Engagement creates a learning environment in all schools that is primed for students to grow and succeed, with the right support.

Vision for Engagement is a commitment from MACS to work in partnership with students and their families to successfully navigate the issues of contemporary life. Based on evidence of how students learn and thrive, it articulates six engagement practices and two implementation strategies that, when attended to in a consistent and sustained manner, create enabling learning environments and support young people to be learners. It affirms current practices across MACS schools with a clear articulation of our expectations and solidifies the importance of engagement as a learning improvement strategy. 

BUT what does all this mean and look like here at Sacred Heart Kew?

For the most part, you and your child may not notice much change or difference to how school and classroom life has been at our school. There may be subtle changes to our learning program and delivery over time. At Sacred Heart Kew we will build on existing good practice in our school and implement the Vision for Engagement in stages, just as we did for the Vision for Instruction. 

We will continue to prioritise and support the wellbeing of all our children, through our current whole-school strategies and initiatives, including, our Whole School Expectations, our regular Whole School Wellbeing Group lessons, and our calm, organised, and engaging classroom learning environments across the school. We will also review all our Wellbeing programs at Sacred Heart Kew, ensuring that we can successfully implement the MACS Vision for Engagement, so all children can be actively engaged in their learning, so they may thrive and make meaningful contributions to their world. 

It truly is an exciting time for Catholic schools in the Melbourne Archdiocese, and, as was the case with the MACS Vision for Instruction, these changes in practice and approach will not happen overnight. In Catholic schools right across Melbourne, we will all work towards the MACS 2030 Vision of ‘Forming Lives to Enrich the World’. By 2030, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) aims to become ‘the benchmark for excellence in teaching and learning, through a coherently integrated, academically competitive and distinctively Catholic educational offering. Your child’s school is already well positioned and well on the way to achieving this vision. We look forward to working with you as we continue to provide high-quality teaching and learning alongside meaningful student engagement for all children.  

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend. 

Kind Regards,

Ed Weekes 

School Principal