Chev Need to Knows 

Dear Parents and Carers,

After many months of conversation, there was great anticipation for our first Flipped Monday at the beginning of this week. Overall, it was a successful ‘Day 1 of Flipped Learning’, with some matters, mainly administrative processes, to be improved upon for our next Flipped Monday on 26 February.  Also, teachers have, and will, seek feedback from students about the amount of work set and the type of work set in helping them to ensure we continue to set ‘surface level work’ needed for flipped learning to be a success.  

With any new initiative, there comes a point when we move forward and trust in the depth of our planning process.  It is immensely satisfying to get things underway and have the first experience under our belts, and it is gratifying to see the vision that we have shared starting to evolve.   

We have commenced the second phase of our ‘future facing’ timeline; ‘implementing and reviewing’ as we go. 

Overall, we have had some excellent feedback from staff and students.  One logistical point - for those parents who received an attendance notification via SMS, please be assured that we are streamlining the attendance process to adjust for a day that does not commence with Home Room, the usual way we take attendance at the start of the day for Tuesday through Friday. 

At the conclusion of the school day on Monday, I met with teachers and asked them for feedback. As part of that I asked them WWW – What Worked Well? Here is a selection of the staff responses: 

• Students accessed flipped learning effectively on Canvas. 
• Students adapted without problems and worked well for most of the day. 
• SIM worked well and students were engaged. 
• The learning atmosphere in the hall – natural lighting, soft music was great! 

Of course, I also asked what would work better and there were many positive and constructive suggestions. Next week a few of the teaching staff meet with our Action Research Partner, Dr Phil Cummins from Circle Education. As part of the conversation, we will be very conscious of feedback opportunities for students and parents which will be vital for the action research project. This will occur once procedures and workflows for Flipped Monday are a little more settled. 

Interestingly, in a conversation I had this week with a parent, they expressed that they ‘sit on the fence with this’ and that they will continue to discern. I welcome that discernment, knowing the Flipped Mondays are just one of many points of difference in 2024 which reflect a ‘future facing learning community’. In summary, we have also commenced initiatives which include, but are not limited to: 

• Wellbeing Classes for all students in Years 7-10. 
• SIM (Strength, Interest and Motivation) classes for all students in Years 7-10. An outcome of this course is that students will better understand how they can apply their SIM to better contribute to a better world. This, of course, is done in collaboration with myDesign Education. 
• A flexible use of time which includes flipped learning, excursions and incursions occurring on some Mondays, resulting in less disruption to face-to-face teaching on Tuesday to Friday. 
• Capabilities Assessment where we ascertain a student’s ability to be agents of their own learning. This will be done with a few classes only as part of a pilot program before it is scaled to more students in the future. 
• Early commencement VET (Vocational Education and Training) subjects in Year 9 which can also contribute to their HSC when in Years 11 and 12. 
• Early commencement of the HSC in Year 10 where students commence ‘passion projects’ as part of completing the Design and Technology preliminary HSC course. 

Please note, early commencement of the HSC allows a student to ‘spread’ the requirements of the HSC over a three- or even four-year period. For more information, scroll towards the end of 'My Child’s Experience’. 

As part of the feedback from our first Flipped Monday, I have had conversations with a group of Year 9 students as well as a selection of Year 12 students. Most indicated they “got a lot of work done” while some “felt drained” at the end of the day. There was a question that, if onsite, could collaboration time be built into the daily routine. This is something that we will think about as each Monday evolves.  

One Year 9 student felt compelled to write to me, and some of their feedback reads, “I found having shorter periods per lesson made myself more productive. Studying has been enjoyable and not as laborious as I thought. The quiet nature of the studying has also helped me concentrate on the learning which is important to me, without distractions.” 

It is exciting to be moving from motion to action. We have commenced the ‘doing’ stage.  We reiterate our promise to you to pivot and refine quickly, embodying a culture of agility, where trying new ideas is balanced with considered planning.  We will continue to emphasise the importance of refining and adjusting strategies based on feedback and learning. Parents will be invited and encouraged to be involved in formal feedback processes which will take place once we are more immersed in the regularity of Flipped Mondays. 

Micro-credential/Learning from Home Update 

As part of our commitment to be a future facing learning community in 2024 and beyond, there will be a stronger focus on enhancing the self-regulated learning capabilities of students. Central to that is each student engaging with our College-developed Self-regulated Flipped Learning Micro-credential, accessible via Canvas, our online Learning Management System. Since launching the Micro-credential in November last year, the number of students who have attained it is as follows:  

 We anticipate the numbers in all areas will grow sustainably between now and the next Flipped Monday to be held on Monday 26 February. 

The next two Mondays  

This coming Monday 19 February we hope for sunshine as we enjoy one of our whole community events, our Swimming Carnival.  Please be aware that all students are expected to attend this important day, in accordance with the conditions of each child’s enrolment. 

The following Monday 26 February will be our next Flipped Monday. It is gratifying to see the many students in all years who are working with great enthusiasm and rigour towards attaining their Flipped Learning Micro-credential.  There is a renewed sense of understanding and purpose now that students have had the opportunity to see what flipped learning looks like in action.  Parents of senior students, please keep an eye out for invitations to the parent webinars which are sent as soon as your child attains their credential. 

Many Blessings to you all for the weekend ahead and we look forward to a wonderful week to follow. 

Greg Miller 

Principal 

Year 7 Retreats

Our Year 7 Retreat Days will take place at the College over the coming weeks. Students will be participating in their Religious Education classes as shown below. 

Monday 26 February

7.3 - Phillip Lane

7.4 - Alison Samuels

Monday 4 March

7.5 - Mariah Edwards

7.6 - Gemma Farrugia

7.7 - Ellen Kearney

The Retreats will run from 8.50am to 3.25pm, and students are to wear neat, casual clothing when attending their Retreat.  As a snack will be provided to students, please ensure you log into the Parent Lounge or Orbit app to update your child's dietary requirements -  instructions are below.

Please note, these are compulsory days, and form an integral component of student life at Chevalier College.

Alexander (Sandy) Abbey

Assistant Principal – Faith Formation and Mission

Wellbeing Forum - 4 March

The Highlands Wellbeing Forum brings together student school leaders, educators and parent/carers from across the Southern Highlands to share what's working well and discuss challenges faced by the youth of today.

The forum is lucky enough to have Dr Kristy Goodwin as keynote speaker on digital wellbeing. Kids, Teens and Screens explores realistic strategies to help parents/carers navigate the online world with their ‘screenagers’.

Dr Kristy will help confused and concerned parents feel confident about how they can best support their children’s and teens’ physical health, mental wellbeing and learning online, without proposing ‘digital amputation’, banning the gaming console or iPad.

Monday 4 March, 2024

Bowral Memorial Hall

• 3.00pm - Keynote address and Q&A for Student Leaders, including a student-led discussion panel
• 4.15pm - Keynote address and Q&A for Educators
• 5.30pm - Keynote address and Q&A for Parents/Carers on digital wellbeing

Parent/carer tickets are $15 and available at TryBooking with all proceeds going to Berrima District Children's Foundation.

Please contact the organisers if you require further information at highlandswellbeingforum@gmail.com.

Parent Portal and Mobile App - Log in now!

We have launched our new parent portal and a mobile app!

All parents must sign up to one or the other as soon as possible to be able to complete permission slips, change their contact details or register absences, among other important functions. Note that we do not need address details for Emergency Contacts, only phone numbers.

The web-based Parent Lounge and the mobile-based Parent Orbit App will enable you to:

📎 access the latest announcements

📎 advise of absences

📎 receive important alerts

📎 easily approve excursion attendance (no more paper permission notes, so it is very important that all parents/carers log in as soon as possible)

📎 access your child's extracurricular details, access the school calendar and more.

The Lounge and the App hold the same information, so you can choose to login to one, or the other, or both, depending on your personal preferences. The app enables you to access and complete time-sensitive tasks on the go.

Next steps:

🗒 QR Code and links are all on our website here: https://www.chevalier.nsw.edu.au/parent-essentials/quick-links/

🗒 If you are a current parent/carer who regularly accesses Canvas, you should have no issues logging into the Parent Lounge or the Orbit App using the same login details you currently use. Should you have issues please refer to the troubleshooting section in Setting up your Account at the above link.

🗒 New families and families who don’t access Canvas, please set up your account before logging in by following the How to Guide at the above link.

Please note: our IT team are working as quickly as they can to support the parents/carers who have logged a help request.  We appreciate your patience during the busy start to the year.

Student Attendance - how to advise us

If your child is marked absent from school and this absence is unexplained, you will receive a notification in the Parent Orbit App and the Parent Lounge, and an SMS.  

Below are the methods you can use to explain the absence: Ÿ 

• Parent Orbit App – click on Absences on the home page 
• Parent Lounge – click on Absences in the left-hand menu Ÿ 
• SMS – respond to the text 

Our preferred methods are via the Parent App or Lounge.  You can also use the App or Lounge to advise us of an absence in advance (for absences of 5 days or less).

Please do not use the previously advertised mobile phone number or contact us by telephone as these are not acceptable methods to advise us of your child’s absence.

Student drop off/pick up - some requests

Sacre Coeur Centre car park - boom gates

Parents are asked not to tailgate behind another vehicle at the boom gates when they are in operation, or use this driveway to drop off and turn around. The boom gates are down at this time for the safety of our students and our staff.

The boom gates are operational as follows:

• Before 9.15am – the boom gate will be closed/down and there is no access for parents/carers.
• 9.15am to 3.00pm – the boom gate will be open/up and parents can access the car park/sick bay pickup.
• After 3.00pm – the boom gate will be closed/down and there is no access for parents/carers.

Please use Pick-up Points A or B to drop off or collect your children. For early morning music ensemble drop off or after school study or extracurricular pick up, it is recommended that you use the John Fahey Centre car park. The John Fahey Centre carpark should not be used for general school drop off after 8.00am. 

Pick-up Point B - student/staff car parks

For those parents who enter via Eridge Park Road and use Pick-up Point B, we ask that you do not park in the Student or Staff car parks.  It is creating safety issues for our students.  Please only use the car park marked Pick-up Point B.  

Welcome Evening for New Parents and Carers

On Thursday 29 February, Chevalier College will be holding a very special Welcome Evening for parents and carers who are new to the College, and all Year 7 parents and carers.

These new families are warmly invited to come along and meet other families and learn a little more about life at Chev.  Enjoy drinks and canapés and hear from our Principal and student leaders.

An invitation was sent home in Week 1 with our new and Year 7 students.

Please book your free tickets here by Friday 23 February.

We look forward to welcoming you to the College and the Chevalier family.

Open Day

If you have friends or family who are considering Chev for their child's education, we warmly encourage them to attend our upcoming Open Day on Saturday 6 April.  Bookings can be made via the website here.

We encourage any families with children in Year 5 who are looking to commence at Chev in Year 7 2026 to submit their application soon via the website here.  The closing date for Year 7 2026 applications is 1 June this year. 

Swimming Carnival

Our Swimming Carnival is on Monday! All students will be travelling to the pool via buses leaving from the College. No students are to drive directly to the pool.

Any student with Asthma or Anaphylaxis must have their medication on them at all times, including on the buses, especially in light of increased bee activity at the pool.

Please ensure your child knows where they have to go at the start of the day for roll marking:

• Year 12 - SCC
• Year 11 - JFC
• Years 7 to 10 - go to their Day 6 Period 1 classroom

Year 11 students attending the Outback Experience and those aged 12-14 years who are registered to swim in a 50m Freestyle event are to get their name marked off and then go straight to the SCC for the first buses leaving at 8.55am sharp.

Students in Years 7-10 must wear their full sports uniform.  Students in Years 11 and 12 must wear full sports / full summer uniform. Swimmers may be worn underneath uniforms and students may change into house colours at the pool.

Please ensure your child has sufficient food and water as access to the canteen will be limited. Due to an increase in bee activity, high sugar food and drink such as lollies, soft drinks, or sports drinks should not be brought to the pool.

Further detailed information has been provided to students throughout the week in their Daily Notices.

ISA Sport

ISA Round 9 is on this Saturday. Team fixtures and bus information can be found here. All buses will be leaving from the bus zone on Charlotte Street. All students should be dropped off in the JFC car park.  You can also find your child's Extracurricular fixtures and training information in Parent Lounge and on the Parent Orbit app under the Student tab.

Private Music Tuition opportunities

Is your child is interested in taking private music tuition at the school? We are privileged to have the expertise of a vastly talented Music Tutor Team for these lessons. Whether it be guitar, bass guitar, drums, orchestral percussion, strings, piano, brass, wind and/or voice (from beginner to advanced), we can accommodate. 

For more information, please contact Mr Josh Combes, Leader of Learning - Creative Arts, Performing Arts and Languages via email and he will help you to arrange this exciting opportunity for your child.

Parent Volunteers – Winter Sports Coaches and Officials

Following on from the Sports Forum held late last year, expressions of interest are now being taken from parents/carers and Chevalier community members wishing to volunteer as a winter sports coach or perform duties as an official.  Please register your interest here. 

Coach Phillips

Extra Curriculum Administrator

• ISA Round 9 - 17 February
• Swimming Carnival - 19 February
• New students morning tea - 20 February
• ISA Round 10 - 24 February
• Year 11 and Year 12 Industry Studies - 26 February
• Year 7 Retreat Group 2 (classes 7.3 and 7.4) - 26 February
• New Family Welcome Evening - 29 February
• Twilight Swimming Carnival (invitation only) - 1 March
• ISA Semi-Finals - 2 March
• Show Team Robertson Show - 2 March
• Year 10/12 Music Excursion - 4 March
• Year 11 Biology Excursion - 4 March
• Year 7 Retreat Group 3 (classes 7.5, 7.6 and 7.7) - 4 March
• ISA Finals - 9 March
• Show Team Moss Vale Show - 9 March