Acting Principal's Report
Derek Rimes
Dear Parents and Carers,
As Acting Principal of Seymour College, I would firstly like to wish Debbie Oliver, our Principal, an enjoyable and well-deserved break away with her travels on long service leave for the next few weeks.
We are now in week 8 of the term and it is an incredibly busy time across the whole college. Today, I sat in supervision of our Year 11 VCE English exam which is the start of exam week for our VCE students and marks the end of semester 1. With just under 100 students, the Arts Centre was close to full of exam seating and many nervous students.
Despite the short week, there are many exciting activities and opportunities for students across the three sectors. In Primary, the DASH program which promotes mental health and community connections is running and we have qualifying students heading off to Benalla for the Hume Cross Country across all three sectors. Secondary has our year 10 students in two groups attending the Holocaust Museum on the 12 and 13 June, which serves to amplify the voices of Holocaust survivors and is a very reflective experience for young people to see and hear. Our VCE Art Making and Exhibiting students are heading off to Top Arts on Friday 13 June and this is a great opportunity to see some of the folio work done by VCE students at the highest level. VCE VM students are off to Trades Hall to sessions in Your Rights at Work, Bullying and Discrimination which all sit within the Work-Related Skills Curriculum.
Our students have noticed two new pieces of equipment set up in the school grounds. These octagon shapes are part of a game called Gaga ball. They have been requested on student surveys for the last few years. The SRC, VM students, and the Parents and Friends group have all played a part in trying to find out what the students would like, and we were successful in securing an Active Schools Grant to deliver this to the students. Gaga is essentially a high paced agility version of dodge ball which uses a soft foam ball and looks like lots of fun.
Thank you to everyone for supporting our Parents and Friends annual fundraiser.
Orders are due back on Friday 13 June and they can be collect from the General Office on Thursday 19 June.
Finally, this year sees a change to reporting in line with DET policy. Parents are encouraged to access student learning tasks on a regular basis to gain feedback on work completed.
I look forward to working to support the principal role at Seymour College over the next weeks.
Kind regards,
Derek Rimes,
Acting Principal.
CONNECTING SCHOOLS WITH INDIAN COMMUNITIES PROGRAM
We are excited to announce that Seymour College along with a cluster of schools in Mitchell Shire has received a grant for the ‘Connecting Schools with Indian Communities’ (CSIC) program! The program will introduce students from non-Indian backgrounds to the rich diversity of Indian culture, including its traditions, festivals, music, art and languages, while also enriching the cultural experiences of students of Indian origin in the schools. The key stakeholders from Seymour College, Kilmore Primary School, Willowmavin Primary School, Wandong Primary School, Broadford Primary School, Broadford Secondary College, Upper Plenty Primary School and Puckapunyal Primary School in Mitchell Shire will be involved in this program.
With a rapidly growing migrant population, Mitchell Shire provides a solid foundation for multiculturalism. According to the census figures, there is a growing Indian-born and Indian ancestry population in Mitchell Shire. A considerable number of students in Mitchell Shire schools are of Indian ethnicity which makes it essential for the schools to promote cross-cultural understanding among students to foster global awareness and support inclusive education.
The CSIC program is part of the Victorian Government's strategy for further developing Victoria’s relationship with India over the next 5 years: Victoria's India Strategy: Our Shared Future 2025-30. It is a funding program that supports Victorian government schools to develop initiatives that foster collaborative partnerships between school, the Indian diaspora, and the broader community.
Funding has been approved by the International Education Division of the Department of Education, Victoria to:
- focus on improving student learning and intercultural capabilities;
- facilitate strong collaboration between partner schools and organisations from Victoria’s Indian community; and
- promote multi-school clusters/collaboration.
Stay tuned for more news about the ‘Connecting Schools with Indian Communities’ program!