Community 

Supporting Diverse Learners @ CHS 

My name is Brigitte and I have joined CHS this year as the Inclusion Leader. I have come from The MacRobertson Girls’ High School, a select entry government school, and before that was at Parkville College in the youth justice centres in Parkville and Malmsbury. I have a cheeky 18-month-old at home, and an even cheekier 3-year-old Jack Russell. I am thrilled to have joined such a rich and diverse learning community at Coburg. My role involves being an advocate for students experiencing intersectional barriers to learning, working with colleagues to develop and embed evidence-based practices that support the learning of all students, and facilitating professional learning for staff. I also teach Psychology and English. I wanted to take this opportunity to share a few things that are happening in the inclusion space.

We have a new policy for supporting diverse learners that can be found on Compass under School Documentation. This policy has been developed and refined in collaboration with the school community and outlines our commitment to the SHARE principles for inclusive education. 

One of the things that has really stood out for me at CHS is the commitment of the staff to inclusion, and a desire to learn more about how they can support this in practice. This term, we will be focusing on inclusion and belonging in Week 5 of our professional learning series. A group of teachers will also have the opportunity to participate in a professional learning community later in the year focused on increasing confidence and resilience among diverse learners.

Lastly, student voice and participation is what drives inclusion. Uniquity Club has returned in 2024 and provides a safe space for neurodiverse young people. They meet during recess on Thursdays in AG.03. This is a fantastic opportunity for new students to access some additional peer support. We are also preparing to welcome the ICAN mentoring service in Term 2. This is a mentoring service run by autistic people, for autistic people, and it is being overseen by our Wellbeing Team. Please see Sasha's Compass post from 13/2 for information on how to get involved. 

Briggite Rogan