International

International Student Program (ISP)

WOW, what a year the international student program has had!! Take a look below at just some of the things our staff and students have been up to:

Retiring members of the International Student Program Team

We have been very fortunate to have two remarkably talented staff working with the ISP team over the years, though I am sad to say that this time has come to an end.

We farewell Greta Kechayas (ISP Administrator) and Tammy Hoang (ISP Vietnamese Multicultural Aide), two long term Macleod College staff members.

Their commitment to providing targeted and all-encompassing support to our students and families was unwavering, and we will definitely feel the impact of their departure.

While we might be saying goodbye to these staff members, we are excited to welcome Linda Cecala to our team, which now consists of:

Colleen Cochrane - International Student Coordinator (ISC)

Joanna Wan - Assistant International Student Coordinator

Ketty Karalis - Intensive English Language Centre (IELC) Manager

Linda Cecala - International Student Program Administrator

Graduating students

Kierra Chute, from Fiji, joined us at the beginning of 2023, just in time to commence her VCE studies. She quickly adjusted to the Victorian education system, completing SACs, SATs, outcomes and all other requirements of her chosen subjects.

With her lovely nature, she easily made friends and settled into a comfortable social circle with our wonderful students.

This year she rose to the challenge of year 12 and had a successful year, graduating with her peers. We feel privileged to have been part of her journey and were delighted to join Kierra and her family to mark the special occasion of graduation.

We all wish Kierra the best in life and hope she pops in sometime in the not-too-distant future to update us on how life after secondary school is going

Kierra and Family at Awards Night

Graduating IELC Students

On Wednesday 18th December 2024, most of the students in our Intensive English Language Centre graduated proudly. A few, whom joined us late in semester 2, will continue their English language studies for at least a term in 2025 to further consolidate their language skills.

During the graduation ceremony, each of the IELC students delivered their graduation speech in small groups, showcasing their improved language skills and expressing their appreciation to their teachers. With all the IELC teachers, including Madeleine from Charles La Trobe P-12, student families and some mainstream students (thank you, Mrs Mitchell!) as the audience, all of the students maintained calmness and confidence essential for public speaking and delivered great presentations. We are very proud of them! The international student captains Karish Pragash and Hannah Nguyen gave their speech together, sending their best wishes to the graduates to wrap up the presentation part of the ceremony.

Our assistant principal Ms Michelle Wallis presented each student with a certificate in recognition of their achievements and progress in the past 20 weeks, along with a special gift pack. Thank you to Joan Cave for creating lifelong mementos for these very grateful students, they will be cherished as reminders of the time they spent at Macleod College. 

The students farewelled each other and took photos with their teachers before diving into the summer holidays. Congratulations to all of our IELC graduates, we wish you all the best in the next stage of your studies in the mainstream classes/courses next year!      

IELC Transition Day in Mainstream Classes

In term 4, each prospective Macleod College international student had a transition day in the mainstream classes with a buddy kindly arranged by the student managers. They had a taste of how the daily routine goes for a mainstream student, with the support of their buddies and teachers. The day might not be an easy one (more of a challenge!) but is a rewarding experience for all of them.

We would like to thank the students who offered to “buddy” with the international students and ensure they knew all the ins and outs of life as a student at Macleod College. Being a buddy to a new student is a fabulous way to demonstrate student leadership, social intelligence and kindness. It requires maturity and responsibility, and we can always rely on our students to volunteer for these special roles within the school.

Recruitment Activities in China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Cambodia

Macleod College was lucky enough to have been invited to attend several overseas ISP Recruitment and Marketing trips in 2024, which are arranged by the International Education Division of the Victorian Department of Education.

Ok ok. I know it sounds exotic and like I have the best job in the world, which I think I do, but I promise these trips are not about taking in the sights. The agenda is tightly packed with Education Agent visits, promotional fairs, pre-departure sessions, school visits and much more. 

Macleod College is already seeing the benefit of involvement, with several new enrolments coming to us directly in response to activities undertaken while on these trips.

We look forward to developing stronger ties with our Education Agents in key market areas such as these and welcoming more international students to Macleod College

Homestay Annual Training

On the evening of Wednesday 18th December 2024, the ISP team along with our Principal Mario Panaccio and the Asistant Principal Michelle Wallis presented the annual homestay training online to our current and prospective parent-nominated (option 3) and school-sourced (option 4) homestay providers. 

A refresh of the Homestay Agreement, Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy, Mandatory Reporting, and Fire Safety was completed during this meeting. The annual homestay training offers a great opportunity for the school and the host families to communicate and reminds the homestay providers that the school support is always there. We appreciate the time and engagement of all the invited attendees and would also like to send a warm welcome to new homestay providers who will be part of our Macleod College community next year.

Intensive English Language Program (IELP) Network

The ISP Team at Macleod College have initiated the formation of a network of school-based English Language Programs. The first IELP network meeting was held at Macleod College early in term 4, quickly followed by a second meeting later in the term. It is proposed that moving forward the network meetings be arranged at least once per term to allow for collaboration in the planning of activities, curriculum, assessments, immersion opportunities and so much more. 

We were lucky to have representatives from 10+ schools such as Mill Park Secondary College, Strathmore Secondary College, Mount Clear College and Collingwood College attending the past two meetings. Already many resources and curriculum links have been shared and use of effective language teaching and learning tools were demonstrated. We expect this groups collaborations to positively impact the programs that we offer to this unique cohort of students. Watch this space to see where this takes our staff and subsequently our students.

Looking forward to 2025

We have over 20 new International Students arriving in 2025, and we look forward to helping each of them reach their goals of studying abroad and integrating into our wonderful community.

We wish all students and families a wonderful summer and we look forward what 2025 might bring.

Happy Holidays from the ISP Team