Clyde North Campus News

Term 1 2024 has begun and are very excited to welcome returning staff and students, and our new students and staff to the College. Whilst most of our new students are year 7, we also welcomed a number of new students across all year levels. A smooth transition to a new school is very important and we anticipate the processes we have put in place will support all new students, families, and staff to ensure their experience at St Peter’s College is easy, productive, and successful in 2024 and the years to come.  We started the year with a Welcome Assembly. This provided a wonderful opportunity for us to come together, set clear goals and expectations that we as a school and faith community will individually and collectively strive to achieve each day.  The Assembly also provided me with the opportunity to remind students of our school wide expectations, ROCKS, the continued adherence to the mobile phone policy and to outline a couple of new systems and processes that will enhance the learning experience for students and teachers.

Classroom Routines and Consistent Standards

We know the value of maintaining good routines in all aspects of our lives, such as sleeping, exercising, working, and going to school. Year 7 students have left the familiar routines of learning in primary school to enter the unknown expectations of secondary school. For some they will navigate this new environment very quickly but for others it may create varying levels of anxiety and worry.  To alleviate the anxiety or worry, students are inducted into St Peter’s ROCKS and Classroom Routines from day one.  At St Peter’s College years 7-10 are now required to follow the Classroom Routines as outlined on the poster, to ensure that the learning experience for all students is safe, predictable, and supportive. It starts by arriving on time, with learning materials, and led into the classroom with by their teacher followed by a formal greeting to commence the lesson. These routines were successfully introduced last year. Based on feedback from teachers and students and the success of the initial routines, we have now added two more routines. The new routines are Visual Schedules and Do Now Activity. The visual schedule has been used by most teachers before, in the form of a weekly guide or lesson plan. To support consistency of learning experience all teachers will now

provide a visual schedule on SPACE. The creativity of our teachers is impressive, so please check in with your child as to the variety of visual schedules they use in each class. The second new routine is called a ‘Do Now’. Once students have been greeted and are seated, they commence the Do Now activity in silence for a timed period approximately 5-7mins. This is a researched based learning invention that helps students develop a calm and focus disposition ready for learning. Once the Do Now activity has finished, the lesson continues as normal. It is well researched that an optimum learning environment relies on predictability, support, and clear expression and understanding of what is expected from each student.  To further support the development of an effective learning environment, students will need to maintain consistent standards associated with bringing all relevant learning materials to each class and arriving on time for school, tutor group and each class throughout the day. We are reiterating to all students that we set high standards at St Peter’s College because we value each of them. Should students breach these standards three times in the two-week cycle, they will receive a lunch time detention. Included in these standards is also uniform breaches. The conversation with our students is around self-correction when a teacher is issuing a breach. Should a student persistently breach these standards then parents/guardians will be contacted by the relevant House Leader for further discussion and intervention. It is anticipated that most students will self-correct as they too start to set high and consistent standards for themselves.  

Student leadership 2024

This year the College and House Captains-Training Day involved the Student Leaders from both the Clyde North and Cranbourne Campuses coming together on the Cranbourne Campus in the first week of Term 1.  The day itself is divided into three key Leadership themes for the day:

1. Head

2. Heart

3. Hands

Students explore the key elements of Leadership and how their behaviour can impact others (Head).  Students then look at the emotional side of Leadership and the skills and attributes one requires to effect change and influence others positively (Heart). In the final session, students understand and develop an Action Plan to help them create a vision for their Portfolio goals and develop strategies to achieve these goals (Hands).  One thing that was evident throughout the day was the enthusiasm of our leaders to positively impact our students in 2024. My sincere thanks to Mr Peter Brannan and Ms Sarah Hogan for running this training.

Fast forward to 2027.

Year 9 2024 will be the graduating class of 2027 and will be the largest graduating class ever at Clyde North. At an assembly this week, I raised this fact with them and asked them to think about who in their cohort would be the College and House Captains of 2027? The question did indeed get them thinking!

I wish you all a safe and productive week.

Mrs Julie Banda

Head of Clyde North Campus