International Baccalaureate Global Conference – Mumbai, India

Recently, Mrs Houghton and I had the opportunity to attend the International Baccalaureate (IB) Global Conference in Mumbai, joining educators from around the world to share ideas and learn from one another. The conference offered more than 70 workshops across four key themes: leadership in IB schools, strengthening elements of the IB programmes, wellbeing, and artificial intelligence (AI) in education.

It was reassuring to hear that schools across the world are grappling with many of the same challenges we face. I was particularly interested in sessions exploring student wellbeing and how schools can more effectively embed social–emotional learning within the Primary Years Programme (PYP) so that wellbeing becomes part of everything we do. It was encouraging to discover that Victorian schools, including ours, are already well advanced in this area.

Another strong focus was AI in education. We explored how students are beginning to use AI tools in their learning and the importance of schools establishing safeguards to ensure safe and ethical use. We also saw examples of how some schools are involving students in the creation of their own AI policies and practices, helping them develop critical thinking, creativity and responsible digital habits.

Mrs Houghton and I attended different sessions so we could broaden our learning and share insights with staff on our return. Mrs Houghton focused particularly on leadership and the key elements of the IB PYP, helping us reflect on our current strengths and identify areas for future growth. This learning is particularly valuable as our school prepares for its five-year IB PYP evaluation later next term, which we will explain further in a future newsletter.

The conference theme, “Shared Learning, Shared Futures,” highlighted the importance of collaboration and respectful dialogue in an increasingly complex world. IB educators play an important role in helping students develop these skills so they can contribute positively to the world around them.

Finally, having the opportunity to travel through parts of India prior to the conference provided valuable insight into the culture and community of a country that many of our families proudly call home. It was a wonderful experience that deepened our appreciation of the diversity within our own school community.

HARMONY WEEK

Harmony Week celebrations at our school took place during the final week of the term, allowing our specialist teachers time to organise a range of engaging activities that celebrated the rich cultural diversity within our school community.

As an International Baccalaureate school, we are proud to foster international mindedness, encouraging students to value and respect the perspectives and contributions of people from around the world.

A highlight of the week was the parade of students in cultural attire, proudly representing the many cultures within our community. The celebrations also included Japanese Day, where students explored aspects of Japanese culture through fun and engaging experiences. Across the week, students participated in traditional arts and crafts, language experiences, cultural games and other hands-on activities. Lunchtime activities provided further opportunities for students to enjoy origami, face painting and games from around the world.

A sincere thank you to our Specialist teachers – Miss Nugent, Miss Marquis, Sensei Briggs and Mr Pullar – for coordinating such a wonderful week of learning and celebration, and to classroom teachers for continuing the conversations and learning in their classrooms.

CONTINUOUS REPORTING

At our school, we do not wait until the end of the semester to report student progress. Instead, teachers continuously review and record student learning against the Victorian Curriculum throughout the term.

Using the Compass Continuum, teachers update the learning outcomes that have been demonstrated by students. This allows parents to see whether their child is currently working below or at the expected year level, and if a student has achieved most of the outcomes for their year level, parents can view the next year level to see where their child is being extended.

For specialist subjects (such as Visual and Performing Arts, Physical Education, STEM and Japanese), teachers work with over 550 students across the school. As a result, they focus on updating different year levels across each term. This ensures that parents can still see the learning outcomes achieved in specialist areas across the year. These updates are provided in addition to the formal semester reports.

LAST DAY OF THE TERM REMINDER

As Term 1 draws to a close, a reminder that school will finish early on Thursday 2 April with dismissal at 2:30 pm.

The term will conclude with our whole school assembly in the hall, commencing at 1:30pm, which will include the much-anticipated Easter Raffle. Teaching staff will also finish the term at 2:30pm in lieu of working well after hours on the night of the production (later in the year).

Finally, I would like to thank our students, staff and parent community for their collective efforts in ensuring our school continues to be a place where students are happy, engaged and able to thrive socially, emotionally and academically.

It has been wonderful to see such strong attendance from parents, carers and friends at our recent Unit Share celebrations, which clearly demonstrates how much our community values education. These occasions provide students with a meaningful opportunity to share their learning and take pride in their achievements, and we greatly appreciate the ongoing support that makes this possible.

I wish all families a safe and happy term break, and we look forward to welcoming students back for Term 2 on Monday 20 April.

Chellee Plumb

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