Lowanna College

Mini School Updates

Junior School Update

Congratulations Mekhi

A big congratulations to Mekhi for winning the ArtVo prize whilst on last terms Year 8 Excursion! Mekhi’s creativity has been rewarded with a $200 voucher, and we are incredibly proud of this achievement. Keep up the fantastic work, Mekhi!

 

Teen Mental Health Sessions

Year 8 students are currently undertaking Teen Mental Health sessions aimed at supporting our students' wellbeing. These sessions will provide valuable resources and strategies to help students navigate the challenges of adolescence. Thank you to Emily Vernon (Koorie Liaison Worker) and Michael Naughton (Mental Health Practitioner) for facilitating these sessions. It is pleasing to hear that our students are engaging in these sessions and demonstrating our college values. 

 

Brainstorm Productions

We are excited to welcome Brainstorm Productions to our school! Students will attend a performance to assist them to develop resilience, enhance problem-solving skills, and prevent bullying among our students. This is a fantastic opportunity for our school community to learn and grow together.

 

Grade 6 Transition Day – Wednesday 21 August

Grade 6 Transition Day is just around the corner! This day will help our Grade 6 students smoothly transition to their next academic phase. There will be activities and sessions to familiarise them with their new environment, ensuring they feel confident and prepared. Local primary school students will travel with their school and school staff. Other students who intend to enroll at Lowanna College in 2025 can contact the Junior School Office on 5127 9240 to arrange their attendance on the day. 

 

Changes to the Junior School Team

We are delighted to announce some changes to our Junior School team:

  • Harry Pace and Linda Lowrie have both been appointed as Student Support Officers and will be supported by Lachlan Carpenter. 
  • Ishy Lewis will be joining us as a coordinator in the Junior School.  

We are fortunate to have them working with our students and look forward to the positive impact they will have on our school community.

 

As always if you would like to discuss your student, please feel free to contact the Junior School office. 

 

Kristy Bannister

Junior School Leader

Middle School Update 

Term 3 is a busy time in Middle School with our Year 10’s completing a week of work experience. We had over 100 Year 10 students learning what the workforce in their future careers may look like or making the decision on a different pathway. We hope they enjoyed the experience and hope it helps with their future decisions. It was very pleasing to hear the positive reports from employers on how our students conducted themselves with a few asking to have the student for extra time or the promise of an apprenticeship.

 

On the 14th of August our Year 10 students will undergo their individual course counselling session for 2025 subjects for Senior School. This is an important step for students to decide the program that they can focus on for their future pathway.

 

Week 7 (26th of August) our Year 9 students will undertake the Morrisby Assessment program which is a very important step in the students researching and planning for their future careers. It is important that all students undertake this assessment. In Term 4 each student will have a one-on-one careers appointment with an external careers counsellor to go over their assessment.

 

On the 22nd of August it is Character Dress Up Day for Book Week, we encourage all students to come as their favourite book character. There will be a parade for both staff and students at lunch time on this day for those wishing to participate.

 

It was a pleasure to congratulate our Middle School RIDGE awardees recently. These awards are for students who continually uphold the values of the college: Respect, Integrity, Determination, Growth and Excellence.

 

It was also a pleasure to acknowledge our Semester One high attendees, with some students achieving 100% attendance. 

 

I ask all students to attempt 100% attendance for Semester Two. While we understand there are circumstances such as illnesses or family issues that are unavoidable, absences impact highly on student outcomes. If your student is absent, please enter the absence on Compass or inform the school by contacting Middle School on 5127 9246.

 

Daniel Board

Middle School Leader

Senior School Update 

Welcome back to Term 3 and the start of Semester 2. It has been great to see students back and looking well rested after the school holidays. I hope that students and families took the chance to reflect on comments provided in school reports at the end of Term 2 in order to set some individual goals and have a plan to prepare for the most productive and successful term possible. 

 

SAC season is in full swing, particularly for our Year 12 students, and the upcoming weeks are a busy time for assessment across the Senior School. I urge all students to stay focused, seek help and assistance from your teachers, and reach out for support if needed. There are a wide range of resources and supports that we can offer, and it is important that students remain proactive in seeking any help as soon as they realise things are going a bit off course, rather than ignoring the problem and hoping it goes away. A reminder that tutors are available for most subjects and can be accessed, along with staff, at after school study sessions on a Monday and Wednesday. These run from 3.15pm - 4.15pm in A4. 

 

Our senior students have had a busy start to the term, with many participating in a range of events and excursions in addition to their academic studies. Our Year 11 VCE-VM students attended the Jobskills Expo where they were able to explore opportunities for future career pathways with Baw Baw Shire Council and other industries. We have also had students out representing the College in sports and those Year 11 students who are participating in the Debutante Ball this year have also started their dance rehearsals. A number of our senior students also participated in the World’s Greatest Shave fundraiser – the total funds raised exceeded all expectations and it was great to see the wonderful leadership and community spirit that these students displayed. We celebrated ’50 days of school to go’ with our Year 12 students last week and they organised a Pyjama Day this week to raise funds for their celebration activities. I hope these activities go on to become long-lasting and fond memories of students’ final year at Lowanna. It’s great to see so many opportunities for students to engage in a wide variety of activities that allow them to explore and develop their individual strengths and interests. 

 

Senior School Information Night and Course Counselling is an important time for Year 10 students, where they begin seriously considering and thinking about their future pathways. This process commenced with an Information Evening where parents and students were provided with an overview of how the Senior School (Year 11 and 12) works and course options including VCE, VCE-VET and VCE-VM options. We were fortunate to have representatives from tertiary providers including Federation University, TAFE Gippsland and Headstart present on the night to answer questions that students and their families had. There has also been an assembly held with Year 10 students and the next step in the process is Course Counselling Day (next Wednesday 14 August). I would like to thank all the parents and students that have organised appointments, as education is not only a journey for the students it is a partnership between the school, the student and their parent. Any parents who have yet to make an appointment are encouraged to contact the College to do so. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank the Senior School team, the Careers team, our course counsellors and all other staff who have worked diligently with students throughout the process by providing invaluable information and assistance.

 

Finally, a couple of administrative reminders. All students are expected to be in full school uniform at all times. This includes headwear. There are Lowanna College beanies available for purchase given the current wintery weather. The College also has the Uniform Exchange system in place to support students and their families to ensure that all students can be in uniform. Any student absences should be communicated with the school as soon as is practically possible. Where an assessment is missed due to absence, a medical certificate or other professional documentation must be provided to support the absence so that the assessment can be rescheduled. 

 

As always, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Senior School team (5127 9243) if there is anything we can do to support or assist. 

 

Nicole Taylor

Senior School Leader