Principal Team Editorial
Mother's Day Breakfast
Last week we celebrated Mother’s Day early by inviting our mums and grandmothers to join us for breakfast in The Orchard. It was a great opportunity to meet the wonderful mums and grandmothers who play such a pivotal role in our students' lives and we look forward to hosting our dads and grandfathers later this year.
Following breakfast, many of our mums and grandmothers visited classrooms to see learning in action and shared the following observations:
Classrooms were very calm and quiet with students focused on learning
Most classes were using mini whiteboards where students had to respond to questions by writing their answers on the boards and ‘chinning’ them so teachers could see their answers. It’s a quick way for teachers to see if what they are teaching is sticking or if they need to re-teach the content in a different way.
Students were using paper/books/whiteboards much more than laptops. We are making a deliberate effort to use paper, pens and whiteboards to reduce digital distractions and drive deeper thinking.
We loved taking our mums and grandmothers to visit classrooms and will continue to look for opportunities to strengthen our partnership with families by opening our classrooms to see learning in action.
Cross Country
Last Wednesday, we had a great day out at Lewis Park for our annual Cross Country. All Year 7 and 8 students participated with many of our Years 9-12 students also opting in. There was a great vibe with lots of students cheering each other on at the start and finish lines.
See our page about the Cross Country for photos, footage and all the results!
Principal Chat & Catch Up
Tue 19 May 6pm, Staff Lounge
Parents/Carers are welcome to join me once a term for an informal chat about how things are going at Wantirna College. It’s an opportunity for me to listen to parents/carers about their child’s experiences and for me provide some interesting data and observations about how we are tracking as a school. It’s a great way to meet other parents and strengthen your relationship with our school.
Thank you Education Support Staff
And finally, in recognition of Education Support Staff Day I’d like to acknowledge the enormous contribution our support staff provide teachers, students and parents everyday. We have nearly 80 support staff at Wantirna College and we recognise and value the work they do to ensure our students and teachers thrive. We are lucky to have such hard working, motivated and committed ES and I encourage our community to reach out to them and thank them for their efforts.
Have a lovely weekend!
Carrie Wallis
Principal