Banksia House

Once again it is with great honour and privilege that I share with you the achievements of our staff and students as we approach the end of Term 2.

As the House Leader of Banksia, and as a member of our Dandenong High School community, I am always filled with immense pride when I reflect on each term and what we have achieved. This term is no different. It is clear once again that we have all faced challenges, yet together, we have supported one another, we have ALL learnt new things and our students, teachers and families have been truly incredible. There is a shared sense of responsibility and everyone is focusing on student learning and improvement, in partnership.

I have much enjoyed listening to our students develop, across the years, personal commitments to themselves in support of their learning, which are on display in the House. These commitments are a constant reminder of what we are working to achieve and will be used throughout the year as we support students to reach their chosen destination.

I have also had the privilege of listening to our students and staff explore the actions that will support us to be a happy and safe, learning focussed and connected community. There is a true sense of alignment, which is exciting and I look forward to seeing our identified actions in place next term.

Each Year 12 student has shown incredible learning focus and commitment to their destination. It has been a joy to meet with and listen to each and every one of them, as they share their reflections, make commitments to themselves and explore how they are progressing in their learning, while identifying needed supports. I look forward to meeting again with them at the end of the term and into Term 3, where together we will explore the pathways that will help them reach their destination.

Our Year 7 students have not skipped a beat in lockdown and I am so proud of how they have navigated Remote Learning in a secondary school setting. Thank you to our families for helping your children navigate their learning and to the many we spoke with personally on the phone; it was lovely to connect with you all.

Together we have reflected on our learnings this term and below are some snippets of what our students have shared on our House Padlet:

• Keep striving to do your best, and it will definitely end up paying off!
• I have learnt to stay motivated because it will allow me to reach my goals.
• Thank you for all you do! It has truly supported me and I believe that it has supported others.
• Something positive about learning remotely this time around would be the work I put in to studying for my SACs and exams that are coming up, as well as the communication between my friends and others.
• I hope all of you know that I'm so proud of you and you are so loved. These days have been really tough but I believe in you and you can get through it.

Attendance has been exceptional and again the House has strived to ensure learning continues whether remote or on site. We are so impressed that you are all managing to attend each and every day and it is obvious that the focus on your learning and destination is driving your attendance. In the House we are celebrating all Students who remain on 100% attendance for the whole year, those who have shown significant attendance improvement and we have also shifted our focus to those who have improved in their arrival to School on time and classes on time. Thank you to our families who are working so closely with us to ensure our Students arrive to School on time, each day, ready to learn.

While it is a shame our Chorales have been postponed, we have some positive energy and enthusiasm around our song choices and it has been great to see so many Senior Students involved this year, to support the House and the school. I encourage more students to make the most of the opportunities on offer and we would love to see more of you on board next term, when we are back face to face. Thank you to Ms Sparks, Mrs Steadman, Suzanne and Mr Heathcote for their tireless energy and enthusiasm supporting the students in this space. 

Our AMAZING SRC are working hard to raise funds for Cornerstone and I congratulate them on their thinking as they work to expand the notion of social service, to service. The Team met with the CEO of Cornerstone this term and together they are exploring ways to give back to our Community and serve people in need – it is in inspiration to watch. Well done, Team. 

Again, we are incredibly proud of our teachers. They have each shown courage and commitment to the learning of our students and it has been wonderful to watch practice improvement come to life. Thank you also to the House Leadership Team, including Katie Brennan, for your positive energy, your hard work and the way you are connecting with our students to support their learning and engagement at this time.

Finally, I hope you all have a much deserved rest over the holiday break and you take care of yourselves. Thank you for your support, commitment and hard work during the twists and turns of this term. Once again, you are all remarkable. Well done and please rest over the break.

Kelly Krieg and the Banksia House Leadership Team