Middle School
Year 6 Teacher
As some of you may be aware, one of our wonderful Year 6 teachers, Mrs Charlene Lee will be finishing up at the end of Term 2 to go on maternity leave for 12 months. Over the last few years, Charlene has made a significant contribution to the College as a classroom teacher, but also in the areas of media production and student leadership. As a college community, we are really excited about the season she is about to embark on as a new parent.
Before Term 1 ended, the College began the process of finding Charlene’s replacement, and I am delighted to inform you that Mrs Jenny Provis has been appointed to a 12 month position beginning Term 3, 2016. Jenny has a wealth of teaching experience, along with a great passion for God and young people. She has been a substitute teacher at St Andrews for a number of years and has a solid understanding of the Year 6 classroom routines, structures and curriculum. I’m really excited to have her on the staff team!
Here are a few words from Jenny:
Teaching 25 energetic Year 6 students is not everyone’s cup of tea. In fact some of my non-teacher friends shudder at the thought. However for myself I find the prospect both exciting and challenging. Exciting in that I really enjoy this particular bunch of kids and challenging in that I’m sure they will keep me “on my toes.”
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My name is Jenny Provis and I live with my husband Ken and our dog Bella in Kalorama. We love walking in the hills, bike riding, kayaking, gardening and I guess most activities in the great outdoors.
We have been enjoying the season of becoming grandparents in the last five years and we now have five adorable grandchildren. They range in age from 15 months to five years.
The reason I am so passionate about Christian Education is that as teachers we have the wonderful opportunity of teaching children within a Christ-centred environment. When we place Jesus at the centre of all we do we are not just teaching academics but we are educating within a ‘Christian world view’ framework. Even after 30 years in Christian schools l get excited about what this really means.
Jenny, Charlene and Ben will be working together this term to ensure a smooth transition into Term 3.
Daniel Lee
Head of Middle School
St Andrews Duolingo Championship
Since early 2015, French students in Years 6 – 8 have been taking part in a Duolingo Championship. Students compete by completing skill levels on the Duolingo online language learning portal as part of their designated French homework. Year 6 students are expected to work on Duolingo twice a week, Year 7s three times a week, and Year 8s four times a week.
Some of our students have been making exceptional progress on Duolingo, working on their French skills most days of the week and even during holidays. A Duolingo Champions Club will in future be held in Room 17 every Monday during lunchtime. In order to join this club, students need to have completed at least 3000 XP on Duolingo. From time to time our top students will be featured in the newsletter.
This week the spotlight falls on Freesia Goh in Year 8. Freesia is working on the final skill level of the French Duolingo course. She has already completed several extended skill levels that are based on university level grammar. Once she has completed all the skills, Freesia can start working on turning all her skills to gold, in order to gain a Golden Owl, an award that becomes part of her Duolingo profile. Congratulations, Freesia!
Madame Cloete
French Teacher, Years 6 – 8
Middle School Student Leaders
Term 2 has kicked off with many things happening for our student leaders in Middle School. I am so proud to mention that our Middle School captains ran the entire ANZAC Commemoration Assembly on Monday 18 April – from MC-ing, to praying, to ushering and backstage/powerpoint. The assembly ran on time and it was very efficient – well done, captains!
Just last Friday, on 22 April, I also had the pleasure of taking 20 students to the Grip Leadership Conference. These students comprised of our current Middle School Captains as well as students who are aspiring to student leadership in the future.
The conference was held at Moonee Valley Racecourse and our students had many opportunities to mingle with hundreds of students from different schools. They sat in on sessions about leadership, and were empowered to make and be the change they wanted to see in St Andrews. Our students also participated in the conference games and our very own Travis Lam won the Collective Nouns game, earning himself a free “Influence” badge from the conference. Well done, Travis!
Charlene Lee
Middle School Teacher
Yr8 Middle Ages
The Year 8 students enjoyed a full-day incursion on Thursday 21 April, learning all about Life in the Middle Ages - Weapons and Armoury, Crime and Punishment, Education and Games, Fashion and Dress and the Role of Women.
Rajes Krishnan
Middle and Senior School Teacher