message from the principal
Construction Commences!
On Wednesday 15 March we had the pleasure of the Honourable Jane Garrett, Member for Brunswick, complete the first sod-turn to commemorate the start of our major building works. I was delighted that Ms Garrett participated in what was a momentous occasion of the school, along with former principal Vivienne Tellefson, given the advocacy of both Ms Garrett and Vivienne for the Brunswick Secondary College building project. As I stated at the ceremony, we would not have received the $10 000 000 upgrade if it were not for their work.
Fimma Constructions have been appointed the builders and have set up their work areas. They have commenced some work in D block where we will see the old gym transformed to a new performing arts teaching space and the existing PAR and music rooms reconfigured and enhanced. The builders have also secured their work space on the asphalt basketball courts between the library and F block, where they have commenced ground testing before they commence excavating. This is the site for the new H block which will include a new canteen area and Food Studies classrooms.
Whilst the building works are in progress the basketball courts at the southern end of the school are not able to be accessed by students. To accommodate student recreational needs the gym is available for student use at lunchtimes and supervised as a yard duty area. The anticipated timeline for our building works including those stated above and the renovation of F block and maintenance to A and B blocks, is a completion date of June, 2018. The construction is staggered to minimise disruption to classrooms and as areas are complete it will open up classrooms again. The school Leadership Team will continue to consider the needs of students and staff as we undergo the building works. The plans for the works are very exciting for the school and will improve the teaching and learning environment for current and future students and I look forward to providing you with updates.
So it is worthwhile for us all to consider that while there is inconvenience in the process, the new building project will afford a very bright future for the college. New learning spaces, especially in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Learning Areas will mean that students and teachers will be able to take advantage of new resources and opportunities and so the curriculum will expand to meet the growing demands of students to pursue these studies.
SOLO Taxonomy
Professional Learning
We had a most successful professional learning day for staff on Thursday 9 March, 2017. My thanks again to School Council for approving this additional professional learning day. Many teachers have applied the principles of the SOLO Taxonomy in their classes since Pam Hook’s presentation and we will continue to focus on it throughout the year in our professional learning meetings. There is a strong correlation between the SOLO Taxonomy, the Brunswick Secondary College Instructional Model for teaching and a collaborative project which some of our Science teachers are involved with titled the Multi-literacies in Secondary School Science (MSSS) project. The teachers involved in the MSSS project are working with other secondary Science teachers from Roxburgh College, Caroline Chisolm College and Penola Catholic College to develop common lesson plans which address greater conceptual understanding through the explicit focus on disciplinary literacy, in the form of writing, speaking and interpreting. The teachers are being supported and coached by senior lecturers from Australian Catholic University and Deakin University. Teachers across the four schools recently met to provide feedback on their lessons. All the lessons described or shown through video footage took students from the co-construction stage (constructing an answer with the support of the teacher) to the independent construction stage (students constructing an answer on their own). We will be involved in this project for three years and look forward to the results.
A perfect '10'? Absolutely!
Congratulations to all the BSC students who attended our annual BSC Swimming Carnival this month. It was an extremely successful day where both formal and informal activities were well supported by students and staff. Much fun was had by all!
Student behaviour was exemplary: all students are highly commended on their mature approach to the event. Additionally, they all demonstrated a healthy spirit of competition and sporting behaviour as ambassadors of Brunswick Secondary College.
Activities such as this contribute greatly to the community experience - students and staff seize upon and enjoy the opportunity to interact in a less formal environment - finding, cementing and building upon friendships and respectful relationships. See the article In The Swim for a report, photos and student comment about the Swimming Carnival.
I can confidently say that the occasion of the Swimming Carnival was a highlight for many and we can all look forward to enjoying the BSC Athletics Carnival in Term 2.
Bound for China!
The Victorian Young Leaders to China BSC delegates jetted off on March 25 on the adventure of a lifetime!
Nine intrepid travellers, accompanied by teacher Tayler Roberts, were farewelled by staff, friends and family - all the students were very excited to be finally leaving on this long-anticipated trip.
The students will spend six weeks in China, participating in an immersion program with other Year 9 students from around the state. This program is designed to help prepare them to live and work as citizens and future leaders in a global community.
This is a life-changing opportunity for our BSC students - they will meet with student 'buddies' and their families as well as attend school in China - combining intensive language and cultural learning with their own personal development.
Please read more about the VYLC trip later in this newsletter. We wish them all well on their journey and look forward to news of their travels!
