7-9 Teaching and Learning 

“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

I warmly welcome back the students, staff and parents from the nine weeks of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and would like to congratulate all of our students for their effort and hard work throughout this period.

We still need to maintain our vigilance to ensure the wellbeing and safety of our school community, as directed by the Chief Health Officer and Education Department. Please be sure to read the regular DET updates regarding Health and Safety which are put out on Compass by College Principal Amy Porter. 

Our priority for the students and staff has been to ensure that this transition back to on-site learning is a positive and safe experience and together, we will work through any of the challenges that may arise. The routine and predictability of school life has never been so important. I have been extremely proud of the professionalism of our amazing staff. They continue to provide engaging lessons and regularly speak to students with the view of ensuring they are travelling okay. They have had to regularly “pivot” their classes from online learning to onsite learning which, for some year levels has involved both types of learning in the same week! 

Even when on Friday October 29th we arrived at school to find that we were without power, which of course meant no lights, heating, wifi, food from the canteen, bells, access to resources online or Compass, staff immediately responded, creating new lesson plans, some relocated to other venues to access wifi to deliver remote learning to years 8&9 who were at home (some even taught remotely from their car!) and ensured that all students onsite continued with "business as usual" in the school day. Both staff and students were absolutely amazing and we are so grateful to have such a supportive and positive college community who show such resilience in challenging times.  

Finally, it has been great to see everyone back at school, filled with excitement and enthusiasm. After spending so much time in lockdown, we took the opportunity to incorporate some wellbeing and engagement programs into the years 7, 8 & 9 student timetables to assist with their reintegration into school life. These have included:

• Effective communication (how to communicate with friends, the use of appropriate language at school, etc.)
• Connectedness – how to reconnect with friends
• Strengths – how to identify and use our strengths to improve ourselves and help others
• Growth Mindset
• Transition

We also commenced with a competitive Scavenger Hunt for each year level on day one, giving students a chance to run around in groups, work as a team, reacquaint themselves with the layout of the campus and have a bit of fun on their first day back. The rewards/prizes of canteen vouchers and chocolate was also well received by all.

As we continue to settle into normal school life, it is important that students approach Assessment Weeks with a positive mindset and understand that this is important for us to get further indication of any “gaps” that they may now have in their learning, due to the Covid19 lockdown. We only ask that they all do their best and always seek assistance with anything that worries them, or they don’t understand. These two weeks of assessment will be followed by a week of feedback.

For our year 9 students, feedback week will also include a transition program. All year 9 students will spend some of their time at the senior campus on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Friday, they will have a Graduation Assembly during period 3 & 4 and will be dismissed at lunchtime. A detailed email will be sent to parents of Year 9 students closer to Transition Week. 

For students in years 8 or 9 2022, Jeremy Kong and I will be seeking expressions of interest for students who would like to be part of our Student Leadership, Student Voice and SRC in 2022. We encourage all students to apply for Leadership or at least become part of the SRC, to have a voice in the culture and operations of our wonderful College and to represent their cohort. Keep an eye out on Compass over the next few weeks for more information as to how to apply for leadership positions. 

Finally, a big thank you to the parents for your wonderful contribution and support during these challenging times. We really appreciate your positive emails of thanks for the amazing work of our staff and please be assured that we pass them on to all concerned.

Vivienne McElwee

Campus Principal