Teaching and Learning Hub

Welcome to the 2022 school year!

Dear parents and carers,

last week we experienced an incredibly positive and vibrant start, it was so wonderful to feel the buzz around the school with students at all year levels participating in a welcome back assembly and start-up program. Through the start-up program students experienced various workshops designed to help them get organised, get excited about their subjects and all the co-curricular opportunities coming up, and most importantly, re-connect with their peers after the past couple of years.

A number of these workshops focused upon the College’s Learning Dispositions. Students participated in a range of individual and group activities that fostered Critical and Creative Thinking, Collaboration, Resilience and Resourcefulness. Students participated in activities that showcased real world examples, they worked in teams to generate new ideas, problem solve, overcome challenges, and think outside the box to either experience success or reflect on how they could improve their performance. Our Learning Dispositions are not only present within our Start Up Program but will continue to be incorporated into our school curriculum so that students can build upon their skills in all their classes to demonstrate the skills and attributes of a 21st century learner. Student and staff feedback indicated these sessions were engaging, challenging, and helped form connections between mentor groups and their teachers. The student voice from the feedback survey will inform changes and improvements to this program in future years. 

We are extremely passionate about supporting students’ wellbeing and learning as they transition back to regular face to face learning. We have worked hard to develop our Teaching and Learning Program here at the college. In the last two years we have implemented a future focused, vertical curriculum model that empowers students to have a significant amount of subject choice. In addition, learning support programs have been bolstered so we now have additional Literacy and Numeracy Support classes running in Years 7 – 10 for students who need them. This is in addition to the Department’s Tutoring and Middle Years Literacy & Numeracy Support Initiatives. Moreover, all our Year 7 and 8 English and Mathematics classes have additional teachers and learning support officers to ensure that no student is left behind or held back in their learning.

Most recently, we have developed a StayConnect morning check-in opportunity for students who need to isolate at home. The StayConnect class starts at 9:00 am every day via Microsoft Teams and is designed to provide an opportunity for students to ask for support with their learning. It is important to note that this check-in does not replace a student’s normal learning programme, and students are still expected to follow their Compass lesson plans and complete their work at home as best they can.

The college has a highly experienced and well-resourced Student Services Team, with the addition of the Doctor in Secondary Schools Program this year. All students have a Mentor teacher who is their first point of call for support along with our four House teams, each consisting of three Student Learning Leaders, a Head of House, House Administration Assistant, and Assistant Principal. 

In the last two years, we have been heavily focused on improving our teachers’ instructional practice, that is, how effectively they teach in the classroom and how impact is measured. This year we are launching a strengthened whole school Pedagogical Model which is informed by contemporary research on best teaching practices. Furthermore, this year we also launch our new Professional Learning Communities (PLC) approach, for which we undertook extensive training last year. 

The Curriculum & Pedagogy Team has a strong plan to continually improve the quality of our teaching and learning programmes here at the school. We are determined to provide the best possible support and education to all students. 

Finally, on behalf of the Executive Leadership Team here at the College, it is with great enthusiasm that I write to you about the establishment of a new Education Sub-Committee. The purpose of this Sub-Committee is to seek regular feedback, ideas, and suggestions from interested parents and carers about our Educational Programmes here at the college. This includes providing feedback about the future direction of the college, curriculum, assessment and reporting practices, co-curricular opportunities for students such as Clubs, Camps, Incursions and Excursions. Our college vision states that

‘At Hampton Park Secondary College, we are rich in diversity, and through empowering and engaging students, we remain wholehearted in our pursuit of excellence’, 

We are very keen to hear ideas for improvement that are in line with this vision.

It is well known that when school staff, and parents/carers work closely together, student wellbeing and academic outcomes improve. We believe that this Sub-Committee will help strengthen our partnership with parents and carers so we can continue to improve the educational opportunities and achievements for all students.

We are seeking expressions of interest from parents, carers, and community representatives who would like to become active members of this new Education Sub-Committee. The committee will be led by Assistant Principal Paul Broecker, members of the Curriculum and Pedagogy Team, and Student Leaders. The commitment required for members will be one meeting per calendar month, with a duration of approximately 1 hour at a time suitable for all members. 

If you are interested, please contact me on 8795 9400 by Friday 18 February.

Sincerely,

Paul Broecker

Assistant Principal