Secondary School News

My 2019 Reflection

This has been a very eventful year for secondary education at Collingwood College.

Progress towards the senior secondary campus for the Gasworks site has continued while the never-ending building works for our gymnasium have finally been completed. The VCE Art Exhibition and the 7-10 Art Exhibition were a wonderful way to launch the revamped “old Gym” And the Health and PE teachers have been delighted to finally be able to take lessons in all areas of the very impressive complex.

Academically this has been a good year for secondary students. The improvements again in NAPLAN results as well as the remarkable achievements of our senior students in both VCE and VCAL are not only a great reflection of the effort and commitment of our students but our teachers have also, through dedication and hard work, played a significant role in these very pleasing outcomes.

To further improve our schooling outcomes we have also engaged in a review of our curriculum and we have changed our structure for the school day. We are now going to only 4 lessons a day. Sam has included a lot more information about this decision in his newsletter report, however, this change is one that has been adopted by the majority of secondary schools and the reduction in disruptions as well as more time for focused learning and individual support have had a positive impact on learners throughout the secondary years.

Of course the extra curricula activities that have taken place throughout the year contribute significantly to learning and wellbeing. I had the pleasure of participating in the Victorian Young Leaders in China Program for the first time this year and was able to travel to China to spend 2 weeks with our Year 9 students as they visited other secondary schools, participated in homestays with families from those schools and became immersed in Chinese culture and history through a range of activities including some remarkable sightseeing. The camps that have run for Years 7 to 10 have provided an exciting range of activities and experiences for many of our students while others have participated in the ARC program where artistic endeavour and sporting prowess were extended through specific electives in the program.

Other reports about the many other activities at Collingwood throughout the year are also contained in this and other newsletters from 2019.

It is important at this stage of the year to thank all those who have contributed to the learning and development of all our young people at Collingwood.

Thanks to the parents who consistently support their children in so many ways and who also support us through our partnership to ensure the very best of outcomes for their children. Thanks to the students themselves who are always so enthusiastic and involved in the things that are of most interest and importance to them as individuals or as part of a group.

Thanks to all the teachers who go beyond their usual duties and spend time on camps or supporting debating teams or performance groups or clubs and special events including the Student Representative Council. Thanks to the ES staff who put in so much extra time to support individuals and classes, the International Education Team and our Wellbeing team who are so responsive to young people and their concerns.

This year there have been a number of staff members who have taken up leadership roles. These roles have been crucial to the smooth running of year levels, Learning Communities and Learning Area teams now known as PLCs (Professional Learning Communities).

The two Learning Community leaders in the secondary school are Liria Stratus (Middle School) and Jennifer Campbell (Senior School). Lori Michaels our Learning Specialist also works across both these teams and leads the International Education section. Lisa Bianchi, Ken Watson, Stephanie Moussi, Melanie Singleton, Euan Morton and Samantha Horstman have all worked as Year Level co-ordinators in 2019. Victoria DeRome, Charlotte Bailey, Stephanie Moussi, Alex McDonald, Sam Horstman, Hannah Young, Lijuan Wang and John Gioskis have all worked as PLC (Curriculum) leaders across VCE and Years 7-10. Thanks to all these staff members for their continued commitment to our students and their wellbeing and academic success. Thanks also to Stephanie Woodroofe for her leadership and commitment to our very successful VCAL students and the team of teachers who work in this area as well as Travis Marke who has co-ordinated wellbeing work across the school. Our timetablers and daily managers, Lisa Bianchi, Vincent Vignuoli with support from Jeremy Carr are all to be congratulated for the very complex work they do to keep the classes running. The other group for whom we are so grateful is our team in the front office, Tarryn McRae, Kristina Smith, May Lim, Claire Gibson, Simon and Trevor Andrews and recently, Kylie Lawson.

Judith Clelland

Secondary School Principal

End of Year Report - Middle School

I cannot believe that 2019 is drawing to an end so quickly! It feels like just a short while ago we were welcoming the new Preps, Year 7’s and VCE students into our school and preparing for another wonderful year at Collingwood College. For the students who entered the Middle School as newcomers beginning their Secondary journey, it has been a wonderful start for them this year. They settled in very quickly and the year began well.

There were many highlights during the year for all the year levels of Middle School.

Year 7

Within the first six weeks we had a Year 7 City Camp and all the Year 7’s were mixed up and put into groups with students they may not have known. It was a really great time for all, even though the sleeping arrangements were very basic (yes, they slept at school!) Camps, excursions and engaging learning were the order of the day and the year seemed to fly by. Electives, core subjects, sport and recreation, as well as whole school events certainly kept both the students and the teachers busy and engaged.

Year 8

The Year 8’s started the year feeling older and wiser and now they were no longer the nervous youngsters that had entered the year before, now they were more confident and even excited to be back at school. The formidable Year 8 projects were taking place soon enough and as nervous as they all were, they were pretty happy once they were presented. An amazing and wonderful experience. Camps, excursions and many other experiences along the way enhanced the students’ enjoyment of the year. By the end of the year, the Year 8’s faced a Senior School Panel and really enjoyed the experience of presenting their best work before entering High School.

Year 9

The Year 9’s were certainly excited to be entering the senior school area, knowing that this year would bring quite a number of wonderful changes. The Steiner students experienced four amazing hiking camps and really challenged and enjoyed their experiences no end. The Mainstream students had the ARC program running all year where they partook in some amazing activities like sailing, dance and photography (just to name a few). Yes, there were exams along the way, but they have been happily preparing for the next three years on the road to VCE.

I would like to thank all the dedicated teachers of the Middle School, the parents in the school community, the students that we have developed deep and meaningful relationships with, the hardworking office administration and the Principal Class for working together as a team, all focusing on providing the best opportunities that we can for our student body. These young people are the reason we are all here - to nurture and provide the best opportunities we can to ensure a successful future for all of them.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday. See you all in the new year.

Liria Stratus