Principal's Update

Welcome to the September edition of the College newsletter. It is continuing to be a great way for us to showcase some of the amazing learning that is taking place at our College, even if at the moment most of it is remote!

Remote Learning Reflections

As we approach the end of Term 3 all students should be proud of the way they have continued to stay focused and committed to learning. All students are doing an excellent job of staying connected and engaged. My reflections for Term 3 have been based around the fact that both students and staff are looking forward to a return to learning at school as soon as possible. The recognition is that by being in a classroom, engaging in real, interesting human interactions cannot be replaced by having an online classroom – however all members of our community continue to find alternative methods for staying connected and there is a real sense that we are all demonstrating our College value of Commitment by continuing to engage and connect.

Learning does not only take place within the classroom at school. It is important that all of us take the time to focus on actively maintaining our health and well-being. Our College activity days for Years 7-10 have been implemented with this in mind and we continue to focus on supporting our senior students in their final years of schooling by providing stability and support. I encourage everyone to make sure they are being proactive in their own well-being, this includes taking breaks, speaking with family and friends and making sure you do something fun and remain active.

Looking Forward

We now also look forward to Term 4, and all staff are eagerly anticipating the return of our students. We are so looking forward to their return, so that we can be together as a whole school community again. 

While large numbers of students will be excited about their return to onsite learning, we recognize that in many ways the transition will have its challenges and different people will experience things in different ways. 

The staff will be pleased to have students back in class, and will take things slowly to begin with, allowing students to reconnect, finding out where the students are at with their learning, supporting students to catch up if they need it, or provide extension for those who have thrived in remote learning. We will of course, also be on the lookout and ready to act, if there are any students who may need additional support with wellbeing at this time. We are aware that it is likely our students will be fatigued by the constant social interactions that they are unaccustomed to and with needing to get up earlier than they have needed to for the past few months.  In many ways, it will be like starting the school year again, and we know that it can be exhausting starting things anew, however there are additional considerations in this context, where social distancing and hygiene measures need to be taken very seriously. The ways we interact and move through the school have changed, and that too will take some time to adapt to. 

We have high expectations and a high level of support to ensure that our students and staff work together to secure the safety of everyone, but it will require, patience, understanding and cooperation. 

Parent Teacher Interviews

In these final weeks of Term 3 we also have Remote Parent Teacher Interviews. If you have not made an appointment – it is not too late to log into compass.

Following the success of the school’s remote learning program using Microsoft Teams, we have decided to utilise this platform to conduct online Parent Teacher Interviews in Term 3. The interviews will occur on Tuesday, 8 September from 8:55 AM to 4:20 PM, with each student allocated 10 minutes for a video conference involving parents, student and teacher using the Microsoft Teams application on the student laptop.

1. This is an excellent opportunity to recognise the work that students have done so far this term and also for families to engage with teachers on how we can best support your son or daughter in their learning.

Student Feedback Surveys

Over the past weeks students have had the opportunity to complete Pivot Student Feedback surveys for some of their classes. These surveys are generally completed each term by teachers in class and allow for us to increase the opportunity students have in providing direct feedback to their teachers on the climate within that same classroom. In Term 3, these surveys have been adapted to include some questions relating to how teachers have been supporting students in the online environment. As we now start looking at the data, teachers will also be taking their data back to their classes to collect further thought on specific areas of strength and areas for improvement.

As a whole school, it was positive to see the results which list the following as areas of strength:

• This teacher treats me with respect
• This teacher is knowledgeable about the topics in this subject
• This teacher cares about students’ point of view

Subject Selection for 2021

By now all students in current Years 10, 11 and 12 will have booked and completed their online sessions for Subject Selection and Course Counselling. These sessions have been very productive in progressing the conversation with families on study options for 2021. It has been very pleasing to see that students and families have connected and shared in these conversations which ensure that we are working in partnership together. As we continue to have follow up conversations with families, please keep asking thoughtful questions and we will continue to support you with the journey you are on. 

School Council Vacancy 

Following a recent School Council Meeting, the John Fawkner College School Council is continuing to seek interested and committed people who would like to nominate to be a School Council Parent Member. This is an exciting opportunity for parents within our community to engage and support the school on our journey of improving outcomes for our students.

Nomination forms may be obtained from the school. 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Until next time – take care, stay well, and stay connected.