10 Early Commencement Program

Live it, don't laminate it

We could not be more proud of the Year 10 students, who have come out of the fog of stage 4 lockdown and straight into our Early Commencement program.

I have been privy to some thought provoking and engaging comments during our core sessions: students creating a mature essential agreement (see below) and talking to the 'response' in responsibility moving forward into Years 11 and 12 (how you choose to respond to challenges is key to outcomes, including a sense of pride and general wellbeing).

Our teachers have also taken workshops with the Year 10s: Emily Nancarrow and Cat Pacitti running an introduction to the EE and research skills; Cat and Amy Byrne introducing TOK and Cat and Kris Austin talking to grades and general motivation skills. Thank you also to Kat Girbau and Bronte Howell who have stepped in for core workshops; and of course to all our teachers as they introduce their DP subjects. We have an amazing team!

Class of 2022 Essential Agreement

"Live it, don’t laminate it"

Goals for the Agreement:

not set in stone, allow for a system of change and mistakes with no focus on an end goal
acknowledge a growth mindset
focus on what we will ‘strive to do’, not what will or must happen
unity.

Agreements:

to value all types of people and all types of knowledge
to respond to people and the world around us with acceptance and an open mind
to respect the rights of all to learn
to stand up for what you believe in
to be determined in the face of challenge and change
to have the courage to question
to make connections between knowledge and your interests
to make new friends
to listen to different perspectives in the classroom, setting aside differences and respectfully disagreeing with others
to aim to reach a point of understanding of where others are coming from
to learn from mistakes - individual and collective
to have the courage to make mistakes, and don’t allow them to define you
to reflect on yourself and your personal growth
to develop a focus and desire towards learning as a group
to take academic and personal risks - pushing ourselves to try new things both personally and intellectually
to overcome a fear of failure and allow yourself the space to fail
to discuss our learning with each other
to communicate openly with peers and teachers
to take a critical stance towards new knowledge and perspectives.

Kate Ellis

Year 10 Coordinator

kate.ellis@preshil.vic.edu.au