Principal's Report

Riversdale Principals' Network Conference

On the 17 and 18 May, Assistant Principals, Sandra Greenhill, Mark Quinlan and I attended the Riversdale Principals' Network Conference. This is an opportunity to complete professional learning with excellent guest speakers and time to discuss educational initiatives with other Regional and School leaders. Day One was delivered by Dr Lea Waters with a focus on Positive Psychology and Strengths Training as an avenue to increase student resilience, wellbeing and educational outcomes. Professor Lea Waters (PhD) is a psychologist, researcher, consultant, author and public speaker. Lea has been a registered psychologist for 22 years and is the first Australian to be appointed as a Professor in Positive Psychology. She currently holds the Gerry Higgins Chair in Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne and was the founding director of the Centre for Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne. She has recently released a book which has been very well received “The Strength Switch”, which uses a Positive Psychology parenting focus to support children to flourish.

All participants in the conference were asked to complete a personal strengths profile as a way of increasing our own self-awareness. It was an interesting exercise and the discussion which followed explored implications for schools and how they operate. The survey is available at the following website and results can be obtained for free. http://www.viacharacter.org/www/Character-Strengths-Survey There is some interesting research material available.

Day Two was led by Glen Pearsall with a theme about building social and human capacity within a school. Glen Pearsall was a Leading Teacher at Eltham High School and a Board member of the Curriculum Assessment Authority. Glen is the co-author of "Literature for Life and Work Right" and the author of "Classroom Dynamics" and the best-selling "And Gladly Teach". He works throughout Australia as an educational consultant, specialising in classroom management, engagement and workload reduction strategies for teachers.

Glen’s focus was on building school wide habits which increases the consistency of practice across the school. For example, at Koonung we have an instructional model “Let’s Learn” which should shape the way lessons are structured. This model is based on educational research which finds that when lessons are structured this way with clear learning intentions, engagement activities, explicit teaching and practice and a summary, outcomes for students are increased. We are working hard to ensure all lessons are planned in this manner. Developing and embedding routines such as these in schools make students understand what is expected and leads to calm, productive classrooms. Glen provided some examples of strategies to increase take up across schools of agreed practices so they are more effectively embedded school wide.

College Play

The College Play, “The Norse Mythology Ragnasplosion” completed its season last week after nine months of planning and rehearsals. Congratulations to all involved.

Theatre has the ability to entertain, educate, amuse, challenge and shock its audience, sometimes in the same scene, and this show was no exception. I certainly learned that Vikings were seriously weird and the myths and legends explored were complex and sometimes confronting.

The season was sold out and the audiences were treated with fine performances by the actors. The sets, costumes and make up were fantastic and the lighting and sound was excellent. All transitions were smooth and the whole production was very professional. Well done to all the cast and technical crews involved (see full list later in the newsletter).

One of the most positive outcomes for an event such as this is the strong relationships which develop between the staff, parents, current and past students who worked together to produce the show. It was apparent that all involved had a wonderful time. All participants should take the lessons learnt from their involvement in this production into their future endeavours. It is clear that when people work together on a common goal lots of learning occurs.

Peter Hodkinson (Director) and Pauline Volpe (Production Manager and Costumes) should be proud of the outcome, which arose out of their hard work, commitment and creative vision. The final scene, which gave all contributors an opportunity to be on stage, showcased the many students who were invested in the show. It also represented the complexity of collaboration which occurred to bring it all together.

It was also extremely pleasing to see the number of staff members who supported the performances by attending.

In the classrooms

We are now moving into the heavy assessment period of the term. Unit 1 and Unit 3 for VCE classes are drawing to an end and there are many SACS being conducted. The week beginning June 11 is the start of the exam period for Years 10 and 11.

The General Achievement Test (GAT) will be held for all students who are completing a 3-4 Study on Wednesday June 13. The General Achievement Test is a test of general knowledge and skills in:

written communication
mathematics, science and technology
humanities, the arts and social sciences.

The GAT is an essential part of the VCE assessment procedures and students should aim to do their best because although GAT results do not count directly towards a student’s VCE results, they play an important role in checking that school-based and external assessments have been accurately assessed, and in calculating Derived Examination Scores.

So, as we head into winter and periods of increased workload for students, it is important to try and maintain good health and wellbeing. Eating well, getting lots of sleep and aiming to stay active are all important in achieving high quality performances. Put together a study timetable which balances hobbies and relaxation activities with good quality study time. Aim to minimise distractions including social media etc. Work solidly uninterrupted with full focus and then break to re-energise yourself by doing something which is fun. Try not to mix the two, our brain works better with one focus.

Marianne Lee

Principal