Inclusion

Over the course of this term, I’m going to be highlighting some of our wonderful Inclusion team who are working at Wantirna College.

New to the team this term is Nicole Dean, and we are very lucky to have someone with her level of experience join us. Nicole has worked at a range of colleges over the past 8 years including community and special schools, and her knowledge of diagnoses and adjustment is exceptional. She is really interested in working with neurodivergent students and loves watching students gain self-esteem, confidence and an awareness of their capabilities. Seeing students at that ‘light bulb moment’ and advocating for them to support them to reach goals is a highlight of her role. Nicole is happy to disclose her own neurodivergent status and uses her own experiences to relate to and support students as they learn about themselves. 

On a personal note, Nicole loves to spend time down at Phillip Island and she has many wonderful memories of true relaxation down there. If she had the ability to wear Harry’s invisibility cloak for the day she would go to see David Grohl and hang out backstage with the Foo Fighters at one of their concerts! 

Nicole’s message for students?    Take a chance, you won't know unless you give it a go.

Inclusion News

Our Tier 2 program is underway, and this term has seen all our selected Year 8 Students join us for their small group interventions sessions. For 17 periods per week, Jamilla and our ILA team are busy delivering phonics-based literacy intervention and numeracy support to Year 7 and 8 students in our B3 space. So far, the results have been fantastic. Students who are often disengaged in larger classes are working effectively in smaller groups and finding the extra one on one support helpful in filling in some of the missing gaps in their learning. Quote of the program so far from one of our fabulous hard-working Year 7s is “It’s really easy to learn in here”!

Inclusion Team

Kylie Rackham - Leader of Inclusion 

rac@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au 

Deanna Poon - Inclusion Support Coordinator [funded students]  

dpo@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au 

Sarah Ervin – Disability Inclusion Coordinator [funding applications]

ser@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au 

Jamila Jamil-Lopez – Learning Support Coordinator jja@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au