It was a momentous week where we had all of our students back on site for the first time in a long time. With students in years 8 to 10 returning to the classroom on Monday, this Term 4 represents so much more than a normal school term.

Resuming on-site learning for all students at all levels means that we will finish this extraordinary year as we began – with face-to-face teaching and direct engagement with students to support continuity of learning, mental health and wellbeing, and transition to the next level of schooling and the year ahead.

I want to thank every teacher at our school and all of our important support staff, for the way you have taken up the challenge of successfully continuing, and over the coming weeks concluding, the most disrupted year in Victoria’s long and distinguished history of school education. I wish to thank our students and our families for the way you have been flexible, adaptable and supportive of each other and the school during these ever-changing times.

On Friday 30 October, we recognise World Teachers’ Day when we will honour and celebrate our teachers who have responded to this year’s trying circumstances with typical commitment, compassion, patience and expertise. The theme for World Teachers’ Day is most appropriately “Teachers: leading in crisis, reimagining the future”

With the return of students to school there are three key priorities that we will be focusing on this term and into 2021.

Supporting students’ mental health and wellbeing
Identifying those who need help catching up and extending those who have progressed
Preparing for successful transitions.

A number of programs and supports have already been rolled out for schools to implement in a short time frame to ensure that we are able to address these priorities. These include:

The Consideration of Educational Disadvantage Process for Year 12 students
Small group tutoring in term 4 with Pre-Service Teachers
Broader tutoring program in literacy and numeracy for 2021
Structured testing and assessment program this term to inform the new assessment and reporting requirements
Introduction of Health and Wellbeing curriculum for 2021 to be written and documented this term
Evaluation of current curriculum documentation to support priority 2
Planning for transitions, promotions and student graduations in the virtual space

Teachers will be working on these priorities on the professional learning day on Monday 2nd November.

This week marks the final week of schooling for the Year 12 students of Greensborough College. What an incredibly challenging year it has been for everyone. We are very proud of our students and their teachers for the way they have pivoted in response to the ever-changing “Covid climate” that was 2020.

The Year 12s have had a chance to celebrate this week and have some fun. On Friday they will assemble for the last time as a cohort (social distancing) and share their journey with each other and the rest of the school via video conferencing.

There is not much time left, so we ask students to work hard and to give it everything they have got in this final sprint. It is up to each and every student to strive for excellence to be their best.

The College wishes you all the best for the upcoming exam and assessment period.

This year marks the 30th Birthday of Greensborough College after the amalgamation of Watsonia High School and Watsonia Technical School. In this newsletter we are celebrating the milestone with some items from our archives and reflections from current staff who were at the school back in 1990. We had plans to celebrate this event however as you know this is not possible so we ask you to join us in celebrating the 30th Birthday of Greensborough College, virtually. Happy Birthday to us!

Stay safe and stay well.

Pauline Barker

Principal

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