GEC College News

From the Principal

We were delighted to be able to have all of our Year 12 students together for their Valedictory. The event was live streamed to the homes of our students and to relatives in Australia and across the world. Students have now commenced the formal exam period. We wish them well and know that all their preparations and hard work will definitely be rewarded.

Transition

We will commence our 2021 timetable on Monday 30th November. Students entering Years 11 and 12 in 2021 will have one week of transition classes. They will receive documents relating to each subject and the expectations and also preparation that should be completed prior to returning next year.

 

Transition will see the implementation of a 5 period day with 1 hour lessons.

Please note the new bell times.

 

Students entering Years 8 – 10 in 2021 will have two weeks of transition classes. 

In the final week of the school year we will run an alternate program.

Scholarships

There are a number of scholarships available for students. For information about scholarships offered at Glen Eira College please go to the Scholarships page under About Us on our website. The closing date for applications for 2021 scholarships is Friday 27th November 2020.

Year 11 Exams

Year 11 exams will run from Monday 23rd November to Thursday 26th November. SWOT Vac will be on Friday 20th November.

Parent Session: How to Get Your Child’s Learning Mojo Back 

SAVE THE DATE: Thursday 11th February 2021

This session with Clinical Psychologist & Family Therapist, Andrew Fuller is applicable to every family and empowers parents to guide their children (and themselves) towards success. This combines the latest research from brain science, positive education and resilience to create strength-based education.

Andrew Fuller is a clinical psychologist, family therapist, author, speaker and creator of Learning Strengths ™. 

 

Andrew has worked with over 3,000 schools in Australia, NZ, Asia and the UK and with more than 500,000 young people on core elements of resilience - connect, protect and respect (CPR) and building The Resilient Mindset, which he define as "the happy knack of being able to bungy jump through the pitfalls of life to rise above adversity and obstacles”. Having worked with people who were at their last hopes, Andrew has always been inspired in his mission to help people create futures they can fall in love with.

 

Andrew Fuller is a Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne and has been a scientific consultant for the ABC and a regular presenter on Radio National. 

 

Topics include

  • The 10 things all highly successful students do
  • What we can learn from video game designers about motivation and engagement
  • The after-effects of 2020 – what to look for, what to prepare for
  • Overcoming anxiety about 2020
  • Weaning Your Child (and Your Teen) from the Screen

We will let you know whether the session will be online or in the PAC at the start of next year.

Back To School Reminders

Thank you to all students and families for doing what is required to keep our school safe.  We are delighted with the way our students have reengaged at school.  If your child is at all disengaged please contact the school so we can provide support. We are currently running reading and numeracy assessments to help us identify students who may have fallen behind during remote learning so we can work with them to help catch them up.

 

Wearing of masks

Wearing of face masks are compulsory at school. They need to be fitted face masks that are not scarves or bandanas. Face mask breaks are allowed for staff and students during the day, but they should be kept brief, when seated outdoors having lunch and physically distanced.

 

Social Distancing 

Where practicable, all students are requested to undertake social distancing of 1.5m both in and out of the classroom.  Please discuss this with your son or daughter.

Attendance on school sites by visitors, contractors and parents/carers will be limited to essential services and scheduled meetings only. When dropping off and collecting students, parents need to wait outside the school grounds.

 

Mobile Phones

The DET Students Using Mobile Phones Policy remains in place. Students should clean their phones regularly. Phones can be turned on with the COVID SAFE app activated immediately before and after school. Schools are managed environments which include records of student, staff and visitor attendance, which can support contact tracing.

 

Students are required to keep their phones locked in their locker during the day and not carry them with them.

 

Hand Hygiene

All staff and students should undertake regular hand hygiene, particularly on arrival to school, before and after eating, after blowing their nose, coughing, sneezing or using the toilet. 

 

Safety and wellbeing of students and staff whilst at school 

Students are requested to bring to school each day: 

  • a small hand sanitiser for personal use at lockers and in bathrooms
  • their own clearly labelled large drink bottle with water only.  Students are not permitted to use the drinking fountains at school.
  • their own headphones to school. We will not be able to loan students headphones as they are difficult to clean.

Students should not share their own equipment or food with others.

When using shared school equipment such as school computers or equipment for practical classes students should use hand sanitiser before and after use of the equipment.

 

Student Health

If you child is ill or is feeling unwell at all, they must not attend school. They must remain home and seek medical advice.  No students will be able to remain in the first aid room, parents will need to arrange for their child to be collected ASAP.  It is the parent/carer’s responsibility to collect their child when asked to do so by the school.  It is not suitable for an unwell student to travel home unsupervised.

Administration of Medication Policy

Please see the link to our updated policy: https://gec.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Administration-of-Medication-Policy.pdf.

 

If a student needs to take medication (including paracetamol) while at school or at a school activity:

  • Parents/carers will need to arrange for the student’s treating medical/health practitioner to provide written advice to the school which details:
    • the name of the medication required
    • the dosage amount
    • the time the medication is to be taken
    • how the medication is to be taken
    • the dates the medication is required, or whether it is an ongoing medication
    • how the medication should be stored.
  • In most cases, parents/carers should arrange for written advice to be provided in a Medication Authority Form which a student’s treating medical/health practitioner should complete.

Parents/carers can contact the General Office for a Medication Authority Form or download here.  

 

I hope you are all safe and well and managing in this challenging time.  Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time.

 

Sheereen Kindler 

Principal