Our MFG Newsletter

Learning @MFG

THIRD ‘MAKER FAIRE’ FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS AT MFG

 

Last week we hosted our 3rd annual ‘Maker Faire’ for 60+ primary school students. The day’s purpose was to give these primary school students (and their teachers) a taste of making – a morning of tinkering, engineering, science projects, problem solving and exploring digital technologies. We have a developing relationship with Deakin University – a number of their Ambassadors also ran workshops for the primary school students. This year we included the Humanities as part of the program and some of the primary school students participating in an archaeological dig!

 

The day was a wonderful success and the feedback from the primary school students and their teachers was glowingly positive.

The day also gave our 7-10 students, including our VCAL students, a chance to design and run the activities for the primary school students which extended to our Living Garden. This is one of features that made this day such a success – it’s a day designed by students for students.

A big thanks to all of our students who played a role on the day – from running activities to taking photos and directing student traffic. Special thanks to all of the staff who made the day such a success: Ms Robyn Myers, Mr Ryan Bonner, Mr Casey McGarigle, Ms Kellie Walker and Ms Jo Masek.

 

An extra special thanks needs to go to Ms Jo Toone (Leader of STEAM Initiatives) who designed and coordinated the day and for all of her work behind the scenes.

2017 Attitudes to Schools Survey

Late last term we met with 25 randomly selected Year 9 and 10 students to unpack some of their responses in relation to this year’s Attitudes to Schools Survey. This is a survey all Victorian students take and it gives them an opportunity give feedback and share their thinking and feelings about different aspects of their learning and time at school.

 

Ms Joy Carr, Ms Jo Toone and I spent 2+ hours with these students, in conversation about the following questions:

FEEDBACK

  • What kind of feedback is useful for your learning? What makes you say that?
  • What kind of feedback is not useful for your learning? What makes you say that?

PRIDE and POSITIVE CLIMATE/SENSE OF BELONGING

  • At MFG, what are you proud of? What makes you say that?
  • At MFG, what are not proud of? What makes you say that?
  • What do you look forward to about coming to at school at MFG?
  • What don’t you look forward to about coming to school at MFG?
  • What makes you feel like you belong at MFG?
  • What would help you to feel more connected to MFG?
  • What could belonging at MFG look like and feel like for you?
  • What do you do in Home Group? How could HG be improved so that you feel more connected to your teacher, your peers and your school?

RESPECT

  • What does respect mean to you?
  • How do you show respect to others and how do they show respect to you?
  • What helps you to develop respect for a teacher?
  • Think about the teachers you really respect – what does that teacher do?
  • How do your teachers go about building respect and respectful climates in your classrooms? What do they do?

Their responses and the tone of the discussions were overwhelming positive. We recorded the students’ comments and presented these to our staff at the last staff meeting of Term 3. A few interesting things to note included:

 

  • How well our students understood what effective feedback looks and feels like
  • How safe and supported the students feel at MFG
  • The respect our students had for their teachers and their high expectations
  • The importance they placed on their teachers knowing them as individuals as well as learners and students
  • The importance they placed on whole school events that bring everyone together
  • Our re-building and modernisation works will address some of the concerns the students had about pride in their school
  • The need to improve the morning Home-Group experience for all of our students.

Year 12 /Unit 4 Practice Exams

Our Year 12 students have commenced their preparation for their final Unit 4 VCE Exams. We are running a formal schedule for many exams, in the Hall, from Monday 16th October until Wednesday 19th October. Our Year 12 students and their parents/carers have received a copy of this timetable.

 

The emphasis of these practice exams is to provide a positive practice experience for the students in the environment of their final Unit 4 Exams. It’s also an opportunity for feedback – a chance to refine the little things that make a big difference.

 

In the next couple of weeks we will be publishing the exam timetables for our end of Year 10 and Unit 2/Year 11 Exams.

 

 

Damien Toussaint, Assistant Principal, Learning and Teaching