Once again, I would like to acknowledge the tremendous resilience and courage shown by our school community over the few weeks. I am very proud of the way our staff has been able to quickly return to remote and flexible learning on such short notice. I am also proud of our students in the way they have connected to their teachers, classes and friends during this time.

Our focus has been on attendance, engagement and continuity of learning. These elements all contribute to building resilience and positive wellbeing in our students and the community. When the lockdown extension was announced our focus has been on maintaining routine so that our students know what to expect and what to do. This in turn leads to a sense of safety and security. Our teachers are focusing on introducing different strategies into their teaching tool box and testing these in the online format. We will be seeking feedback from students about these engagement strategies.

This week there is a range of activities students can be involved in including Sporting Colours Day, Book Week activities and dress ups, Wear it Purple Day, online trivia games, Kahoot! activities and competitions. Have a chat with your child and ask them what they are getting involved in this week.

General Achievement Test (GAT)

All students undertaking a scored VCE or VCE/VET Unit 3 and 4 study will undertake the General Achievement Test (GAT) at school on Thursday 9th September.

More information will follow and will depend on the government restrictions at that time. We will keep our senior students and families updated as we received information from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) and the Department of Education (DET).

COVID-19 Vaccinations for Students

The DET published information which strongly recommended that VCE students get vaccinated before the exams start. A post was placed on COMPASS on Wednesday 25th August. Here is an excerpt from the post:

As part of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out, all school staff and all students aged 16 and over are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Victorian Government aims for all final year students to be vaccinated by the time they sit their end-of-year exams. In addition to this, the Government is aiming to provide at least one dose for children aged 12 and older by the end of the school year, subject to the available supply of vaccines and advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) advice of the vaccination of children aged 12 to 15.

Final year students are therefore strongly encouraged to make an appointment to receive a vaccine either with their General Practitioner, or in one of the state vaccination hubs.

Parent Teacher Interviews

As a result of the VCAA rescheduling the GAT, our Parent Teacher Interview day has been moved to Friday 10th September. There will be no scheduled classes on this day, either face-to-face on site or in remote and flexible learning. Teachers will conduct the interviews by telephone between 11.00am and 6.00pm.

Interim reports will be released on Tuesday 31st August. Bookings will be open on COMPASS for Year 12 families first on Thursday 2nd September, then for the rest of the school on Saturday 4th September. Bookings will close on Thursday 9th September at 9.00am. When booking on COMPASS please follow the instructions and ensure that the person who has booked the interview time is the parent/carer that the teacher is to call.

NAPLAN Results

The incredible resilience and hard work of Victorian educators, students and families has been reflected in the remarkable results for this year’s NAPLAN tests. Victoria’s comparative performance, as the jurisdiction most impacted by lockdowns in 2020, is nothing short of extraordinary. The results show we are delivering on our Education State promises of excellence and equity.

NAPLAN 2021 reporting packages will be delivered to schools in the week commencing Monday 30 August 2021 and will include a printed Individual Student Report for each student who participated in NAPLAN in 2021, Year 9 NAPLAN certificates of achievement for eligible students. The school will arrange the distribution of these in the mail. The Year 9 students will use this information to inform their review and goal setting in preparation for their Aspire Day later this term.

For more information about Victoria’s overall achievement in the NAPLAN go to the link: naplan-highlights-2021.pdf (education.vic.gov.au)

Staff working from home

Just a reminder to families that, as a result of the Chief Health Officers directions, most of our staff are working from home. Each day we have a skeleton staff who are willing and able to supervise the students on site, who meet the eligibility criteria. When the teachers are on site they also need to teach their classes that they have that day. It is important that the students on site have all their equipment and are connecting to their own classes at all times.

For the staff working at home their work/teaching day is 9.00am to 3.10pm. Teachers will prepare and deliver on line classes, upload lessons onto COMPASS, assess student learning tasks and give feedback to students. They also mark the rolls each lesson and contact students and families if they have not been attending classes, connecting to the teacher, doing the learning tasks or submitting assessments. Education Support Staff are also working with students and undertaking a range of administrative tasks from home.

If you need to contact a staff member please use the COMPASS email or school email Greensborough.sc@education.vic.gov.au. Teachers will respond during school hours and within 48 hours.

Buildings Update – Naming our buildings

We expect to be moving into the new buildings mid to late November. Demolition of A, B and C wing will begin at this time as well. We are so excited about the new teaching and learning spaces. As you know there are three new buildings – Administration and Staff Centre, Science and Technology and a Library with 5 General Purpose Classrooms attached.

We would like to name these buildings, and our current buildings, and we are exploring the idea of giving them indigenous names.

We welcome any feedback or ideas you have for naming the buildings.

Please send through your ideas to greensborough.sc@education.vic.gov.au or to a staff member whose contact details you have. They will pass the information on to the planning team. We would like to run a poll with the community once we have some ideas.

We have also consulted Woi Wurrung Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation for guidance.

Tips for Families and Carers

The Department of Education and Training (DET) has a myriad of resources for parents, students and staff. The priority this year is on wellbeing, so I have included information and links to resources for families to consider for their own use. I have found these links very informative and useful and I hope you do too.

Managing screen time and online safety

It’s important you keep a balanced approach to home learning. Time spent using digital devices for learning should be broken up with physical exercise and offline learning tasks often.

It’s also important that during this time of remote learning we maintain safe and responsible use of information and communication technologies.

For more information about being safe online, visit Bully Stoppers.

Looking after your child's wellbeing

Wellbeing comes from physical, mental and emotional health.

For children and young people, there are many things that build positive wellbeing. Wellbeing can come from: understanding and managing emotions having good relationships

experiencing a sense of accomplishment

taking part in healthy activities, getting lots of sleep and eating well.

For more information, including wellbeing activities and conversation starters, visit: Looking after your child's wellbeing.

Looking after your child's mental health

Changes in your child's mood and behaviour are a normal part of growing up.

While you know your child better than anyone, sometimes it can also be hard to know the difference between normal behaviour and potential mental health concerns. No one expects you to be an expert in mental health.

For more information, visit: Looking after your child's mental health.

Physical activity and healthy eating

Keeping active and eating well helps maintain your child's physical and mental health. It also helps with concentration, memory and problem solving.

For more information, visit: Keeping your child active and eating healthy.

Talking to your child about COVID-19

You can follow tips for talking to your child about COVID-19. They include how to have a safe and reassuring conversation and links to resources to help you and your family.

Taking care of yourself

Looking after your own wellbeing and mental and physical health is important.

If looking after yourself is challenging and you have concerns about how you are coping, support is available.

For more information, visit: 

Taking care of yourself.

Online parenting advice

Triple P – positive parenting is an online tool to help you:

raise happy, confident and resilient children
manage misbehaviour so everyone in the family enjoys life more
encourage positive behaviour
set family routines and rules that everyone can follow
balance work and family life with less stress
take care of yourself

The program is suitable for families with children between the age of 2 and 16 years, and is free for Victorians with a Health Care Card, otherwise there is a once-off fee. 

The current pandemic has raised new parenting challenges for everyone. The program, funded by the Victorian Government, helps parents during these challenging times.  

Find out more at the Triple P program website.

Please take time to read this newsletter and enjoy the achievements of our students showcased throughout.

Stay safe and positive.

“Focus on what you can control. Leave what you can’t”

Pauline Barker

Principal

Science Week

"Food - Different by Design"