From the Principal

Adapting and learning together

I couldn’t be prouder of the way our staff and students have adapted to this new paradigm.

We have shown ourselves, by and large, to be a resilient, flexible, connected, innovative and problem- solving community. At the beginning of term, I predicted that we would be surprised at how well we would adapt and learn together, and I am pleased to say I was not wrong. Staff are regularly seeking feedback from students about the accessibility and volume of the work, and adjusting accordingly. There were initially technical glitches, and many staff were preparing too much work for students to do, but we have (and will continue to) adjust and adapt. Today we bring you important information about our next stage: a return to school. Please see the next page in this newsletter for full details. 

Whilst this has been a very challenging time, and school will look a little different on our return, we are certainly looking forward to seeing your faces again, and having our school filled with the vibrancy and energy that makes it special.

This week we are seeking student feedback on a global scale, seeking all students’ perspectives in a school-wide survey. I encourage everyone to participate.

Virtual open day

Last Wednesday we had the pleasure of working with the four school captains: Rosie, Aphra, Dimmi and Lucy, and two Year 7 captains, Eve and May, and with parent MarkLucas, who is lending his expertise to help with making a professional finish. We also thank the videographer from Nelson Alexander (who provide significant support to the school community throughout the year). Together we created a virtual open day. A big thank you to everyone involved and to Katie Archibald and Ciar Foster for their leadership of the production. Look out for it, on our website now.

Another Celebration from the 2019 Graduating Class – a prestigious Premier’s Award

I have been aware for some time that Ruby Clements was to receive a Premier’s Award for her outstanding achievements in Extended Investigation last year, but there has been an embargo on releasing that information. I am delighted that I can inform the school community, given that the awards ceremony has been postponed indefinitely. Ruby was taught by Assistant Principal, Kevin Hoole for this subject.

We are so proud of her achievement. There were only 2 students selected in the state for this award.

The announcement, and all Premier’s Awards can be found here: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/awards/Pages/vceawardswinners.aspx

I asked Ruby to write a few paragraphs outlining her work and what she has been up to since graduating. These are her words:

"Last year for Extended Investigation, I looked into what processes and interventions mainstream hospitals in Victoria should put in place in order to provide better access to culturally safe maternity care for Aboriginal women. Knowing that many Aboriginal people have high levels of mistrust associated with midwifery services (with mainstream health services being integral to the policies that created the Stolen Generations), I was able to examine the existence and effectiveness of culturally safe practices within Victorian hospitals, and see where the gaps were both in practices and governance processes. My broader goal was to get greater insight into why such a dramatic gap exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous mother-and-child health.

I loved Extended Investigation - it’s one of those rare subjects where the choice of study is entirely up to you. We could pursue any area of investigation of interest to us and, I think, this showed in our results - you’re going to do well when you’re studying content that you’re interested in or passionate about. Since graduating, I’ve spent 4 months travelling Europe, coming home (just in time!) to be quarantined before, next year, beginning at Monash, studying a double degree in global studies and law."

Congratulations, Ruby.

We look forward to celebrating with you and your family at the Awards Ceremony, whenever that may happen.