2022 WELCOME!

Principal Welcome

Welcome to our first “VCASS news” for the year.

We warmly welcome all of our returning and new students to the school year.  In our welcome assemblies I focused on the importance of our VCASS values and mission statement, as well as celebrating our  community of students and staff who value creativity and the Arts.

I touched on the idea that we all need a team of people to  support and challenge us, as well as nurture our skills and abilities and how important it is to keep curious, and develop a growth mindset. With this in mind, we ask students  to think about what they wish to achieve this year and what tools are available to them to help them be the “best version of yourself”. 

This year our Principal team is made up of Assistant Principals :

Donatella Mannolini , Michael Sargeant and James Rust. 

Our student services team lead by Stuart Campbell and Elizabeth Townshend sent out Compass newsfeeds detailing who is the best point of contact and below we have introductions from program leaders.

2022 has started with a sense of excitement and students and staff have shown remarkable resilience and energy. We look forward to sharing news and events throughout the year via our news items, social media and website.

Curriculum (Year 7-9)

As we begin what will certainly be a unique and sometimes challenging year, put your growth mindset to work and get ready to delve into the unknown. Never compare yourself to others, and always try your best, no matter the obstacles and impacts that are thrown your way. Practise gratitude. Set your compass. Be kind to yourself. Often we forget to appreciate the little things.

At the start of the year, the Junior Program focuses on engagement and building a sense of belonging. Students balance the core academic program with their specialist area, and many will experience their very first performance in front of an audience. They also participate in weekly reading and journaling to build strong habits and boost overall wellbeing. The Year 9 program explores the nature of identity and cohesion with our community and we incorporate a project-based curriculum to develop student agency and personal growth.

Term 1 has many exciting events to look forward to. Over the next few weeks, students will embark on the Junior school camp, perform in the Celebration Concert, compete in the Debate Association of Victoria, visit the new Science Gallery, compete in the Australian Geography Competition, as well as the multitude of excursions and guest speakers Year 9 Kerrupon has to offer. For example, the students can look forward to speaker Jacob Thomas, a gender, identity, and inclusion academic.

It is so exciting to welcome the new VCASS students into the school. I hope your artistic endeavours bring joy at a time when creativity is needed more than ever. 

Curriculum (Year 10-12)

Take a breath and take your time to appreciate being with the marvellous learning spaces and wonderful faces at our VCASS campus. 

Welcome back to all of our senior dancers, musicians, ABS, gymnasts, theatre and visual artists and welcome to our brand new cohorts of year 11 visual and theatre artists.

As talented students you collectively undertake over 60 year 10, VCE and specialist subjects developing a web of extraordinary choices. The start of a new year provides all of you the opportunity to network and strengthen collaboration between specialist stream cohorts and subject areas to challenge, inspire and innovate as creators. 

As senior students you will be encouraged and supported to balance your study and focus on where you are right now as well as positively considering your future endeavours. This is a core part of all of your learning, but in particular in Term 1 as part of the Student Health and Wellbeing (SHAW) Program, you will be exposed to seasoned professionals as well as advice on how to study mindfully and with purpose. Every student can expect to have advice and guidance on navigating the technical aspects of each subject as well as their career.

As you hone in on your individual expertise, remember that you contribute to the passion, resilience and courage of VCASS students creating a vibrant society.

Message from Dance

How wonderful to see our dancers back in the studios after our summer break.

As we welcome our new and returning students into the course, our goals will be to settle into our schedules, build your strength and stamina and establish the security of your technique.  These priorities will help us reconnect and establish your dance goals and training needs, particularly after 2 years of on-line interruptions.

While you progress in your classes, remember to proceed with patience, confident ambition and optimism. Take advantage of this term to define and pursue individual goals and cherish your unique challenges and talents.

We have already begun exciting rehearsals and development for both our Major Season and our Semester 1 performances. Our first performance this year is scheduled for early Term 2 and consists of select repertoire and choreography from around the world, adapted specifically for our students.

This time frame will provide a rewarding exploration of a range of artistic works in addition to exclusive attention to technique in training classes.

We are loving being back in the studio with you all and can’t wait to share our achievements as the year proceeds.

Message from Music

Launching into the New Year our VCASS Musicians have demonstrated verve, vigour, and recharged optimism for all that lay ahead in 2022. The opportunity to reunite in song during rehearsals for our upcoming Celebration Concert has lifted spirits, regenerated connection and indoctrinated our newest members of the Choir. We look forward to sharing the gift of music with audiences across a mix of live and pre-recorded performances throughout the year. In the weeks ahead our ensembles program will swing into action and our musicians will experience further opportunities for collective music-making.

Naturally, performance is an important aspect of the creative and learning process, however much of our attention in first semester centres around settling into life at VCASS. Developing healthy routines at school and at home is essential. The holistic and rigorous VCASS training program strives to challenge and support each individual student, building upon their existing skills and knowledge. Developing aural perception, theoretical understanding, contextual insight and empathetic collaboration is paramount in realising the aspirations of our emerging artists. 

We encourage you to make contact should you wish to discuss any aspect of the VCASS Music Program or opportunities outside of our curriculum. All the very best for the year ahead. 

Message from Theatre Arts

Theatre Arts students have begun a busy 2022.  Additional to VCE studies, classes in movement and voice for new students and acting for year 11 and 12 students are underway.  Year 12 students are finalising a devised music theatre performance, ‘Little Boxes’, which will open in the last week of term.

The ‘Lawler Studio’ remains a special teaching space for all Theatre Arts students and will be the venue for the year 12 Theatre Studies presentation of ‘Love and Information’ in Term Two.

Year 11 students have begun a semester program with staff from the MTC which will culminate in the performance of a created work using costume and set design elements of the students own making.

Message from Visual Arts

We are pleased to welcome the new Year 11s to the 2022 Visual Art Program, and welcome back the Year 12s for their final year of school. We are off to a busy start, working with a number of visiting artists who will be sharing their expertise with the students over the coming weeks. Year 11s are about to begin an oil painting workshop in the Botanic Gardens with artist Mia Schoen, and will also soon begin a drawing and ceramics workshop with artist Kenny Pittock. Year 12s are currently working with artist Sarah crowEST, exploring the use of text and fabric. Students have also been enjoying excursions to a range of exhibitions in our Gallery Studies class, and have already visited Buxton Contemporary and the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.

The Year 12 students have started to develop artworks in VCE Art and Studio Arts, looking towards their mid-year exhibition at VCA Artspace. Additionally, the student-run Relay Space exhibition program is up and running, and will continue to feature works from Visual Art students throughout the term. 

VCASS Leviston Library

The Leviston Library is on the first floor of the school where the comfortable reading space has a beautiful view of the city skyline. Students and staff can use this quiet space to work, browse the young adult collection, enjoy a graphic novel, or listen to an audiobook. Reading is a valued activity at VCASS with junior students participating in the Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge. The library has an excellent non-fiction print collection with a focus on the visual arts, print music for solo and ensemble groups, dance biographies and histories, plays for theatre studies. A range of online databases and ebooks also support the specialist and academic programs. 

To find out more about the library visit https://accessit.vcass.vic.edu.au/#!dashboard. 

The library is open Monday-Friday between 8.00am-4.00pm with staff, Claire Di Lallo and Leonie Perry. Families are welcome to contact us by phone or email for library information or support.

VCASS Student Leaders

Meet our 2022 Students Leaders