Principal's Update 

Welcome to the March edition of the John Fawkner College Newsletter. I am sure that you will find plenty of useful information and updates on the great work that has been occurring over the past weeks.

STAFFING UPDATE

Following a successful recruitment period, we have some new staff that I would like to welcome to our College including: Iman Ali – Tutor, Jacqueline Cuxson – Tutor, Laura Elliott - Leading Teacher, Head Start Learning Leader, William Taylor – VCAL Teacher

We are currently advertising and interviewing for the following positions: 1 x Auslan Teacher, 1 x PSD Coordinator, and I look foward to providing you with the details of the successful candidates shortly. 

STUDENT ATTENDANCE

A day here or there doesn’t seem like much but…

SRC AND STUDENT VOICE

The past few weeks have seen year level assemblies where students have been recognised for the positive ways they demonstrate school values and attendance.

Students have been receiving awards as a result of staff logging values cards for students across the term so far.

Students in Years 7-10 have also participated in a recent incursion run by Bully Zero which is a part of our support programs providing students with strategies and skills for preventing and managing bullying.

PRIMARY SCHOOL TRANSITION

As you will see - the 2021 Year 7 Enrolment Information Evening is in the calendar for 29 April at 6pm. We are very excited to meet new families and are busy preparing for the evening.

Work has continued in the development of relationships with our primary schools. Visits will begin occurring with students returning to their primary schools to share their journey at JFC with grade 5 and 6 students. 

It has also been very positive to hear that our current students are returning to their Primary Schools with good news stories about their experience transitioning to secondary school and John Fawkner.

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

The College Parent Teacher Interviews will be held on Wednesday 31 March 2021, from 10:00am to 7:00pm. There are no scheduled classes for students on this day, however, students are required to attend the interviews with their parent/s or guardian/s. 

How to Book Your Interviews 

The Parent Teacher Interview online booking system is now open. Please access the Compass Parent Portal to book appointments with teachers using your Username and Password. Parents will see a link on their home page which will direct them to a welcome window with two options:

1. Start Booking Now, which allows you to immediately begin the booking process, or
2. Show Me How to Book, which includes a walkthrough explaining how to book using Compass. Your booking sheet will be displayed and will show all available booking times. Click on a time in the grid to display teachers available for booking at that selected time.

 Please note:

• If a teacher you wish to book with does not appear, it indicates they are unavailable in that time slot, please try other booking times.
• You can view a teacher’s availability by clicking on the teacher’s name at the bottom of the booking page.
• At your request, your child’s teacher may book an appointment time for you if a suitable time slot is available.

 If you have any concerns, please contact the school on (03) 9359 1166.

SEXUAL CONSENT AND DISCLOSURE

Issues of consent, sexual assault, and gender inequality are critically important. Our school in partnership with parents, has an important role to play in addressing this significant social issue. We stand against gendered violence. The testimonies provided by current and former school students across the country reinforce the need to support students to build and manage safe and respectful relationships. 

We have also signed up to the Respectful Relationships initiative. Respectful Relationships is a whole school approach that supports our school to embed a culture of respect and gender equality across our entire school community. This is part of the Victorian Curriculum, which focuses on building students’ social and emotional skills by supporting them to recognise and regulate emotions, develop empathy for others and build and manage safe and respectful relationships (including understanding consent). Our school provides sexuality education as part of the Health and Physical Education curriculum.

Our school takes sexual assault allegations very seriously. We respond to any disclosures in an appropriate and supportive manner. Any allegations are acted upon quickly by following our procedures for responding to allegations of abuse and assault. We report allegations of sexual assault to Victoria Police, and Child Protection and the Department of Education and Training as required. 

We will provide support to any students who are victim-survivors of sexual assault.

Students can receive support from from members of staff and our wellbeing team. If you have any questions or concerns, or wish to discuss something that has happened, please contact your relevant Year Level Coordinator or Wellbeing Team. 

As a parent or carer, if you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault and needs support, please contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au. 

You can also access help through 

• Parentline
• Lifeline
• Beyond Blue.

Students can access help through

• Kids Helpline
• Headspace.

COMMUNITY ACTION TEAM

As mentioned in the past newsletter, this year will see the introduction of a Community Action Team which will be made up of Community Organisations and Employers who are willing to work with the College and support our students.

This team will meet monthly and be chaired by the College Principal Team. If you know of a community organisation or employer who would like to work more closely with the College, please contact me via Compass.

So far we are working on relationships with; Merri Health, Headspace, Arabic Welfare, ILLEN, Moreland City Council and a few local employers.

COLLEGE MASTERPLAN

In 2020, the College received $50,000 from the Victorian School Building Authority to revise our Masterplan for new school buildings.

The interest demonstrated by the State Government in our school as well as Fawkner Primary School who also received Capital Works money in the last state budget, shows a willingness to support the Fawkner Community community. 

In the coming months I look forward to reporting to you on the development of our masterplan.

SCHOOL REVIEW

2021 is a School Review year for John Fawkner College. This is a great opportunity for us to reflect on the work over the past 4 years but also to plan and prepare for the years ahead.

I am working closely with Marie Ghirardello who is a former Principal and now works with the Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals to support us in this process. Each term in 2021, we will be hosting forums with students, parents, community and staff to ensure that we capture as much feedback and input as possible into this process.