Heathmont Gazette

Principal Team Report

Whole school (Ms Kerryn Sandford)

Term 2 has been a busy one this year even though it was slightly shorter than the first one. As I write this, our Year 12 cohort are enjoying the last few days of their cohort camp in Emerald where they have had the chance to reconnect and bond as a group and with their teachers. Several of the Year 12 teachers have been able to attend the camp, which gives them a great opportunity to support the students as they head into their final stretch of high school. Things start to get very real for the Year 12 cohort from now, there is only one unit to go before the end of year exams and a lot to fit in before that time. I have a son at home going through this, so I get to see it from multiple perspectives. It certainly helps to understand just how big a thing this is for our young people. 

 

Following on from my last Principal’s Desk, I would like to report that the Tik Tok accounts that I wrote about have largely been restricted by Tik Tok. The accounts appear to still be active but the content is not publicly accessible. This is at least a step in the right direction. In addition to this though, we have also seen an increase in the number of students calling out this sort of online behaviour and making reports of inappropriate contact and content, which is good to see. The reality is that it is only through reporting that we can address this kind of thing and most of these platforms do have reporting mechanisms built in for this reason. At the college, we also have reporting mechanisms that allow students to make reports without fear of retribution. The more that people use these channels, the more we can act against inappropriate or harmful behaviours. 

I would like to remind the community that we have a Bulling Prevention policy and it is worth making sure that you are familiar with it. You can access this policy on the Policy section on our website. 

 

This week, the Department of Education has notified schools that the Professional Practice Days due to be taken by teachers in Term 3 will be held as a whole school day which will be student free. This means that we will have two student free days next term – the Curriculum Day on the 4th of August (Tuesday) and the Professional Practice Day on the 26th of August (Friday). In addition to these student free days, we will also be running a whole school improvement planning day, also in August, where the students and the staff will be working together to identify ways to improve the way the school works and to launch the new School Strategic Plan. All students will be involved in this day and there will be further details to come. 

 

Lastly, we have our whole school Athletics carnival occurring next term. This really is an event to look forward to. We haven’t had a chance to hold this for the past couple of years and, like the swimming carnival, is set to be a fantastic opportunity for the whole school community to come together. 

 

Diversity and Inclusion (Ms Nina Ling)

Over the last month, the team have been hard at work supporting students throughout the school with Frances visiting many classes.  She is used as a relaxing and calming teaching tool who supports students in regulating their own behaviour.  See her here in a Year 9 English class, as she supports students working collaboratively.

 

Another focus for the team has been planning the next Curriculum Day which is scheduled to take place on 4 August 2022.  On this day, this team will lead the school through a series of workshops focused on diversity.  The day will include 3 sessions centred around gender diversity, neuro diversity and cultural diversity.  All staff will be involved in this training and as such, it will be a student free day in Term 3.

Curriculum, Teaching and Learning (Ms Kelli MacDonald)

 

We are currently processing subject change requests for Semester 2 for some of our students in Years 9, 10 and 11. We are also thinking and talking about subject selection for 2023. These two things are obviously connected and if students choose their subjects correctly, there is less chance of them requesting a change.  Choosing subjects for the following year can be exciting and stressful. We construct our timetable using the preferences of the students and this means that it might be impossible for a change to be done. For example: sometimes the classes are on at the same time, or classes are full so changes cannot be made. 

 

Here is my advice to students choosing their subjects for next year:

  • Use your choices in Year 9 and 10 to try out some subjects. Be curious. Have a go at a subject and see what you think. You might decide to continue with something similar in Year 11 and 12 or you might learn that it’s something you don’t want to do. 
  • All of your choices don’t have to be for your pathway, they don’t have to be related to what you plan on doing after Year 12. Do a subject because you like it. It’s ok to choose a subject…just because. 
  • Don’t choose a subject because your friends are choosing it. Make some new friends in your new class. 
  • Talk to older students about what subjects they chose and whether they made the right decision, was it what they expected? Mentor group is a great time to talk to older students. Talk to teachers about the subjects, ask what’s involved, what sort of things you will learn and find out what sort of learning tasks you will do. 

Student Management and Wellbeing (Ms Meagan Merlino)

 

A full semester at school for the first time in several years has been full of reward, with activities that have not occurred for a couple of years finally able to happen. The wellbeing highlight for the semester was unquestionably the grit and accomplishment demonstrated by year 8s on camp. These memories will stay with the students throughout their time at Heathmont and beyond, buoying them on when times get hard in the future. Also occurring in the final week of term is the Year 12 camp, which is providing students with a fantastic opportunity to reflect on their achievements for the 1st semester and to spend time appreciating and strengthening the sense of community and friendships that will support this cohort through their final semester of high school.  The senior coordination team has worked incredibly hard to support students’ exploration and identification of pathways, with a trip to the VCE and Careers Expo, Morrisby interviews, information night and assemblies regarding VCE changes and organisation of work experience to take place early in Term 3.  In terms of student behaviour, the wearing of correct school uniform has been greatly improved across the College and there seems to be less reluctance to report negative behaviours to the coordination team, demonstrating a level of trust in the support provided. Indeed, the building of strong relationships between the coordination team and students has been a focus of the term and we are proud of our ability to work with students to improve their learning.

 

Building and Facilities (Ms Donna Galvin)

Bike Racks – New

New Bike Racks are available for students commencing 11 July 2022 – Term 3

Please ensure that your child/children have a bike lock to use, the school takes no responsibility for stolen bikes.

 

A BLOCK

Access to the bike racks is through the small double gates on Waters Grove.

 

BEHIND YEAR LEVEL COORDINATIORS OFFICE

Access to the bike racks here are through the main entrance then to the left or from the middle road area and around the building.