From the Principal Class Team

Dear Parents and Guardians

Together, our students and staff create truly remarkable events and performances, as well as learning experiences and opportunities. Throughout this term, we are seeing so many wonderful examples of these collaborations; from students working in partnerships with teachers to improve teaching and learning; to sport; theatre with the Addams Family; celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing in Science Week; designing and cooking a superb lunch for 20 principals from our local schools; preparing for Year 9 City Experience Week; debating; House Hula competitions; the Reading Challenge; Lunchtime clubs.

Of course, there are many more examples of students and staff working creatively together both within and beyond classrooms every day. And it is these collaborations which add enormously to the richness of learning, to people’s sense of connectedness and belonging, and to our understanding and appreciation of what success looks like at our school.

Congratulations to everyone involved in these programs and events, and thank you for what you have contributed to the school.

We hope you enjoy reading about them in this edition of Alba.

School Review

As we have mentioned in earlier editions this year, each 4 years, the Department of Education (DET) conducts an extensive review into the performance and achievements of its schools.

We are undertaking our review this year, and it comprises three major activities:

1. A Self Evaluation conducted by the school
2. A Validation conducted by a DET appointed review, and
3. Fieldwork Days to explore in greater detail key issues arising from the Validation.

This week, we completed the two Fieldwork days. Our Review, Bob Stephens, together with one of our two Challenge Partners, Kate Temby, Senior Education Improvement Leader, Anne Fox, and School Council Resident, Tracy Nero, conducted forums with students, staff and parents, visited classes, and spent time talking with program leaders to learn as much as possible about what we are doing well and what the opportunities for improvement are. It is an excellent process that incorporates many voices and many perspectives.

We look forward to receiving the review report, and to the next stage which is developing our Strategic Plan for 2020-2023.

A special thank you to the parents who contributed to the review.

Fundies for the Future Program 2019 

Next week, three Year 11 students, James Mangali, Shalom Tiatia and Akegma Arok, will travel to Sydney to participate in the 2019 Fundies for the Future challenge as part of their Business Management Course. Each team must decide on a particular investment strategy, and then pitch this to an expert panel of real life finance gurus.

The project is a collaboration between Social Ventures Australia and Sohn Hearts and Minds.

Thank you to Business Management teacher, Ms Andrea Holliday, for her leadership of the Fundies team.

We wish our Fundies all the best for their pitch.

City Experience

Next week all Year 9 students will be involved in City Experience. This annual Year 9 event provides all students with an experiential educational opportunity, one that encourages students to learn outside the classroom. Year 9 students will complete an innovative and challenging research project, which will focus on one of the geography units of study, and how it applies in the City of Melbourne. Students  have been developing their research project and planning their time during classes in the week prior to City Experience. They will collect and collate data, presenting findings in a written report supported by graphs, tables and pictures. The assessment task will be finialised during class and homework time in the week following City Experience. The Humanities teacher, Learning Manager for each class will supervise students during the week, and help guide students in their research project. Other Year 9 teachers, coordinators and Assistant Principals will also spend time in the city with classes. We wish all our Year 9 students and teachers all the best for a productive and engaging City Experience.