Positive Climate for Learning

Richard Crawshaw 

Assistant Principal

Book Week

A few weeks ago, the school celebrated book week. This was a great time for the whole community to participate in a fun activity, share our favourite book characters, and keep us connected. There was a fantastic array of characters from students who had dressed up at home, as well as from those staff and students onsite. It was great that everybody took the time to participate and go to so much effort, and the feedback has been that everyone really enjoyed looking at all the photos. Here are a few pics you may have missed if you didn't catch them on the school Facebook page or on your classroom Seesaw page;

Student Attitudes to School Survey

This week, the school took up an opportunity that was recently opened up to us by the department of education where we can once again survey our students on how they feel life is going for them at school. This survey is open only for middle and secondary students in line with department guidelines. This is really important feedback for the school and we take student voice very seriously as we reflect on life at school and consider our strategic planning for the future. Our goal is most certainly to have our students at the centre of learning as we continue to improve our practices in line with the department of education initiatives. As you all know, we dedicate much of our time addressing student voice and agency and this survey is an opportunity for students to have their voice again.

If you are in middle or secondary sub school, your classroom teacher will be in touch with some instructions on how to access this short survey. They will also offer some support for families to assist with student understanding and comprehension of some of the questions. The survey has been arranged in a 5 point scale to make it as accessible as possible for students, but please ask for further assistance from your classroom teacher should you need it. The survey opened on Monday 31st August, and will close on the 13th September so you have a few weeks to work with your teacher to support your child/ren to complete it. A Webex meeting would be a great place to conduct this support.

Thanks in advance for supporting your child/ren to complete this survey. 

School Improvement Team

The school improvement team for Student Voice and Agency have been busy supporting staff to further embed Student Voice and Agency and Leadership (SVAL) in the school. Further to the SVAL presentation on Curriculum Day, the team are preparing 2 professional practice sessions with staff over the coming few weeks, where they will be drawing on how teachers can best support students on Seesaw. The sessions will look at creativity, lesson planning and engagement. It has been great to see all the work being shared on Seesaw, we now want to take it to the next level so we can promote the best possible teaching and learning for students. 

Free Resources for building resilient families

The department of education is offering some free resources for families. If you are interested, feel free to check out the links below; If you'd like any further assistance or information please click on the links underlined below, or contact me Richard.Crawshaw@education.vic.gov.au and I would be happy to help.

1. Raising Learners podcast series:                          https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/podcasts-and-webinars/podcasts

The Department has funded the Raising Children Network to deliver a 10-episode podcast series called ‘Raising Learners’. Raising Learners will provide parents with practical advice, tips and ideas for supporting children’s health, wellbeing and engagement at school and at home. The first three podcasts will be available from 1 September, and the rest throughout terms 3 and 4, and can be accessed from podcast apps and the Raising Children Network website.

      2. Managing the coronavirus webinar: 

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg’s webinar, Managing the Coronacoaster – Tips for building resilient families in the coronavirus era, gives families practical skills, knowledge and strategies for managing the lockdown period and remote learning. The Department has engaged Dr Carr-Gregg to present a repeat edition of Managing the Coronacoaster, after his August webinar booked out in three days.

When:  Tuesday 15 September, 7:30pm

Duration: 45-minute presentation, followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session

Format: online via live stream

Cost: free