Weekly Wrap
Dear All,
Welcome to Week 4. This week we want to highlight the incredible resilience and adaptability of everyone in our College community. This time last week we had just heard we were heading into a five day lockdown, and our staff were putting in place our plans for learning from home once again. We are in awe of the calm way staff and students stepped up to that last minute challenge; a true testament to the culture of our College. We also want to thank our families for the way you supported your children with learning from home and the support you have given our College throughout this uncertain period.
The fantastic way in which staff and students returned to on-site learning on Thursday was also an excellent reflection of our Learning Culture. Walking around the College on Thursday morning, it was great to see students engaging with their class work, wearing their uniform proudly and following our Covid-safe guidelines. It’s a good reminder that the correct wearing of masks and keeping up physical distancing is important in keeping our families safe and keep us learning on-site, so we thank everyone for their efforts.
It is important to also acknowledge that these kinds of events can impact us all in different ways, so we also want to assure our community that student and staff wellbeing remains our priority. Our Wellbeing Team is here to support you and your family, so please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s Year Level Leader or our Wellbeing staff if you have any concerns. The Victorian Government also has some information to help you in talking to your child about Covid-19 here: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/talking-your-child-about-coronavirus-covid-19. Other sources of support include Parent Line 13 22 89 and Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800.
Creative Workers in Schools
We are very excited to be able to announce that we have been successful in our application to be part of Regional Arts Victoria’s Creative Workers in Schools program. For the whole of first semester we have two artists, Stephanie Arnold and Ben Opie, working with a variety of classes and student groups on projects based around art and performance. The program is designed to give students an opportunity to learn from some of the state’s best artists, and for us an opportunity for our students to see the possibilities that being involved in the arts brings.
Stephanie and Ben are musicians and multi-disciplinary (and multi-talented) sound and installation artists. Their work is focused on storytelling in new and creative ways, as well as innovative use of sound. They will begin working with our Year 12 Studio Art and Year 11 VCAL classes over the coming week and over the semester work with Year 7s in the William Barak Project and a number of other student groups.
We are incredibly excited to have Stephanie and Ben as part of our College community over the next six months and look forward to sharing the works our students will develop under their mentorship.
Lunar New Year Celebrations
Beginning on Friday last week and running over the coming weeks, we are celebrating Lunar New Year- the year of the Ox. While Covid restrictions got in the way of some of our usual events, such as the Lion Dancers, we have continued to mark the new year with decorations, music, and food. Today our International Students continued their celebrations with dumplings and spring rolls and we are looking forward to more fun activities for all students next week. We wish all of our families a very Happy and Prosperous New Year! 新年快樂! 新年快乐! 새해 복 많이 받으세요! chúc mừng năm mới!
Chris Grant
Assistant Principal