Weekly Wrap

Dear all,

 

Welcome to Week 8

This week we heard some tough news that onsite learning was not going to happen for the remainder of Term 3. None of us wanted to hear this, and I know many of you are really struggling hard to stay engaged with online learning. We are planning to be back onsite in Term 4, and I know much work is being done by the Government to ensure schools are safe places. We will do everything in our power to assist students in settling back into onsite learning in Term 4, as we know the transition back can be challenging. We will also be providing catch up opportunities when students return, to assist students who may have developed gaps in their learning

We will continue this support into 2022.

 

Vaccination Blitz

To help support the safe conduct of end-of-year exams, the Victorian Government on Wednesday announced a vaccination blitz for final year school students, their teachers and for VCE exam supervisors and assessors. Final year students, their teachers and VCE exam supervisors and assessors will also be able to book their first and second doses via a dedicated appointment booking hotline. These additional pathways will help support a faster booking process and minimise absence for students during their schooling hours. The Victorian Government aims to vaccinate all final year students by the time they sit their end-of-year exams. Final year students are therefore urged to immediately make an appointment to receive a vaccine by following the instructions under the heading ‘How to book an appointment’ below. Final year students are asked to consider getting their first vaccine before the GAT on 5 October. In addition, it’s recommended not to get the vaccine on the day of an exam, or the day before an exam – to avoid feeling common but mild side effects such as tiredness, headache, muscle pain, fever and chills and/or joint pain during your exam.

The Department of Health has today released the details of the dedicated phone number. Bookings will open on Monday. Details are as follows:

Priority access for final year secondary school students, their teachers and exam supervisors

• Bookings from Monday 6 September
• Appointments available from 7-17 September
• At Victorian vaccination centres by appointment only
• As part of the blitz everyone will receive Pfizer vaccine regardless of their age.

To book an appointment as part of the blitz

Call 1800 434 144 from Monday September 6

Press 0 if you need an interpreter

 

Masks

Forest Hill College is working with Student Parliament to secure College branded, re-usable face masks that will be available to purchase once the students return to on-site learning. Proceeds from the sale of the masks will be donated to The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

The Department is providing an additional allocation of single use disposable masks to all schools for Term 4. We have maintained a commitment to deep cleaning of the College daily to ensure spaces are clean and safe.

The link below provides access to a recorded message from the Minister for Education to all Victorian school students. I encourage you to all listen to it.

Minister Merlino message to school communities

 

High Performance Mindfulness

We are proud to announce that next week the College formally commences its 3 year partnership with high performance mindset coach, Emma Murray.

Emma Murray is a Master of Mindfulness and a Peak Performance Mind Coach for top AFL teams and elite Australian athletes. She is considered the “secret weapon” behind Richmond Football Club’s history making 2017, 2019 and 2020 AFL Premierships.

She is an accredited Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher, NLP Master Practitioner and Clinical Hypnotherapist with a Bachelor Degree in Communications, majoring in Psychology. Her High Performance Mindfulness methodology, strategies, exercises and daily practices help people to deliver best performance execution through advanced present moment awareness, improved emotional regulation and enhanced focus sustainability. From world and Olympic winning performances to helping the everyday person shift their focus off the fear and doubt and onto their best strengths and attributes, Emma helps facilitate real and lasting change in people.

Year 11 and 12 students and their families will be sent a Compass notification inviting them to register to attend a webinar introducing Emma Murray’s High Performance Mindfulness taking place on Wednesday 8 September at 2:00pm. This is a program designed to support VCE/ VCAL students deal well, with what Emma refers to, as “performance moments” in their lives. A performance moment can be sitting an exam, taking a driving test, or attending your first day in a part-time job. The link below provides a strong insight into her work, and I urge all students and families of VCE students to watch the webinar.

To register to attend the webinar, please click here.  Registrants will be issued with an email invite next week which will take them directly to the webinar on the day.

 

Taking Time Out

Getting away from screens is more important than ever.  This week our Year 7’s were encouraged to turn off their devices, pick up a book and embrace the warmer weather this week. They spent time each lesson reading somewhere warm and comfortable.

     

Parent Opinion Survey

Finally, 300 of our families have been randomly selected and sent a link to complete a parent opinion survey about the College. We value all feedback received.  Completing this survey helps us to better understand how to support our families and young people.  We thank you in advance for your participation.

 

Stay safe, stay strong

 

David Rogers

College Principal