Geelong Education Guide 2021

ISSUE 15 • 2021

GEELONG SCHOOLS

Entertainment - Courses - Pages 19 - 25 Primary Schools - Pages 57 - 71 Photo provided with the compliments of Lara Secondary College.

For further information refer to pages 2, 3, 30 & 31.

Lara Secondary College in partnership with the Lara District Community Bank (Bendigo Bank), is pleased to continue to offer highly academic students in Year 7 & Year 10 in 2022, the opportunity to gain an academic scholarship to the value of $1500 over 3 years.

The $1500 scholarship amount may contribute to the annual $445 Essential Education Items cost required at each year level, any school camps, excursions or Textbook requirements.

In order to receive a $1500 Academic Scholarship, students will need to register for the Scholarship Exam (Higher Ability Selection Test – written by the Australian Council of Educational Research) to be held at the following times at the College.

• 2022 Year 7: Monday 17th May 2021 (9.15am – 12.00pm) in College Auditorium (Registrations close 3.00pm Friday 7th May) Successful students will be admitted to the 2022 Enrichment Pathway Program with the opportunity to receive a $1,500 scholarship over three years.

• 2022 Year 10: Thursday 27th May 2021 (9.15am – 12.00pm) in College Auditorium (Registrations close 10.00am Friday 14th May 2021) Successful students will be admitted to our 2022 VCE Access Program with the opportunity to receive a $1,500 scholarship over three years.

REGISTRATION IS ESSENTIAL Please email Meg Allender (Enrichment Coordinator) at Lara Secondary College to register your child’s name and Year level in 2022. megan.allender@education.vic.gov.au 12468478-NG10-21

LARA SECONDARY COLLEGE

Realise Your Potential 2021 OPEN DAYS & INFORMATION EVENING Wednesday 24th February 2021 & Wednesday 5th May 2021 Tours: 9.30am & 6.30pm Information Evening Presentation: 7.00pm

Contact the Principal Wayne Terrill for an Enrolment Interview & discussion on 5282 8988

www.larasc.edu.vic.au

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A great opportunity to view our learning environment and meet both staff and students of our College.

Bellarine Secondary College BELLARINE Secondary College provides students with a high quality education within a safe and supportive environment where all students are nurtured as valued members of the community.

Students are encouraged to strive for excellence in a learning environment that promotes the core values of Respect, Resilience and Responsibility and the belief that we are all lifelong learners.

The College is committed to restorative practices and believes that positive empathetic relationships are fundamental to a vibrant trusting learning environment where students are confident to take risks and achieve their full potential.

The College provides students with the opportunity, encouragement and the support to realise their potential in diverse pathways.

Academic studies are embedded in a curriculum rich in the Victorian Curriculum with the Accelerated Learning Program providing a curated learning environment to ensure that all students are fully challenged.

While students continue to achieve outstanding VCE results across a wide range of studies, studies in VCAL, VET and workplace learning through innovative programs such as

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Students are encouraged to strive for excellence in a learning environment that promotes the core values of respect Head Start or a School Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship actively support students looking to transition into the workplace.

The College is inclusive and centrally located on the Bellarine Peninsula with campuses in Ocean Grove (years 7-8) and Drysdale (years 9-12).

Bellarine Secondary College offers a scholarship to a Grade 6 student from each Partnership Primary School.

These scholarships are awarded to the student who has most consistency displayed the following qualities: ■

Academic effort

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Participation in school activities

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Respect for others

Bellarine Secondary College Information Night for 2022 enrolments into Year 7 Thursday 11th March 2021 Tours commence regularly between 5.00pm – 6.45pm Information Session (Including SEAL) 6.30pm – 7.00pm at the Ocean Grove Campus Thursday 18th March Tours from 6.00pm at the Drysdale Campus Ocean Grove Campus Years 7 & 8 70 Shell Road, Ocean Grove Email: bellarine.sc.ocean.grove@education.vic.gov.au

Drysdale Campus Years 9 – 12 Peninsula Drive, Drysdale Email: bellarine.sc@education.vic.gov.au

Telephone – 5251 9000 12472609-DL10-21

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10 reasons to visit Geelong & the Bellarine Reason 1: Dining with a capital D FACT: This region is home to some of Australia’s best regional dining. You should definitely try IGNI (you really should), the place that’s ignited Geelong’s dining scene. Hot on its heels is The Greek Customs House, raising the stakes for waterfront dining and leaving everyone wanting more. Further proof is found beyond Geelong at a cluster of tantalising winery restaurants – Jack Rabbit Restaurant, Oakdene Vineyards Restaurant, The Shed Restaurant at Terindah Estate and Provenance Wines.

Reason 2: Too cool for school The best part about Geelong’s manufacturing past is that the converted industrial spaces are perfect for hip cafes, bars, restaurants, accommodation and galleries. The old tech school is now swish apartments, while the former woollen mills are now milling with ale lovers at Little Creatures Brewery and White Rabbit Brewery & Barrel Hall. On the Barwon River, the Old Paper Mills is now a bustling art and culture precinct, and Boom Gallery occupies another wool mill.

Reason 3: Laneway culture comes to the Big G Geelong’s Little Malop Street is the new ‘it’ address, home to coffee spots, cellar doors and hip food joints. Bringing it to Little Malop is the always-buzzing Pakington Street, where you’ll

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There’s all ages fun to be found all around Geelong and the Bellarine, starting with Geelong’s thrilling waterfront. find King of the Castle, Zigfrids Dining Hall & Bar and Geelong Fresh Foods.

Reason 4: Life’s a beach Sand between your toes, salt on your skin.

They’re the sensations memories are made of, and they don’t get much more memorable than summer days on the Bellarine Peninsula.

Surfers vie for the waves at Thirteenth Beach or Raffs Beach in Barwon Heads, and beginners get the lowdown on hanging 10 at Ocean Grove with Great Ocean Road Surf Tours, Go Ride A Wave or Sea Earth Adventures. Ocean Grove and its pristine beach is also one of the best spots for good old-fashioned family beach fun, but then again there’s the mouth of the Barwon River in Barwon Heads for a bit of that, too. Plus the rock pools at Point Lonsdale and Portarlington.

Don’t forget to Slip Slop Slap.

Reason 5: All about the bounty If the wines are anything to go by, the soil in this part of the world sure knows how to grow good food. So do the farmers and gardeners, of course.

So grab a copy of the Bellarine Taste Trail map and embark on a lip-smacking gastronomic journey throughout the region.

Reason 6: Nothing to wine about Moorabool Valley is where it’s at for wine. More than the quaint villages, rolling hills and beautiful scenery, it’s the cluster of cool-climate wineries making fine drops from the vines first planted by Swiss immigrants in 1842.

Don’t miss Clyde Park Vineyard and Bistro, Lethbridge Wines, Moorabool Ridge Vineyard and Austins & Co. Reason 7: Watery paradise With all that spectacular coastline as the backdrop to your Geelong and Bellarine days, there’s no surprise that lots of the fun is water-based. Join Scubabo Dive Victoria on a dive down to the ex HMAS Canberra, or splash about where the dolphins do with See All Dolphin Swims. Cruise between the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsula aboard Searoad Ferries, or catch a bite with Gone Fishing Charters. Reason Fore!

Well, Reason 8 really, and it’s golf.

Why not, when four of Australia’s best golf courses are found on the Bellarine? Tee off at

Curlewis Golf Club, Barwon Heads Golf Club and the two courses at Thirteenth Beach Golf Links.

Venture over to Queenscliff, Portarlington and Point Lonsdale for more golfing action.

Reason 9: Wheely exciting adventures Off-road or training wheels, Geelong and the Bellarine have you covered for cycling fun. The 50 kilometres of track makes You Yangs the go-to spot for mountain biking, while the 35-kilometre Bellarine Rail Trail is a more gentle family ride between South Geelong and Queenscliff. For the more serious cyclist there’s the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Geelong every January.

Reason 10: All about the family There’s all ages fun to be found all around Geelong and the Bellarine, starting with Geelong’s thrilling waterfront. Kids adore the restored Geelong Carousel and the diving boards at the historic Eastern Beach promenade, and there’s endless delight in meeting the characters on the Geelong Waterfront Bollard Trail. Further afield is the wildly popular Adventure Park, and holiday and caravan parks abound to prove that old-school, no-frills family holidays are timeless and magical.

Geelong Schools

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Belmont High School personalises learning for students by providing opportunities to:

O N T H I G H S C HOOL

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BELM

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Succeed Students have access to an extensive range of high quality learning programs and opportunities for acceleration. On leaving the school, our young people are equipped for the challenges of the 21st Century.

Lead We provide opportunities for students to contribute to their school community through involvement in various leadership roles and responsibilities across the school. Students are able to participate in whole school leadership, House leadership and through a strong SRC.

Challenge We believe students should be challenged both in and out of the classroom. We offer an accredited Select Entry Accelerated Learning Program (SEALP) and other opportunities for enrichment and acceleration. We provide opportunities for our students to participate in activities that will excite, engage and challenge.

Nurture The House system provides identity and belonging, where senior students care for younger students. It develops opportunities for participation and leadership.

Students begin in our Year 7 and 8 Middle Years program and are supported by a team of teachers that know and understand each individual student.

Students are encouraged to participate in an extensive co-curricular program such as academic competitions, music, sport, dance, drama, debating, outdoor adventure and overseas travel. We have our own school camp in the beautiful Otway Ranges.

Think Globally Our academic programs, overseas study tours, international student program and fundraising activities inspire our students to develop into global citizens.

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Participate

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Belmont High School

STRIVE FOR THE HIGHEST Rotherham St, Belmont, Victoria 3216 p: 03 5243 5355

w: www.bhs.vic.edu.au 12408526-SN14-19

Learning with passion for

COLLABORATION

PROBLEM-SOLVING

TEAMWORK

GLOBAL CONNECTEDNESS

Global Competencies FOR A CHANGING WORLD 12470569-JW10-21

living with purpose RESILIENCE

SELF-DIRECTION

S MA RT U SE O F TECH NO L O GY

CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING

atters’ M t a Th g in rn a e L e ‘Th www.christiancollege.vic.edu.au 12470562-JW10-21

Clonard College THE Clonard College Learning Charter was coconstructed by the community through a twoyear process that ensured that it resonated with the most seminal thinkers and research of our time. It is aspirational in its view of education as a process by which an individual grows to fullness as a citizen of the world. It asserts that education has a central moral purpose that must be achieved.

It repositions the student as a powerful partner in the learning process and as a contemporary change agent for the betterment of the world.

The Learning Charter speaks to the 21st Century skills that employers and tertiary educational providers are calling for and demands that we prepare students at Clonard College for a world that is unpredictable in which they must be agile, robust and resilient. The Learning Charter articulates the need for secondary education to form a complete segue to life around, within and beyond the College and views education as part of ‘real life’ rather than a place where a learner prepares for it. It asserts our belief that what we

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do at school is important and powerful because of what it can achieve.

In a world facing unprecedented challenges, we need our young people to be members of a global community, outward facing and selfless as they strive to heal our world and the problems generations before them have caused either knowingly or unwittingly. To do this, they must be empowered learners who can identify problems, work collaboratively with others to find solutions that lead to positive outcomes for all. To do this they need to rally a complex set of capabilities that are not just academic and, importantly, have confidence in the worth of those capabilities as meriting time in schools to be learned, developed, credentialed and valued.

This is the work of education in the 21st Century – this is our work as a Kildare Ministries’ school – and this is the work enshrined in, and articulated by, the Learning Charter.

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A major redevelopment over recent years is providing a welcome boost to Geelong High School’s commitment to prepare students for life.

The three stage redevelopment spanning four years, has seen major refurbishment to the Kroger, Winstanley and Vague wings and C.A. Love Hall. A new year 7 building, dance studio and music room have been added and significant landscaping works have been completed.

The redevelopment reaffirms the 110-year-old school’s commitment to its motto “vitae nos parat” or “It Prepares Us for Life”. This motto has as much, if not more, relevance today as it has had in the past.

The School Vision is that “Geelong High School is a positive and creative learning community that embraces its history and prepares students for life.”

About 110 staff, including 75 teachers, encourage the school’s 975 students to develop respectful relationships and strive to achieve their full academic and personal potential.

In 2013 Geelong High School introduced Positive Education, based on the elements of positive psychology, to build a strong culture of optimism, gratitude and a growth mindset.

Teachers support students to strive for their best through innovative and engaging teaching programs such as the Geelong Positive Engagement Program (GPEP), Respectful Relationships and various literacy and numeracy interventions.

Student leadership, voice and agency are an integral part of the school culture, with opportunities to lead as school captains, in sports, performing arts, sustainability and more.

Leadership is actively encouraged and celebrated at all levels with students taking the opportunity to influence and be involved in the decision making processes of the school, within and outside the classroom, and in taking responsibility for their learning.

Principal: Glenn Davey • First and oldest government secondary school in Geelong since 1910 • Calm and orderly school environment conducive to learning • Broad and engaging curriculum including Positive Education, music, performing arts • Leading school dance program in Geelong • Home of the Shenton Theatre Open Day Information Session Please contact the school for further details.

385 Ryrie Street, EAST GEELONG VIC 3219 Telephone (03) 5225 4100 | Facsimile (03) 5229 6702 Email geelong.hs@edumail.vic.gov.au | Web www.geelonghigh.vic.edu.au 12470315-DL10-21

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Geelong High School

Were it not so!

“MY biggest worry is that something bad might happen to my parents.” That comment echoed through my mind in the days since I spoke with children across my school, just three weeks into term 4, on their views about remote learning and now, on returning to school. The COVID-19 pandemic, hurricane-like as it swept in, yet equally fierce in its failure to follow that script – lingering; its unspent energy to wreak havoc seemingly endless.

Schools are, by and large, well organised institutions. Children start the school year in Australia in or about the beginning of February, attend school for close to 200 days per year and can expect a relatively sequential curriculum for seven years in primary schools, such as is ours, and six years in secondary schools. Of great importance to our politicians is the annual National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assessments undertaken by students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. NAPLAN forms the backbone of the monitoring of school performance across Australia. COVID-19 blew that program out of the water for 2020 and replaced it with fear and uncertainty, but not for all.

Term 1 began relatively uneventfully in Victorian schools, save for those unfortunate enough to have been affected by the summer bushfires in eastern Victoria. For those it was already harrowing long before the COVID-19 hurricane hit in March. On Sunday 15 March 2020, in a memo titled, “COVID-19: New Directions and Advice”, Victorian public schools were informed by Dr David Howes, Deputy Secretary, Victorian Department of Education and Training, Schools and Regional Services, of a series of wide-ranging measures designed to “ensure the safety and well-being of not only our students and staff, but our wider community.”

These measures included the almost immediate postponement or cancellation of camps and excursions and the prohibition of mass gatherings of more than 500 people at schools, notwithstanding the continuation of normal teaching and learning programs. Schools with more than 500 students were advised, “to review internal school gatherings and change arrangements for full school assemblies.

Staggered lunch breaks should be introduced if possible where these don’t currently occur, and

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Remote learning of this kind had never existed before. any other large in-school student gatherings and events should be postponed, or re-arranged so multiple smaller events are held.”

Reassuringly, we were also told that, “while there were no reported cases of COVID-19 among the staff or students, the current school cleaning contracts and operations are appropriate and adequate.” Needless to say, uncertainty and anxiety were setting in as we limped toward the end of term 1. The speculative chatter intensified by the day; the quandary as to what the teaching program might become as daily COVID-19 numbers increased amongst school personnel as April beckoned.

The seeds of disquiet were well and truly sown by the beginning of term 2 whereby firstly the holidays were, in effect, extended and then the inevitable, if not contentious remote learning program was sprung on schools in Victoria in the evening before Good Friday.

Now, nearing school year’s end, Victorians are celebrating more than forty consecutive days with no new community transmission Covid-19 cases and zero deaths. The hollow emptiness of largely vacant schools gone too - replenished with the joyous presence of their lifeblood, children. If not for the daily stark reminder at the school gates of facemask-clad parents dropping of their kids, could one almost forget, with some effort, the trauma left behind? Wishful thinking!

Those nine months contained more learning I mused, one day, while welcoming our children back to school, than any other nine months that I could recall. Was that a good thing? Would it be worth it? Would it linger? What would linger?

Early in the piece we were all in shock. Parents, teachers and the children. Remote learning of this kind had never existed before. Worse still, it was happening on the run – the run from COVID-19 of all things. That in itself spread fear.

Continued on page 22

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Geelong Arts Centre Creative Learning 2021 GEELONG Arts Centre is situated in the heart of Geelong’s cultural precinct and exists to foster the artists and creative communities of Geelong.

A key component of Geelong Arts Centre’s offering, the Creative Learning program, gives students from Grade 4 to VCE access to enriching, educational arts programs. These applied learning experiences aim to stimulate the imagination, foster creativity and transform how students see themselves and the world around them.

The entire program aligns with the Victorian Curriculum with a focus on empowering students as artists and audience members, as drama-makers and evaluators encouraging participants to be curious and inquisitive. Ideas generated through the Geelong Arts Centre’s Creative Learning program can be used as a springboard for deeper learning and further investigated back at school.

“We want all students to have a voice and to connect through story sharing, contemporary issues and innovative ideas. For many young people in our region, Creative Learning is one of their first dramatic arts experiences.”

Kelly Clifford, Geelong Arts Centre Senior Producer - Families, Youth & Creative Learning Programming Facilitated by professional artists, technicians and educators across a range of disciplines, and

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We want all students to have a voice and to connect through story sharing, contemporary issues and innovative ideas. For many young people in our region, Creative Learning is one of their first dramatic arts experiences.” delivered in professional, state-of-the-art theatre spaces, all programs can be adapted to suit the learning needs and outcomes of students, reflecting key curriculum objectives.

The events of 2020 have forced educators to adapt across ever-changing teaching environments. Due to the unpredictability and uncertainty of coronavirus (COVID-19), in 2021 Geelong Arts Centre is pleased to support teachers by presenting dynamic, interactive arts experiences across a range of formats including online, excursions, and incursions.

The 2021 Creative Learning program commences in February with a free Inspiring Student Leaders workshop to be held at the arts centre’s recently redeveloped Ryrie Street building. Designed for students in Grades 5 to 8, the program will explore the complexities of leadership with a focus on teamwork and collaboration. By the completion of the session, students will set their own community and school-based leadership goals.

In March, celebrate National Reconciliation Week and encourage students in Grades 4 to 6 to acknowledge and build on the respectful relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people and other non-Indigenous Australians with a We See Recognition workshop, presented in partnership with the Geelong Gallery.

Formerly known as Kaleidoscope, this workshop program presented

by First Nations artists offers the opportunity for students and educators to join in the Reconciliation conversation and reflect on our shared histories, contributions and achievements.

Inspired by iconic children’s book Harold and The Purple Crayon and combining old school whimsy with state-of-the-art technology, Patch Theatre’s ZOOOM (pictured; credit Matt Byrne)

is an enchanting story of a child alone in her bedroom, unable to sleep and curious to understand. Suitable for students in Grades 1 to 5 and coming to Geelong Arts Centre’s Studio 4 in August, this live show is driven by the power of ‘child logic’, combined with the magic of science.

Educational resources are also available.

Educators will also have the opportunity to engage in creative conversations and professional development workshops throughout the year, as well as access to engaging resources to assist in building lesson plans, inspiring student curiosity, and igniting meaningful conversations in the classroom.

“Part of teaching is helping people create themselves.”

Maxine Greene, internationally renowned educator and scholar.

The Geelong Arts Centre’s Creative Learning program aims to spark a love for the creative industries that opens a world of opportunity to both educators and students alike.

If you are interested in any of Geelong Arts Centre’s 2021 Creative Learning programs, please submit an expression of interest form at www.geelongartscentre.org.au/creativelearning/creativelearninginterestform/

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Continued from page 18 Whilst we were flying by the seats of our pants in schools, in coming to grips with being online institutions, parents, overnight became their children’s educational supervisors at home, some doing so having lost their jobs, others double teaming this with working from home.

Few, if any, had the luxury of a single-minded focus on their children’s learning. Fewer still had any training.

The children? They were the guinea pigs! Not by design but by necessity and all manner of predictions were forecast as to the impact on them. Mostly dire. Leading amongst those concerns was the worry, no the fear, that children, too many, would lose a year’s learning.

By implication in much commentary, a year’s learning forever lost. I noticed the impact of that commentary in the early weeks of the remote learning experience in my school community.

More than a few parents echoed that sentiment and wondered aloud as to how it could be addressed. Interestingly, the potential impact on their children’s wellbeing due to the prolonged real time absence from their classmates and friends at school, registered much lower with those parents initially.

The actions of the federal government at and around that time served only to muddy the waters on several fronts. Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan contacted independent and religious schools offering to bring forward $3 billion in funding if they could get students back into the classroom by June. This incentive was at odds with the Victorian government’s approach.

Victorian state schools were operating online learning for up to 97 per cent of students during the early weeks of term 2, based on Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton’s advice that restarting teaching in classrooms now could jeopardise the state’s progress in reducing coronavirus transmission. Quite apart from the political argy-bargy this inspired, it did little to appease the concerns of increasingly worried parents that their children would slip back significantly in their learning if forced to learn remotely at home. We felt like the proverbial ham in the sandwich – and that was only the beginning.

Term 2 was to become a seminal time insofar

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as school education was concerned, mired as we were in the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools tend to operate mostly in a self-sustaining environment of relative stability. The impact of the pandemic as it was unfolding in Victoria from April to July, was anything but stable. Arguably, being more a reflection of society, rather than a change agent, in schools we found ourselves increasingly embroiled in an ever-deepening crisis.

A term that began with schools scrambling to introduce a form of learning with which they were almost entirely unfamiliar – full time remote learning for most students, ended with all students back at school for the final three weeks of the term. In normal circumstances that would have been cause for great joy by all. That these were not normal circumstances as we had known them to be was plainly evident to all. Hardly surprising then, that with the daily new cases of COVID-19 increasing in Victoria from almost as soon as the children returned to school on Tuesday 9 June for the last three weeks of the term, many teachers were spooked. Exhausted they already were. Having to learn and implement a whole new way of delivering their teaching practice, in unprecedented haste was more than enough in itself. Simultaneously, however, the darkening cloud of COVID-19 loomed larger by the day as daily numbers of new cases grew.

The problematic nature of our knowledge about COVID-19 only added fuel to teachers’ anxiety. As our knowledge increased so did our fears. Teachers were only too aware that at school they were working in circumstances, classrooms, that did not replicate those circumstances that existed in the wider community. Returning to onsite learning for those last three weeks of term 2 brought not only staff and children eager to reengage but also uncertainty and fear. All that too for parents, stretched to the limit themselves on many fronts by the remote learning experience.

On the one hand, during the remote learning program, we basked in the knowledge that parents had developed a new found respect for our work. That was music to our ears - too used to feelings of belonging to a profession undervalued.

On the other, parents, too many, were paying a painful price. No income, too little time, too little training, sometimes too little patience and for many, too few resources.

Continued on page 48

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For enquiries Tel: 5277 9833 or Enrol online at: www.vsl.vic.edu.au 12475061-NG10-21

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GEELONG CENTRES

Team Work

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Keep it as nature intended AS every year passes, we see more articles written on the harm of infant or child circumcision, and we see more written on how important the male foreskin is. That is because in recent times, research has shown that the male foreskin has important protective, sexual and immunological functions. We also recognise the importance of children’s body autonomy and human rights.

They own their body and are entitled to have a say in how their body looks and functions for their entire lifetime.

In Australia, we have now entered the second generation of intact males after many generations of routine infant circumcision. More males now are entering adulthood with their foreskins intact and know how their foreskin benefits them, not to mention how good it feels. The idea of circumcision, or cutting off a child’s foreskin is unimaginable and horrifically barbaric to most of Australia’s men who are now intact (have their foreskin intact) and they would never consider doing such a thing to their child.

A small minority of men however are circumcised and sadly, do not know how amazing the foreskin feels. This not only affects them, but also their partners who also miss out on the pleasures a male foreskin provides. Some parents who have circumcised their son or sons, say they have done so to prevent future issues. They have known other boys “needing” to be circumcised for medical reasons and want to spare their child this later down the track. The vast majority of these so called medical issues needing circumcision are no reason for surgery at all.

Many parents don’t know that the foreskin of a child is fused to the glans or head of the penis by a membrane and this will not break down and separate the two structures until sometimes puberty or later, even as late as eighteen is still within normal range. I’ve heard some parents say “my eight year old had a very tight foreskin and couldn’t retract it, he had phimosis and had to be circumcised” Any child before the age of puberty, or separation in the teenage years, does not have phimosis, his penis is normal and still developing, let nature take its course and his foreskin will retract over his glans all in good time. We don’t force a rosebud to bloom by interfering with it; a boy’s foreskin deserves the same respect. The preputial opening (the very tip of the foreskin)

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acts as a sphincter in a child, opening for urination and then closing tight to keep contaminants out.

When the foreskin separates from the glans and the preputial opening hasn’t developed to loosen yet, this is when ballooning happens when the boy urinates. It’s not harmful and often boys have fun playing with their ballooning foreskin, it’s just a phase and the foreskin opening will develop to loosen and widen for urination without the ballooning. This all happens in the boy’s own time. When parents do not know normal penile development or intact care and think there is an issue, they immediately have their son circumcised, which in many cases, causes the boy a great deal of pain while healing from a surgery that was not needed in the first place.

The most common reason a boy will get an infection in his foreskin is if he has been forcibly retracted. Some parents think they have to pull back a baby or child’s foreskin to clean inside.

This tears apart the foreskin from the glans and can be very painful for the child, it causes bleeding, open sores and allows for bacteria to enter causing infections. A child’s foreskin should never be retracted or pulled back. Where separation has already occurred, there is no need to retract for cleaning until puberty, the inside of a boy’s foreskin is self cleaning until then. Just like our eyelids self clean our eyes. The use of soap inside a boy’s foreskin is another cause for infection as it strips the mucosal tissue of its natural flora and changes pH of the tissue. The above reasons may be why some boys have been circumcised in the past. They are not medically needed circumcisions and are based on parents, and some doctors, not knowing normal penile development or intact care. It takes just a little research for parents to learn how to care for a normal intact penis of a child instead of wanting him circumcised for a condition later in his childhood that is completely normal, or can be avoided by being educated.

Late last year, a very educational documentary on this topic called “American Circumcision” was released on DVD and available to watch on Netflix. We highly recommend watching the documentary as it explores all areas of the topic and shows both sides of the debate.

For more information, please visit our website: www.intactaus.org or facebook.com/intactaus

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Lara Secondary College LARA Secondary College is a great school for many reasons.

1. Common instructional teaching model All teachers at the College deliver their lessons via our agreed Teaching and Learning Framework which is based on the implementation of 9 evidence based High Yield Teaching strategies.

Such teaching strategies are implemented in order to gain high level achievement growth for all students across Years 7 - 12. Teaching staff regularly collaborate to ensure high quality teaching strategies are implemented across every class within the College.

2. Student Engagement Policy The College implements very clear guidelines in relation to student management and health and wellbeing. Such clear and concise documentation enables all people involved with our College to develop a real sense of pride and belonging to the College. Respect of oneself and each other is a strong focus of the College.

3. School Improvement Policy We believe that all students learn at different rates. It is for this reason that all students from Year 7 - 10 have the opportunity to improve their first result on a Common Assessment Task, if they believe with an extra week of study and more effort, they will fully understand the topic being

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studied and therefore obtain a better grade. We provide opportunities for all students to understand that the amount of effort they place into their studies will ultimately determine their level of academic success. ‘Attitude not Aptitude, will determine your Altitude’ 4. Academic Scholarships at Year 7 and Year 10 The College offers Academic Scholarships at Year 7 and Year 10 to the value of $500 each year for 3 years duration. The Academic Scholarships help support those students who are academically talented and ensure they are financially supported in reaching their high academic potential throughout their years in secondary school. Such students are also able to access our Year 7 - 9 Enrichment Classes where they will undertake more challenging curriculum work, amongst students of similar abilities.

5. Extra - Curricula Programs The College offers a wide range of Extra -Curricula Programs including Performing Arts Evenings, Senior and Junior Music Evenings, Inter School Sports, Youth Parliament, Homework Club, SRC Leadership Involvement, School for Student Leadership Program, Year 9 Connections Program, International Exchange Programs, Upstart Business Ideas Program and many more.

The College implements a Professional Learning Community framework, to enable us to closely monitor individual student learning and ensure students understand where and how they can continue to improve. Our vision and direction is guided by our values of EXCELLENCE, TEAMWORK, COMMITMENT AND RESPECT which is centred on our College Motto - Realise Your Potential.

At Lara Secondary College every student is supported to be their best and learn to their full potential in an environment where teachers are passionate about their work and their students.

We know that relationships between students

and teachers have a large impact on student learning and our work. We understand that students learn best when they relate well to their teachers, when they feel safe and secure.

We have developed a strong academic focus across the school which has seen significant growth in student learning across Years 7 – 12.

We emphasize to students the importance of effort in relation to the achievement of high academic results.

Our intensive pastoral care curriculum across Years 7 - 12 includes a structured program to support the development of academic success, individual self-esteem, learning confidence, resilience and persistence, as well as the essential ability to relate positively to others. We pride ourselves on strong and positive relationships between staff and students and work with passion and enthusiasm to ensure that every student gains the maximum benefit from their secondary education at Lara Secondary College.

College Tours are available any time throughout the week, however parents are encouraged to make contact with the College and make arrangements for a mutually convenient time during the day. The College phone number is 5282 8988 Mr. Wayne Terrill, Principal

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Lara - a natural place to rest A STONE’S throw from Geelong and with Melbourne just up the freeway, Lara is on the doorstep of so many possibilities.

Bike ride through the You Yangs Regional Park and soak in the breathtaking views, or enjoy a coffee in Lara town centre’s laid-back atmosphere.

So much is close at hand for you to pause, relax and play.

Attractions Get up close to the native wildlife at Serendip Sanctuary or sample the region’s delicious offerings at Lara’s Food & Wine Festival in the magnificent Pirra Mansion 2019, Windermere Rd Lara which this year will be held on Sunday 24 March. There’s always plenty to see and do around Lara and beyond.

Retail The butcher, the baker, fresh produce and the coffee maker are just 10 minutes from home. Lara’s growing town centre has all that you need, including Coles and Safeway supermarkets.

Geelong Only a 20-minute drive or train ride away, Geelong has all the benefits of a sizeable city, with the relaxed atmosphere of a coastal country town.

Food, wine, cultural and historic attractions are all here by the beautiful bay.

Fitness Gyms to get your heart pumping, a swimming pool to entertain the kids and plenty of bike paths and sports grounds are here for you to enjoy an active, healthy lifestyle.

Cafés Immerse yourself in the community by sampling the heart-warming hot drinks and delicious food the area has to offer. From trendy brunch hangouts to honest cosy cafés, you can catch up with your friends as often as you like.

Surf Coast Some of Australia’s best surf beaches are only a 35-minute drive away. Throw your towel in the car and head to Torquay along the Great Ocean Road to explore everything the Surf Coast has to offer.

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Education There’s no shortage of a quality education options close by. The area is proudly home to many reputable primary schools, secondary schools and tertiary facilities.

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What’s in that backpack?

SCHOOL is back which means it is a good time to check your child’s backpack is correctly fitted.

Increasing numbers of children are presenting with spinal pain, with one of the major causes being carrying excessive loads to and from school.

Several issues can arise from wearing ill-fitting backpacks, including fatigue, muscle strain, neck, shoulder and/or back pain, changes to the body’s natural curvatures, poor posture and headaches.

As physiotherapists we see many students with headaches, shoulder & back pain and stiffness from carrying their backpacks tom and from school. The good news is that most school bags & backpacks are well designed to carry a reasonable weight if you follow simple fitting and lifting guidelines.

When packing your child’s backpack teach them to put the heaviest things at the back closest to the spine. In total the backpack should not weight more than 10-15% of your child’s total body mass. When placing the bag on their back it should rest evenly across both shoulders (not just one) and should conform to the natural

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contours of their back and not ‘hang’. If then bag is sitting too low adjust the shoulder straps to lift the bag up to rest above your child’s hips. Using the waist strap when walking will distribute the weight more evenly and take pressure off the shoulders.

A sign your child’s backpack is ill-fitting or too heavy include marks on their shoulder/s, headaches complaining of pain while carrying the bag or experiencing pins and needles in their arms.

When lifting the bag up your child can lift it onto a chair or stool first and then place on their shoulders to reduce twisting and extra strain.

So take the chance to check that your child isn’t suffering any adverse effects from their school bag, and if you are concerned we are happy to assist fitting backpacks and teaching good posture and lifting techniques.

For more information please contact Lara Physiotherapy Health Network 5282 3860 or laraphysio@laraphysiotherapy.com

Lara Primary School OUR goal at Lara Primary School is to create a learning environment that recognises the unique stages of development and provides child-centred experiences reflective of the Victorian Curriculum.

When developing curriculum programs, our teachers take into account the whole child and their individual learning needs. Whilst, Literacy and Numeracy are a key focus, we also place high importance on other areas such as Inquiry, Physical Education, Science, Digital Technologies, Art and LOTE (Indonesian).

We are proud of our strong sense of community and association with the environment. We take full advantage of our rural location. This is reflected by the number of extra-curricular programs offered to students at all year levels, including our important partnership with Serendip Sanctuary.

At Lara Primary School there is a consistent approach to student behaviour and management that is based on best practice. Students are explicitly taught social and emotional skills through our Student Wide Positive Behaviour System. They are also encouraged to display a

growth mindset by taking responsibility for and reflecting on their own behaviour. The students are directed by our three school rules: ■

I am safe

■

I am respectful

■

I am ready to learn

The students are guided by dedicated and caring teachers who are committed to working together in cohort teams. These teams focus on providing a learning environment that is safe, has high expectations, develops the full potential of each child and insists on continuous improvement for all students.

We strongly value the home-school partnership, believing that by working together we can achieve successful outcomes for all of our students. We are proud of the community spirit which connects us, with positive relationships and open communication supporting our efforts to provide an excellent education for all.

Joel Riddle, Principal

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G.O.A.L.S. CAMPUS Flexible Learning Our second campus GOALS is a FLO (Flexible Learning Option) located in Colac, and offers a unique diversity of programs and educational pathways for students, from year 10-12 including VCE, VET and VCAL. All programs across both campuses are carefully crafted and individualized to encourage the best possible learning outcomes.

Contact the college Campus Principal Shahne Wilkinson 12469615-JW10-21

Ph: 0438 835 127 Address: 6 Murray Street, Colac, 3250

LAVERS HILL K-12 COLLEGE “Respect, Resilience, Integrity, Humour, Equality” Every day is an open day! Come and see us at work

This campus is set in extensive landscaped gardens and grounds with excellent recreational and sporting facilities including tennis, basketball and netball courts, fully equipped gym, gymnasium and a heated indoor swimming pool.

Contact the College office and meet the Principal Anthony Grayden who will conduct guided tours Ph: 5237 3213 Email: lavers.hill.k12@education.vic.gov.au Web: www.lavershillp12c.vic.edu.au Address: 10 College Drive, Lavers Hill VIC, 3238

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Lavers Hill K-12 College has two campuses.

The K-12 campus is a beautiful rural school on the Great Ocean Road set in the Otway Ranges, and caters for students in Kinder to year 12.

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Geelong Schools

39

For over 50 years, Newcomb Secondary College has been creating positive pathways for young people in Geelong. The College offers a future-focused curriculum within an environment which nurtures holistic student wellbeing and engagement. Our teaching and learning structures accommodate a broad range of individualised goals and needs through well-resourced literacy and numeracy supports and an emphasis on student agency and career action plans.

The College is proud to have been the first Australian school to offer a P-Tech Program. This enables students to participate in stakeholder-supported pathways to learning and employment within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related industries. Through a partnership with the Gordon TAFE and key members of the Geelong business community, the College is ensuring that our school leavers are equipped with the skills needed for success in workforce of the 21st century. Within the College, this is reinforced through our GROW (Getting Ready for the Outside World) curriculum, which leads our agenda for students to pursue positive future pathways and features a unique digital capability partnership with the Gordon TAFE called Skillsbuilder.

We are also committed to students maximising their personal growth through broad participation in a range of extra-curricular programs. Students develop confidence, teamwork, and leadership through their involvement with our renowned Music Program, culminating in a number of celebrated public performances and the annual Band Tour. The annual College Bike Tour is also a chance for students to test their mental and physical resilience, in conditions which often result in the forging of lifelong friendships between the participants of the tour.

Visitors to our College are always impressed with its open, modern and light-filled learning spaces, along with its vibrant and inclusive atmosphere. We invite you to contact us and organise a tour to see for yourself these qualities within our proud school community.

Open Night - Monday, March 29th, 2021 (6:30pm in the College Learning Resource Centre).

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Newcomb Secondary College 81-85 Bellarine Hwy, Newcomb, VIC 3219 Ph: (03) 5248 1400 newcomb.sc@education.vic.gov.au

P-TECH (Pathways in Technology)

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Newcomb Secondary College is proud to host Australia’s first P-TECH program, a collaborative partnership between education and industry. This program provides pathway opportunities for students to gain a nationally accredited qualification in addition to their regular secondary school education. It also provides mentor assisted workplace experiences with one of our key industry partners.

Currently our P-TECH stakeholder partners include Analytical MicroLABS, Australian Laboratory Services, Avalon Airport, Barwon Health, Bendigo Bank, BioLabs, Blood Toyota, Challenge Meats, City of Greater, Geelong, Deakin University, Ford Motor Company, Geelong Technology Group, GMHBA, Gordon Tafe, IBM, LL & Co Hair Salon, Opteon Property Group, Royal Geelong Yacht Club, Runway HQ, SC Technology and Tribal Group.

Students are able to build their personal capacities and develop the skills required in the modern workplace through engaging a supported work placement within these industry-leading organisations.

P-TECH supports our school leavers in being equipped with the attributes and confidence required for them to excel within the workforce of the 21st century. Further information about P-TECH can be sought via the Skilling Australia Foundation, which has been engaged by the Federal Government to oversee the partnership initiative, or by visiting the Newcomb Secondary College website.

North Geelong Secondary College Five questions you need to ask when choosing a Secondary School Every school is different and offers different learning opportunities for students. So, as parents and guardians, it is essential to ask the following five questions when finding the right school for your children: 1. What are the College’s values?

At North Geelong Secondary College (NGSC), our values are Respect, Excellence, Achievement and Diversity. These values are upheld through our culture of high expectations and embedded in our teaching and learning programs which promote every student’s right to learn.

2. What are the facilities like?

At NGSC, we are proud to offer new and refurbished, state-of-the-art facilities for our students, including: ■ Traditional enclosed classrooms fitted with SMART TVs and interactive touch screens ■ Brand new technology wing, Food tech Kitchen, and science laboratories ■ Specialised visual and performing arts spaces ■ Expansive library ■ Outstanding sporting facilities, including synthetic turf surfaces ■ 100% air-conditioned teaching spaces.

The Sanctuary is an area designed to assist new Year 7 students in their transition to secondary school. This area houses their lockers, provides a picturesque area to use during breaks that is separate to the rest of the College population and is central to the Junior Sub School Office, Year Level Coordinators and Student Wellbeing.

3. What will my child be learning?

At NGSC, we have a fully-documented curriculum which means that teaching and learning is carefully planned and mapped, taking into account students’ individual needs and progress. Student learning is also supported by: ■ Chromebooks and access to AARNet (data speeds up to 1Gbps) ■ Select Entry Academic Learning (SEAL) Program ■ STEM Program ■ Excellence in Sports Program ■ ACE and STAR Literacy and Numeracy Intervention Programs.

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Beyond the transitional classroom, students also have the opportunity to be involved in: ■ Debating ■ Outdoor Education ■ Human Powered Vehicle ■ Annual College Production ■ International exchange programs.

4. What support is there for my child?

At NGSC, we provide the following academic and wellbeing support: ■ ACE and STAR Literacy and Numeracy support programs ■ Wellbeing Team with experienced social and youth workers ■ Doctors in Schools Service onsite ■ Lunchtime clubs including Jewelry Making, Anime, Woodwork, Chess Coding, Karaoke, Dance and Yoga.

5. How will my child be prepared for work and tertiary studies?

At NGSC, our experienced Pathways Team, ensures students have the opportunity to select courses that best suits their strengths and interests, whether it be VCE, VCAL, VET subjects and/or SBATs. We ensure all students have a viable post-secondary pathway, whether it be further study or full-time, gainful employment.

For more information on what NGSC has to offer your child, we invite you to attend our Information Evening on Thursday March 11th or contact our Transitions & Pathways Leaders, Stan Kovillas on 5240 5800.

North Geelong Secondary College Principal, Nick Adamou

2022 Enrolment

College Information Evening Thursday 1 th March, 202 For details about our - Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) Program - Scholarship Program - Excellence in Sport Program or to organise a personalised school tour, please contact Stan Koullas Transitions Leader

North Geelong Secondary College 130 Separation Street, North Geelong, 3215

Ph: (03) 5240 5800

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OBERON HIGH SCHOOL

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“Shape Your Future....

Go One Better”

FULL SCHOLARSHIPS IN: • Academic Excellence • Leadership • Sporting Excellence

• Community Excellence • Arts Excellence

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OPEN NIGHT T Thursday 25th March 2021 Tours from 5:30 Information session from m 7:00pm in the Gym ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM (SELECT ENTRY) INFORMATION SESSIONS TO RUN MID MAY

Baton Rd, Armstrong Creek, 3217. Telephone: 03 5243 4444

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Continued from page 22 For some, too much – too much tension in their households. In the middle were the children.

Surreal was the kindest word widely bandied about as the days merged firstly into weeks and then months during winter with most children having returned to remote learning from home.

If prior to the pandemic, our schools systemically were split in sectors – public and private, now they were further splintered into those that were barren or mostly so, of students, and those juggler-like, with up to 100 or more students attending daily; the balance at home remote learning. There was no script for this – and it showed. By the end of term 3 we had all learnt a lot. Not the least being that more than 150 schools had been closed due to COVID-19 outbreaks.

Some had turned to history – that eternal tutor whom to deaf ears too often speaks. In Australia, during the 1930’s and stretching to the 1960’s polio epidemics peaked intermittently. On more than one occasion schools were closed and fear was rampant. Whilst different to the COVID-19 virus in many ways, the polio virus simultaneously shares some statistical similarities. The incubation period for polio is typically between 6 and 20 days, with 95% of all sufferers appearing to have no apparent symptoms. The similarities do not end there with less than 1% of all polio victims developing paralytic polio, that being a permanent weakness or paralysis of the legs, arms or both. Of that 1%, approximately between 15% and 30% of adults die, with many fewer children also dying. It does not appear to end there.

With much still to be learnt about COVID-19, early indications suggest the disturbing possibility that some people who have contracted COVID-19 may suffer long term conditions. The evidence to date on polio indicates that about 25% to 40% of people who suffered from paralytic polio as children develop new symptoms in adulthood many years later – post-polio syndrome (PPS), symptoms not unlike those experienced by many when first they contracted polio.

I count myself very lucky. In the early 1950s, upon arrival in Australia, and initially housed in the Bonegilla migrant camp with my parents as a very young child, 18 of the 21 young children

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there at the time, contracted polio. As my mother recalled years later, I was one of only 3 of those children that did not. Looking back, I can understand my parents joy at the discovery of Salk vaccine as our family grew in the late 1950s.

Hopefully the replication of that joy for us all is within reach.

Recently, quite by accident, I met an elderly woman whilst visiting a health facility. She interrupted a conversation I was having with the receptionist, overhearing that I was a school principal whose school was in the midst of providing remote learning for the students. She had been a young child in the 1930s when a spike in polio numbers swept through Victoria. Her story - schools were closed for many weeks, with most children having time off. There was no remote learning program as such. For her and her brother, however, having parents who were school teachers, things were different. They were made to do school work while their friends were free to play. People were very scared. I asked her what advice could she give me. Her reply was unexpected – “You’re not alone.”

The on-the ground-experiences in our schools are yet to be substantially captured in research findings. As we move deeper into term 4 with all children back at school, an increasing body of anecdotal evidence is mounting, some of which is a call to urgent action. What began as a major concern over ‘learning loss’ has morphed into a greater awareness of the social and emotional impact of remote learning on children. It is true that for some children their academic learning will have suffered under the remote learning program and this should not be ignored, but that academic learning cannot, nor should it be disentangled from social and emotional learning should not be forgotten. That is always a worry when schools are judged predominantly on comparative tests such as NAPLAN. Renowned Australian child psychologist, Dr Michael Carr-Gregg made this point recently when he publicly stated that he was, “treating lots of kids who were not at school due to anxiety”.

According to Dr Carr-Gregg a trend has developed among the young people that, “my world is stuffed” following the extended isolation and he believes that schools should work to counter that view.

Continued on page 68

SURF COAST SECONDARY COLLEGE :H HQGHDYRXU WR LQVSLUH RXU VWXGHQWV

Learning Mentors

Contributing to Our Great Community

Advanced, Modern Learning Environments and Programs

Erin Wright College Principal

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Personal Growth

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SURF COAST SECONDARY COLLEGE

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SURF COAST SECONDARY COLLEGE

PHONE: (03) 5261 6633 EMAIL: SURF.COAST.SC@EDUCATION.VIC.GOV.AU WEBSITE: WWW.SURFCOASTSECONDARYCOLLEGE.VIC.EDU.AU FACEBOOK: @SURFCOASTSC

Western Heights College WESTERN Heights College is a learning community where students are guided to discover their talents, enjoy their educational journey and develop goals for the future.

We believe all students can succeed with effort, persistence and the right support in place. We are a welcoming school, progressive, honest, resilient and adventurous.

Our core values, courage, community and integrity compel us, but our actions define us. The values are lived by our people, through our programs and in our interactions with our community. These core ethics and principles are the essence of our school’s identity. They guide our actions, helping us, and helping others to do and be their best.

Western Heights College is in the exciting formative years of establishing a new and vibrant culture. It is a government co-educational single campus secondary college located in the heart of the Hamlyn Heights, Herne Hill and the Geelong West region just a short drive from the Geelong city centre, the Geelong Ring Road and nearby rural towns. In 2015, the stage 2 school total rebuild was complete enabling the school to realise its vision of state-of-the-art modern buildings which connect learning, to our community.

The college’s purpose is to empower students to strive for success and excellence in their educational journey with a focus on learning growth, high expectations, holistic well-being, creativity and innovation. Stage 3 planning has commenced for the school to complete its masterplan which will see the college state of art gymnasium constructed on-site to enable a highly specialised sports and physical activity program to grow. The college offers flexible indoor and outdoor learning spaces as well as an array of educational opportunities to empower students to strive for success and excellence in their educational learning journey.

Western Heights College joins 55 other schools Australia wide to offer the AVID Program (Advancement Via Individual Determination) to students in Year 7-12. The college also has a strong focus on literacy and numeracy across the college.

Global learning and thinking is a priority for the College with the school inclusive of cultural diversity, offering EAL and Chinese mandarin as

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it’s language. The college has sister schools in China and South Korea.

In 2020, the college launched the first of its specialist sports programs in basketball. This elite program offers students an opportunity to explore their sporting potential with elite coaches whilst combining this with individualised learning programs. In 2021 an AFL program for both girls and boys will be launched.

Leadership, interpersonal development and student voice and agency with their learning are a focus for the school with its offerings of exceptional dance, music, performing arts and the state school spectacular, technology, STEM and art extension programs on offer. The college has recently re-invigorated its camps and study opportunities to include local, interstate and international experiences to places like Mount Buller, Kokoda, Central Australia, China, South Korea and Fiji with Destination Dreaming. The College is also involved regularly in the School for Student Leadership Opportunities and is one of only 3 schools in the state piloting and constructing the Stephanie Alexander Secondary Schools Kitchen Garden Program.

All students belong to learning communities with developmental personal learning goals and pathways plans, supported by a daily mentoring program. Years 7 and 8 students are supported in their learning communities by a teacher team focused on building key skills, knowledge and understanding.

An innovative personalised program for Year 9 and 10 students includes access to VCE, School Based Apprenticeships (SBA’s) and Vocational Education Training (VET) studies in the supported DET Head Start Program.

Years 11 and 12 students choose from a wide range of studies, combining academic, vocational and applied learning programs and certificates.

Western Heights College has an active and fully engaged College Council, establishing strong links with the local community, including partnerships with the City of Greater Geelong, Vines Road Community Hub, the Geelong Regional Library, Vines Road Senior Citizens and the Geelong Ford Museum of Motoring and Industry co-located on the new site.

It an exciting time to be a student at Western Heights College.

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Grossek’s View Grossek’s view Fly or flounder?

HOW well prepared for secondary school will be the Year 6 graduates of 2020? I’ve been asked this question a number of times recently, mostly by parents, themselves largely over the remote learning program in which they and their children have been immersed these recent months. It’s a fair question. Quite straightforward really.

Frustratingly, the answer is anything but simple – hopeful at best.

The coronavirus pandemic has thrown conventional preparation for Year 6 students to transition to secondary school out the window.

Indeed, schooling as we have known it preCOVID-19, simply doesn’t exist in that state this year. Precisely what next year will look like in our schools is anybody’s guess. It depends very heavily, but not entirely, on a number of variables; these being, in the first instance, the degree to which we can keep daily new COVID-19 numbers very low. Secondly, and let’s be very hopeful here, the timing of when an effective vaccine is discovered and made universally available.

In moving forward into 2021 for our Year 7 students, several things are very clear and form the basis for a hopeful prediction. Bizarrely, the past six months and possibly the next three months will have provided schools, both primary and secondary schools with valuable experience and insights into both provision of remote learning programs and their impact on students.

This can only be of great value to both sectors as they grapple with the challenge of firstly preparing students for their transition and then, for secondary schools to take up the cudgels, so to speak, of providing all year 7 students next year with the most appropriate learning experience that they can.

On another positive note, it’s fair to assume that we have never had another time in our lives when parents per se, of Year 6 students, have been so engaged in their children’s learning program.

Some may well, and with justification, argue that the experience, for all its potential upside has at times been little short of a nightmare experience.

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Of course, even nightmares, may have a valuable lesson or two from which one can learn. In short, it is entirely possible that the remote learning experience, as unwelcome as it has been as an option, has given parents greater insights in to their children’s learning than they would otherwise have had. That could, and indeed should, provide a stronger base on which families as a whole can prepare for the challenges secondary schooling will present for the primary school graduates of 2020.

Then there’s the students themselves. It’s a fairly safe bet that most will make a relatively good fist of the transition. Despite all the chatter to the contrary, led mostly by adults, many well past their teenage years, as a cohort, the young are more resilient than for which we give them credit. They will survive and mostly thrive as have generation after generation of youth before them.

Let’s not, however, forget those children that spend too much time in the shadows of our collective actions. Those for whom the school is their best, if not only positive daily experience.

One can only imagine the level of impact that the social starvation of real time interaction with their peers has had.

Those too, whose homes and schools alike despite their best intentions and efforts, have been simply been unable to come within cooee of providing the essential technological and/or wellbeing support that others, more fortunate, have provided in these remote learning times. For those students transition to secondary schooling is of greatest concern.

At a practical school level, the student progress information flow from primary schools to secondary schools this year presents serious challenges. The depth and volume of student achievement data for 2020 will be significantly less than in previous years. This data is important to secondary schools in tailoring their teaching programs to meet the individual needs of all students from day one. Also, what orientation programs for Year 6 graduates will look like this year is anybody’s guess at this stage. Whilst only of limited duration, they are important for social and psychological reasons. The unknown has an uncanny knack for messing with our minds.

I recall my own transition to secondary school many decades ago when orientation programs were nothing more than the figment of imagination, if that. The loudest voices of my older peers had the most impact, and not all were positive.

Nonetheless, let’s not undersell both the commitment and expertise of our teachers. They are all acutely aware, already, of these challenges and more that face the transition of Year 6 children to secondary schooling in 2021. I have no doubt that they will do their utmost to ensure the best possible transition for all students. That is heartening.

My brief for this article was to undertake an exercise in crystal ball gazing – that is the likely impact the coronavirus pandemic-inspired remote learning program would have on the transition of students from primary to secondary schools in 2021. Crystal ball gazing is a fascinating exercise for many reasons. Curiosity about the unknown ranks very highly. How the unknown might affect us personally, even higher. Little wonder then that from soothsayers of bygone eras to astrologists of today, humans are prepared to turn to any advice in the hope of securing greater certainty in their minds at least for however a fleeting moment, if not their lives.

Then of course there’s science and, as an educator, I’d say our science is our best hope and that germinates in our schools. Importantly, science takes emotions out of the equation and right now there’s more than enough emotion surrounding all manner of debates regarding this pandemic and by extension its impact on the lives of our children’s futures. Fear, more than any other emotion has been shown to have the greatest impact on our behaviour, and how we handle fear determines to a large extent the outcome. In this instance, there’s the personal and the collective response to fear and both will intersect in a myriad of ways. The outcomes will similarly be diverse.

I once wrote a quote for my school newsletter – ‘An optimist is someone who believes a pessimist can be changed.’

A most pessimistic view of the immediate educational impact of the remote learning program on Year 6 students as they transition to secondary

school is that it will be lasting and damaging.

On the other hand, a most optimistic view would hold that the impact will be transitional with the students ultimately benefitting from the experience – this demonstrated in their beliefs and actions as adults in years to come.

My view? Being neither an optimist nor a pessimist, but rather a sceptic, I’m not sure. For some, the lucky few who have thrived in the remote learning environment it will be a personal boon. But will that translate into a collective empathy? I yearn to believe so. Then there’s the mass of students comprising the greater part of the Bell Curve – they’ll be largely okay and hopefully the harbingers of a better world. I’ve mentioned earlier those outlier students for whom the shadows are their dwelling place. Some will be inspired and in beating the odds and will become the torchbearers of hopeful societal change. Sadly, however, the story for all of those outlier children does not end there.

Henry Grossek, Principal, Berwick Lodge Primary School

Geelong Schools

55

Victoria School Guides Highly ranked on Google a useful resource tool for parents.

Whether you are seeking information about a particular school in your area or are looking for a school for your child, then this site is for you.

Governm e n t Sch hoollss Gu ide id Several frequently asked questions Se Sec have been answered and if you on dar y have a question that hasn’t been addressed then send it to our team for their input.

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All of our hard copy guides are available digitally on the website

www.victoriaschoolguides.starcommunity.com.au

For further information regarding our range of education guides and to provide us with your questions please contact: Katrina Mihai on katrina.mihai@starnewsgroup.com.au or 03 5945 0693

Geelong Schools

57

The importance of effective primary learning CHILDREN learn an amazing amount as their learning journey continues through primary school.

Primary school education continues in Years 1 to 6 where children receive a strong foundation in eight core subject areas: ■ English ■ Mathematics ■ Science ■ society and environment ■ technology and enterprise ■ languages ■ the arts ■ health and physical education.

Literacy and numeracy are important learning areas. Learning focuses on ensuring your children understand mathematics, and learn to read and write competently. Many schools have specialist literacy and numeracy teachers to help your children develop these important skills.

Programs are designed to build natural curiosity and foster inquiring minds in the area of science and technology. In society and environment, they learn about the history and traditions at the heart of Australia’s democratic society.

Teachers plan for a balance of activities based on the learning needs of your children and other children in their class. In some instances specialist teachers teach the class, for example in art, music and physical education.

The classroom layout is more formal than Preprimary with students sitting together in groups or rows. Your children spend more time working at their desk and in small groups. Set days and times are allocated to each subject area.

If your children are having difficulty with any of the learning, speak with their teacher.

Homework and study Homework reinforces and supports the things your children learn at school. It is designed to get your children thinking and applying what they learn in different ways and encourages them to become independent learners.

During the first years of primary school homework involves fun activities such as:

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reading with your children every day encouraging your children to draw, write and tell stories ■ practising using numbers ■ encouraging your children to observe things in nature and to ask questions.

As your children progress through school, they receive specific tasks and projects designed to apply their knowledge in different ways - for example creative writing, oral presentations and assignments.

You can help your children by: ■ setting aside a set time each day for homework (also allow time for play and relaxation) ■ setting up a ‘homework space’ where your children can do their homework ■ setting up a schedule for big projects that take longer to complete so they are not left with one day to finish it ■ letting your children have a go at their homework first before helping them ■ asking your children to explain what they have done - explaining things in their own words is a great way to learn ■ checking your children’s homework when they are done for the day and working through any errors together ■ knowing where your children are up to with their homework so they do not fall behind.

If your children are having problems with their homework or with a specific subject or project, ask their teacher to spend some extra time helping them through the task.

Talk with your children’s teacher about the school’s homework policy for more details.

Ref: http://www.education.vic.gov.au ■ ■

Deaf Education at Grovedale West Primary School

Grovedale West Primary School encompasses the Geelong Deaf Education Centre which is a highly specialised educational resource for eligible deaf students living in the Geelong area.

As Geelong’s dedicated deaf education service provided within a mainstream primary school, the school has specialised school based resources including skilled Teachers of the Deaf, Auslan interpreters and Deaf Education Assistants who assist the language and learning needs of deaf students and also support their families.

Teachers of the Deaf work closely with classroom teachers to target the specific needs of each student and provide language therapy services. The students are also supported by Speech Pathologists and other support services including Hearing Australia. The classrooms are fitted with Soundfield systems to assist the students.

A team of classroom assistants support the deaf students in their mainstream classes under the close guidance of the Teachers of the Deaf to ensure that the teaching support targets their needs.

Our Deaf and hard of hearing students learn with their friends in a highly engaging, collaborative and nurturing learning environment, guided by the educational team.

Our students also love engaging in Science, Philosophy, Music, Art, PE and the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program and are supported to be active learners, thinkers and leaders.

We invite you to join us for a personal tour of the school and to meet our education team and Teachers of the Deaf by contacting the school on 5241 4774.

Address: 85 Heyers Road, Grovedale 3216 Phone: 5241 4774 Email: grovedale.west.ps@education.vic.gov.au 12470294-JW10-21

Geelong Schools

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Opportunities for all to reach potential

Mr Miles said various research partnerships and professional development programs for teachers underpinned contemporary teaching and learning, which has helped drive above state average outcomes in NAPLAN,

VCE and VCAL across the sector.

‘Our schools are deeply committed to excellence in teaching and learning, including providing extension programs for talented students’, he said.

In keeping with their Christian ethos and a long tradition of education for the disadvantaged, Mr Miles said Catholic schools also aim to be inclusive by keeping fees low and remaining accessible to all who seek their values.

He said that 15% of Victorian Catholic school students are identified as eligible for Australian government disability funding, 15% are from lowincome families and around 25% of students have a language background other than English (LBOTE).

‘In an important indication of the inclusive character of our schools, a Melbourne Institute study shows that Catholic school students are far less likely to be bullied than those attending government schools.

‘As part of this, Catholic schools not only aim to create zero-bullying environments based on a genuine concern for others, but also strive to be leaders in child safety.

Mr Miles said Catholic schools encourage parents to become involved in their children’s learning and engage in school life.

Continued on page 62

Agatha Scandizzo and Angela Cremona are the St Vincent de Paul student program leaders at Nazareth College, Noble Park North, in 2021.

They say the Vinnies program helps bring their school community together and makes a difference in people’s lives.

Kolbe Catholic College, Greenvale Lakes, has launched a sporting academy program in 2021 to assist talented athletes to achieve at the highest levels and help them with their personal education, vocational development and sporting aspirations.

EXECUTIVE Director of Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) Jim Miles says Catholic schools provide a high-quality, faith-based education of the ‘whole person’ that nurtures each child’s unique talents.

‘Catholic schools work in partnership with families to develop young people whose minds and lives are empowered by their Catholic education to be active, responsible and virtuous contributors to the common good’, Mr Miles said.

‘Respecting the dignity, diversity and contribution of each person, Catholic schools seek to be compassionate in all their relationships and strive for excellence in all they do, from serving their communities to being academic leaders.’

Mr Miles said a holistic approach to education enriches the intellectual, physical, spiritual and emotional lives of students.

‘Our emphasis on the whole student has also been endorsed by academic research, with a Curtin University study showing Catholic school graduates enjoy higher levels of life satisfaction.’

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Learning is a journey of discovery ENROLMENTS CURRENTLY BEING ACCEPTED FOR 2022

ol; -m7 v;; o u Ѳ;-umbm] 1oll mb| bm -1ࢼomĹ Visit our classrooms and hear from our Principal about what we offer.

We believe you’ll be excited by our vision. uo r |o uv 1 uu;m|Ѳ 0;bm] o@;u;7 weekly throughout March.

To Register Phone: 9089 6614

www.lisieux.catholic.edu.au 12470319-DL10-21

Continued from page 60 ‘By working together, schools and families can create an effective learning environment and a climate of mutual respect.

‘As always, Catholic schools continue to respond to the expectations of parents and the changing landscape of contemporary learning to engage students and prepare them as global citizens, equipped to face the world with confidence and sensitivity to social justice issues.’

Parents Ian and Belinda McKay from St Martin of Tours School in Rosanna said the thing they most value about their school is that their children learn about their faith and live it each day.

‘Faith brings people together and strengthens the sense of community and belonging.

‘We have experienced this faith in action many times at our school through the support we have received from the teachers and school community, particularly during challenging times when our daughter has undergone treatment for leukaemia’, they said.

Thuy, a parent from Sacred Heart School, Fitzroy, said: ‘We are fortunate at Sacred Heart to have teachers who are friendly, caring and supportive.

St Bernadette’s School, Sunshine North, has been recognised by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) for consistently delivering strong progress in NAPLAN writing assessments by adopting innovative pedagogical practices, informed by evidence, at both whole-school and classroom levels.

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I feel safe here, and my kids feel safe too.

‘Our school is great at helping my child to learn and provided amazing support during remote learning. I hope 2021 will be a normal school year, full of success and happiness for my child’, she said.

A commitment to social justice and community service is a vital part of the holistic education offered by Catholic schools.

Agatha Scandizzo and Angela Cremona are the St Vincent de Paul student program leaders at Nazareth College, Noble Park North, in 2021.

‘As Vinnies leaders, we aim to implement our faith in everything we do. We feel it is our responsibility to help those less fortunate,as Jesus did.

‘The Vinnies team helps bring our school community together and makes a difference in people’s lives.

‘We are always amazed by the generosity of our school community, yet it is seeing the impact of our work that is most rewarding’, Agatha and Angela said.

Mr Miles said the pandemic we all faced in 2020 made for a challenging year for school communities as they worked hard to support the learning continuity and wellbeing of students, staff and families.

‘However, there are also positives to come from the experience, including more flexible ways of teaching and learning, and strengthened partnerships between schools and families, which our schools aim to build on in 2021.’

More than 155,000 students (or one in five) will commence or continue their schooling journey with one of 333 Catholic primary and secondary schools across the Archdiocese of Melbourne this year.

A new era for Catholic Education 2021 marks a new era for Catholic education with the establishment of MACS by Archbishop Peter A Comensoli.

This change sees 290 schools owned by the Archdiocese and its parishes transferred to MACS, which is now responsible for the governance and operation of these schools.

Continued on page 72

ENROLMENTS Open for the 2022 School Year

12469637-DL10-21

• VISION • INNOVATION • PASSION • ACCOUNTABILITY • COLLABORATION • HUMILITY

Book a personal tour Contact 5243 0502 or reception@nsgrovedale.catholic.edu.au

Children who read books daily...

BOOKS MATTER - UK STUDY HAS LESSONS FOR AUSTRALIA A study of 43,000 students in the United Kingdom released recently has demonstrated that it not only matters that kids read: it maatters what they read.

The significant study showed that students who engaged in reading high-quality books daily scored much higher in tests than those who chose to read items such as magazines. .

Griffith University’s Beryl Exley, Professor of English Curriculum & Literacies Education in the School of Education and Professional Studies, explains why it is important to encourage the reading of books - and why other reading materials are still important: “Comics, newspapers and magazines don’t escalate children’s cognitive skills as much because they usually present everyday concepts with everyday vocabulary in a practical way.

“Story books and information books usually present academic concepts with a more technical vocabulary in an abstract way. This is what grows cognitive capacity.

“That’s not to say that comics, newspapers and magazine don’t ever focus on academic concepts, but it’s less likely that will happen.

Children still should be encouraged to read comics, newspapers and magazines for pleasure, to add to their general knowledge and to be politically aware. Breadth of reading opportunities is the goal.”

For more information, please contact Professor Beryl Exley, Deputy Head of School - Learning & Teaching in the School of Education and Professional Studies at Griffith University at b.exley@griffith.edu.au Associate Professor Michael Nagel from the University of the Sunshine Coast says,”This study resonates with a growing corpus of literature suggesting that reading paper based books offers a distinct advantage for achieving excellent standards of literacy and higher academic achievement.

“Aside from a range of issues associated with reading on screens, and an oft held sacred cow suggesting that children should be offered anything to read just as long as they are reading, this study links with others that have identified that children prefer to read books on paper rather than

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screens and that academic success is linked to developing a rich understanding of complex text through books over the school years.

“This is not to say that children should be discouraged from other types of reading but that books should be at the forefront of such endeavour.

Reading, and reading comprehension, are not general skills and both are nurtured through incrementally complex text in age appropriate books over the course of a child’s life and educational journey.”

For more information, please contact Associate Professor Michael Nagel in Child Development and Learning at the University of the Sunshine Coast at mnagel@usc.edu.au Children who read books daily score higher in school tests, vast new study states What children choose to read outside school directly influences their academic performance according to a major new study by the University of Malaga and UCL, and published in the peerreviewed journal Oxford Review of Education.

Using longitudinal census data to look at more than 43,000 students, aged 10 to 11 and then again when they were 13 to 14, the research provides substantial evidence that pupils who enjoy reading high-quality books daily score higher in tests.

The average marks of pupils who read books rose by 0.22 points overall, which is the equivalent of 3 months’ worth of additional secondary school academic growth.

The study demonstrated no similar advantage for children’s reading daily newspapers, comics or magazines, and only marginal benefits from short stories.

Continued on page 66

We are Respectful.

We are Learners.

We are our Best Selves.

Catholic Primary School ENGAGE

EMPOWER

EXCEL

St Catherine of Siena School is a Catholic co-educational primary school in Armstrong Creek which opened its doors in January 2020.

As we grow our learning community together, our core focus is to nurture authentic relationships and build a positive learning environment for all, where opportunities are created for children to feel safe and valued. We are a community of faith and we believe every child can achieve.

We are committed to engaging and empowering all students to excel as lifelong learners.

At St Catherine of Siena we offer - Weekly specialist classes in Visual Arts, Performing Arts, STEM and Physical Education - Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program for all students from grade Prep to Grade 6 - Spanish through the Language Immersion Project, where students and teachers co-learn Spanish together with a specialist language assistant.

- Weekly Library Sessions - Bike Education - Before & after school care in partnership with Kelly Club - Weekly after school sessions of Kelly Sport - Music Bus once a week

‘Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire.’

- St. Catherine of Siena 125 Warralily Boulevard Armstrong Creek VIC 3217 Phone: 5264 5934 enquiries@stcatherine.catholic.edu.au

St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School stcatherineps

12474012-DL10-21

Continued from page 64 The findings have important implications for parents, teachers and policymakers, and the international research team is recommending that young people devote their reading time solely to books.

“Although three months’ worth of progress may sound comparatively small to some people, it equates to more than 10% of the three academic secondary school years measured – from when these young people are aged 11 years old to 14, which we know is a hugely developmental period,” explains co-author Professor John Jerrim, from the UCL Institute of Education.

“In an increasingly digital world, it’s important that young people are encouraged to find time to read a good book.”

Professor Oscar Marcenaro-Gutierrez, from the University of Malaga, added: “Other less complex and less engaging forms of reading are unlikely to bring the same benefits for their cognitive development, and shouldn’t be counted as part of their reading time.

“This is particularly important for low-achievers, where any association is likely to be strongest.”

Co-author Dr Luis Alejandro Lopez-Agudo, from the University of Malaga, says: “Reading is a fundamental skill that plays a key part in all our lives.

“Our results provide further evidence that it’s not only whether young people read or not that matters – but also what they read.”

The amount of time children spend reading is already understood to help develop their literacy skills. This ability increases through practice and by trying longer and more challenging texts.

Few studies though have focused on whether the type of material children choose influences their achievements at school.

This study, looking at pupils in Spain, attempted to establish whether a link exists between literacy and mathematics scores and the type of material children look at in their spare time, as well as how long they spend doing this. Comics, short stories, books, newspapers and magazines were the texts included in the research.

The researchers used data from a census carried out by the Andalusian Agency of Education Assessment.

This included questionnaire

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responses completed during 2008 to 2009 by 10 to 11-year-olds, and from those aged 13 to 14 during 2011 and 2012.

Children’s attitudes towards school were considered along with prior achievement levels.

Parents were also asked about their own reading habits and how involved they were in their child’s education.

The results showed the more frequently children read books, the better they performed in school tests as teenagers. The same effect was not observed with comics, newspapers and magazines. Specifically, researchers found: ■ 13 to 14-year-olds who read books every or almost every day scored 0.22 standard deviations higher (the equivalent of three months) on the literacy test than those who read books almost never.

■

There is evidence of positive spill-overs into other subjects, with a difference of around 0.20 standard deviations in mathematics.

■

There was some benefit from short stories for children who enjoyed them at least once a month.

The researchers concluded though that increasing the frequency of this to weekly or daily was unlikely to bring any further benefits.

The study also highlighted the reading patterns across different groups of children. It showed: ■ Girls seem to read short stories, books and newspapers more frequently than boys, and comics and magazines less frequently.

■

Young people from advantaged backgrounds read all the text types more frequently than those from disadvantaged homes.

■

High-achieving students (according to their 5th grade test scores) were more likely to read tales/ short novels and books compared to lowachieving students, though with little difference in terms of reading comics, newspapers and magazines.

The findings of this study should be interpreted in the context of some limitations and the need for further research. These include the research being carried out in one particular region within Spain, and the focus upon academic progress made during the early teenage years. At this point, reading skills are already quite well-developed – there is no data for younger children.

A neighbourhood school for Catholic families in Newtown Enrol for 2022 Dates for enrolment: Open - Monday 22nd March Op Close - Monday 31st May St R Robert's has a rich history of educating students within Newtown. ed Our O classrooms engage students in deep learning, they encircle our d students st with care, and support the t growth of the whole child.

S Students have the opportunity to develop their spiritual connection d to t Jesus through prayer, schoolbased liturgy, and school masses. b We W actively welcome our families in a learning partnership and elevate our educational staff to el be leaders of current research.

Our Ou leadership team works with and for our community daily. The leadership leade team encourages open communication to address needs comm as they arise from our staff and our families. We endeavour to create a space where whe your child is known and valued, where your family is welcomed whe and encircled with support as part of the Newtown community.

St Robert’s, Newtow

13 Nicholas Street, Newtown | Ph: 52211075 www.srnewtown.catholic.edu.au | email: office@srnewtown.catholic.edu.au St Robert's School, Newtown

@st_roberts_newtown_3220

@newtown_st 12468487-SN10-21

Continued from page 48 Dr Carr-Gregg maintained that young people needed four things – to hang out with their friends, to become more independent, to learn and to take healthy risks to work out who they are.

“All four of these tasks have been comprehensively quashed by the lockdown,” he concluded.

On another note, the disparity between schools and across the community in terms of access to technology and its use was brought into brutal focus. If ever we needed reminding that disadvantage per se existed in our society, then remote learning did that in spades.

Back in April, in the early days of the pandemic in Australia, Kids Helpline and the Australian Human Rights Commission co-authored a report on the impacts of COVID-19 on children and young people who contacted Kids Helpline. Their findings provide a useful framework for the here and now; months later with the impact of the pandemic real and present. The main concerns raised by these children were mental health issues caused from COVID-19, social isolation, education and family impacts and disruption to their plans and usual activities. Those children and young people aged between 5 and 25 saw

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their own reality in sharp relief with little practical experience on which to draw, a reality which appears to have changed little in the months following, judging by our own anecdotal observations. Sometimes I both marvel at the perceptiveness of children and scold myself for ever being surprised.

The future, as we thought we knew it might be, will be different again. All thanks to COVID-19.

With, despite and in spite of us, our children will forge their future and their children’s futures, post-COVID-19. Post us. Small sample it surely is, but the words of my students refuse to leave me; give me heart. That they care so much about the wellbeing of their parents, albeit tied to theirs, reveals much that is to be admired. They have so much to offer. It is more than reason enough to act boldly on all the learning to be garnered from COVID-19. They deserve that chance.

As we now move into the summer months, with restrictions easing what do we take with us? The words of the old woman I met some little time ago, the woman who had lived through the 1930s polio epidemic, flash back. “You’re not alone.”

I shudder to think were it not so.

Henry Grossek

ST THERESE CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL TORQUAY

St Therese in the Nazareth Parish, is set in a semi-rural area on the Surf Coast.

The majority of families at St Therese live in the immediate Torquay, Jan Juc and Anglesea areas.

We are a Catholic Parish Primary School, priding itself on a friendly and supportive environment with a unique sense of community where parents, staff and students value and respect each other.

At St Therese, all learners have the opportunity to inquire, discover, grow and be Christ - centred.

We learn: • To be resilient, mindful/calm and self-responsible.

• To do by building positive relationships, problem solving, taking responsible risks, making decisions and communicating effectively.

• To learn with curiosity, purpose, critical thinking and reflection.

• To enquire, develop, grow and discover.

We encourage you to explore our website and contact the school if you have any further queries.

5261 4246

www.sttorquay.catholic.edu.au 12473838-NG10-21

On the same page with homework AS schools go back around the country, some parents will be questioning the purpose of their primary-aged children’s homework. Dr Katina Zammitt from Western Sydney University explains how to make it meaningful, and why it’s important for teachers and parents to understand what the other is looking for from the get-go.

Dr Katina Zammitt, Western Sydney University – “It’s important to know the teacher’s expectations from the beginning of the year” Dr Katina Zammitt is the Deputy Dean at the School of Education at Western Sydney University.

Katina is passionate about improving student learning outcomes.

“Homework can be a minefield for children and parents in primary schools,” says Dr Zammitt.

“Teachers often state that they set homework each week to keep the parents happy. Parents comment that they feel frustrated with the homework their children are given as they don’t understand how to help or how to do it the way the teacher does.

“The ‘best’ homework goes beyond filling in a worksheet, memorising spelling, finishing incomplete schoolwork or doing a project.

Repetitive low-level activities are merely busy work than actual learning.

“Homework should build students’ capacities and understandings based on the work they are

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It’s important to know the teacher’s expectations from the beginning of the year, to help parents engage with learning, and ensure homework is enhancing student learning. doing at school whether it is literacy, history, mathematics or any other subject. It should be meaningful and able to be completed by the child with minimal parental assistance. It might include talking and asking questions, learning about the child’s world in greater depth or using family experiences such as shopping to engage them in learning to read or count.

“It’s important to know the teacher’s expectations from the beginning of the year, to help parents engage with learning, and ensure homework is enhancing student learning.”

For more information or an interview, please contact Dr Katina Zammitt of Western Sydney University at K.Zammit@westernsydney.edu.au

Wallington Primary School

Priorities of the school are: s (IGH EXPECTATIONS OF ALL STUDENTS s 3TRONG LITERACY AND NUMERACY SKILLS s %ARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMS IN READING AND MATHEMATICS

when needed, to give students the best possible chance of succeeding in their education s (EALTHY EATING HABITS s &OCUS ON THE ENVIRONMENT s ,EADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT s )NCORPORATION OF )NFORMATION AND #OMMUNICATION Technology in the everyday program s %XTRA CURRICULA ACTIVITIES SUCH AS INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

debating, camping program to name a few s 7ALLINGTON 3TRAWBERRY &AIR s 3CHOOL 7IDE 0OSITIVE "EHAVIOUR PROGRAM

608-610 Wallington Road, Wallington, 3222 Phone: (03) 5250 1841

12428702-NG09-20

Wallington is a small school situated in a rural setting.

The school provides a focal point for the local community and we enjoy a wide range of community participation at the school. There has been a school on the site since 1900 so we have a long tradition of community involvement. The school comprises of a modern main administration area and classrooms, also a Multi-Purpose Room, Arts Centre and kitchen facility has provided the school with a space that is open and flexible and can be used by classes for a wide range of learning activities. We also have a wonderful Children’s Garden where the students get to grow and cook with the produce.

The playground is spacious and provides our students with various areas to stimulate their imaginations in a safe environment. Incorporated in the playground is a passive area where children who want a quiet area to play can go.

The school also has a large oval that is used for sporting events such as cross country, Friday sport, and a range of other activities.

Continued from page 62 Archbishop Comensoli said: ‘The establishment of MACS is a necessary and constructive change to the operations for our schools that not only reflects community expectations about the operation of schools, but keeps our Christ-centred mission at the heart of all we do in Catholic education.’

The change builds on the rich legacy of parish priest governance and ongoing pastoral leadership of Catholic schools, and provides the opportunity to continue to support and collaborate with schools operated by religious institutes, ensuring that all Catholic schools thrive and develop as a mission of the Archdiocese.

A key feature of the new arrangements for MACS-governed schools is the establishment of School Advisory Councils (SACs), providing a structure for collaboration between school leaders, parish priests, parents and school community members.

A growing sector With Catholic education’s growing popularity as a school choice and the expansion of school communities planned over the next decade, now is an exciting time for the Catholic school community in Victoria.

This year more than 155,000 students – more than one in five – are enjoying a Catholic education in 333 schools across Melbourne.

Catholic education is by far the second largest provider of schooling in Victoria.

In 2020, two new Catholic schools opened in the rapidly growing areas south of Geelong: St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School, Armstrong Creek, and Iona College Geelong, Charlemont.

In 2021, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School has opened in the Parish of Werribee.

Planning is underway for additional schools in coming years to meet the needs of families, particularly in the western and northern regions of Melbourne. These include: ■ St Lawrence of Brindisi Primary School, which is scheduled to open in the Parish of Melton South in 2022, with a site purchased for a secondary school in the parish scheduled to open in 2023.

■ Holy Cross Primary School, which is scheduled to open in the Parish of Craigieburn in 2022.

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Mary, Queen of Heaven Primary School, which is scheduled to open in the Parish of Gladstone Park in 2023, along with a new primary school in the Parish of Hoppers Crossing North.

Did you know?

■ University of Melbourne research has found that Catholic schools add an average of six points to tertiary admission ranks, or ATAR scores, at the crucial career-defining end of a student’s school journey.

■ A Curtin University study makes special mention of the ‘social capital’ contributed to the greater good of the community by graduates of Catholic schools.

■ A 2020 report, ‘Australian Schools and the Common Good’, found that Catholic school graduates are the highest earners with an average annual household income of $99,722, according to a recent study of Australians aged 25–39. This compared with $90,849 for independent school graduates and $85,489 for government school graduates.

If you are interested in a Catholic education for your child, please contact your local Catholic school or visit www.macs.vic.edu.au/ Our-Schools.aspx.

■

Parents Belinda and Ian McKay with Leila (Year 5) and Ethan (Prep) from St Martin of Tours School in Rosanna say the school’s Catholic faith brings people together and strengthens their sense of community and belonging.

Creativity across Art & STEM A RECENT study has investigated students’ attitudes and abilities when it comes to creativity, comparing the results of art students with those who study STEM. Although students from different fields had different ideas about what it meant to be creative, there was a strong overlap in the personal skills needed to show creativity.

The study found that openness, creative selfefficacy, and divergent thinking were likely prerequisites to creativity, regardless of the field of study.

Openness refers to a willingness to entertain new ideas and tolerate ambiguity; creative selfefficacy is a student’s belief in their creative abilities; and divergent thinking is the ability to come up with novel ideas and solutions.

Kim van Broekhoven of Maastricht University, Professor David Cropley of UniSA, and Dr Philipp Seegers of the University of Cologne performed the study, which involved a total of 2,277 undergraduate and graduate students aged between 17 and 37 at German universities. One-hundred and thirty participants were enrolled in an Art degree, while 2147 participants were enrolled in STEM. “This finding then adds weight to the importance of broad educational support for these ‘person’ factors of creativity, from kindergarten to university,” wrote the authors. “Openness and creative self-efficacy support creativity for the artist as much as they do for the scientist.”

Unlike openness, creative self-efficacy and divergent thinking, which were important regardless of discipline, the characteristics of a creative product did show more clear disciplinary differences. Each discipline – art, science, engineering – values different aspects of creativity.

“Both art and science students strongly associated originality (novelty) with creativity,” say the authors. “This strong association was greater among art students compared to science students.

Both art and science students moderately associated effectiveness with creativity.”

The researchers hypothesised that art students would focus on originality in their ideas of creativity, whereas STEM students would see feasibility and effectiveness as areas for creative activity. However, very few students from either field associated feasibility with creativity.

“There is little practical difference in the way art

and science students perceive product creativity or associate key product qualities with creativity.

Both, it can be said, see originality as central to defining the creativity of a product, with effectiveness also moderately important.”

The researchers assumed that since people in STEM fields often make decisions based on practicality and effectiveness, rather than on beauty or originality, they would see such pursuits as creative. The results, however, point to a general idea of creativity shared by students across the disciplines that creativity is foremost a matter of originality.

Creativity is recognised as a 21st century competency that will only become more relevant as industries develop. The researchers urge educational institutions to help foster creative skills, but point out that they must be understood first.

“Without a clear, evidence-based understanding of the nature of creativity across the four elements of creativity, it is hard to formulate strategies for nurturing specific creative competencies through high school and into universities. Any individual, to be creative, benefits from high openness, high creative self-efficacy, and a strong ability to think divergently. Education at all levels must respond accordingly, providing broad support for these elements of creativity.”

Kim van Broekhoven, David Cropley, & Philipp Seegers. (2020). ‘Differences in creativity across art and STEM students: we are more alike than unalike’, Thinking Skills and Creativity. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100707 For more information, please contact David Cropley at UniSA - David.Cropley@unisa.edu.au.

MCERA, an independent, not-for-profit organisation, provides a conduit through which education research and researchers are made more accessible to the media to help improve public understanding of key education-related issues.

We provide journalists with expert, independent and accessible insights from education researchers and practitioners. Any views expressed by the experts we consult are not necessarily those of MCERA or its staff.

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Contents 10 reasons to visit Geelong & the Bellarine ... 6 & 7 Bellarine Secondary College ................................... 4 & 5 Belmont High School .................................................. 8 & 9 CEO Melb .............................................................. 60, 62 & 72 Children who read books daily ........................ 64 & 66 Christian College Geelong .................................. 10 & 11 Clonard College ............................... 12, 13 & back cover Creativity across Art & STEM ...................................... 73 Geelong Arts Centre ........................................ 19, 20 & 21 Geelong Baptist College ....................................... 14 & 15 Geelong High School .............................................. 16 & 17 Grossek’s View ........................................................... 54 & 55 Grovedale Secondary College ..................................... 27 Grovedale West Primary School ............................... 59 Intact Australia .......................................................... 28 & 29 Lara – A natural place to rest play & learn ................. ............................................................................................... 32 & 33 Lara Primary School .......................................................... 35 Lara Secondary College ........................................................ ......................................................... Front cover, 2, 3, 30 & 31 Lavers Hill P-12 College ........................................ 36 & 37 Lisieux Primary School .................................................... 61

Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College ........ 39 Nazareth Primary School ............................................... 63 Newcomb Secondary College .......................... 40 & 41 Noone Imagewear ............................................................... 75 North Geelong Secondary College ................ 42 & 43 Oberon High School .............................................. 44 & 45 On the same page with homework ........................... 70 St Catherine of Siena Primary School .................... 65 St Joseph’s College ................................................. 46 & 47 St Robert’s Catholic School ........................................... 67 St Therese Primary School ............................................ 69 Surf Coast Secondary College .................. 49 , 50 & 51 The Gordon ............................................................................. 23 The importance of effective Primary Learning ...... ......................................................................................................... 58 Victoria school Guides Website ................................ 56 Victorian School of Languages ........................ 24 & 25 Wallington Primary school ............................................ 71 Were it not so! ............................................... 18, 22, 48 & 68 Western Heights Secondary College ........... 52 & 53 What’s in the Backpack? ................................................. 34

Next edition: February 2022 For bookings please contact: Themes Media on 5945 0666 or Email: katrina.mihai@ starnewsgroup.com.au Published by Star News Group Pty Ltd ACN 005 848 108.

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