海角大神

Welcome Back

We welcome Years 8, 9 and 10 back to onsite learning on Monday and hope that they are all looking forward to returning to their schooling in person, albeit with important COVID Safe protocols that will need to continue to observe so that we can operate safely. Much of what students are reporting to have missed during our period of online learning is the interpersonal connections that they value with both their peers and their teachers and we know that they will be excited to see their friends again. A program to welcome the students back and outline our COVID Safe expectations will take place during an extended Homeroom on Monday.

Years 7,11 and 12 have made a very positive return to school over the last two weeks and seem to have quickly found their way back into a productive routine.

COVID Safe Protocols

The key messages that will continue to be emphasised are:

• Stay home if unwell. 
• Get tested immediately if any of the following symptoms appear: fever above 37.5 degrees Celsius, night sweats, chills, acute respiratory infection (such as cough, shortness of breath, sore throat), loss of smell, and/or loss of taste.
• Maintain good hand and cough hygiene.
• Do not share food or drink and use a water bottle (drink fountains are not allowed to be used).
• Do not share other utensils.
• Maintain social distancing as much as possible.
• Wear a fitted mask at all times.
• Minimise time at lockers by carrying essentials in a small bag during the day.
• Parents/guardians must remain in cars during drop-off and pick-up times. Only adults who have an essential role will be permitted to enter College premises.

Student Attendance

All students are expected to attend onsite once their year level has returned to onsite learning. Exceptions may exist for medically vulnerable students. It is recommended that parents/carers of students with complex medical needs seek advice from the student鈥檚 medical practitioner to support decision-making about whether onsite education is suitable and work with the relevant level leaders at the College in regards to a plan. As all students will have returned to onsite learning, the current online remote learning program (Continuing Learning Plan) will cease.

Year 12 Students

The formal teaching program concludes for Year 12 students on Thursday and, with input from the student leaders, we are planning a Celebration Day to acknowledge the completion of their secondary schooling. It will be different to previous years given the restrictions that we face around assemblies, singing and sharing of food, but we hope that the students will have a memorable day of rejoicing with their peers as the graduating Class of 2020. We are planning on conducting a 鈥済raduation reunion鈥� at a date in 2021 that is yet to be confirmed.

The VCE English exam on Tuesday 10th November marks the start of the examination period for most students, although there will be some who have already undertaken exams in performance and language subjects over recent days. We wish all students sitting exams our best wishes.  

Student Free Day - Monday, November 2nd

Advance notice that our calendar reserves the Monday before Melbourne Cup Day as a student free day to allow an opportunity for 鈥渃atch-up鈥� for our teachers. Thank you for your amazing support of their endeavours this year to provide quality tuition in a blended learning environment.

End of Year Arrangements Years 7-10

The final day of classes for students in Year 7-10 is Friday, December 4. Reports will be prepared the following week and distributed on Friday, December 11. Our Celebration of Excellence that was scheduled to occur on Monday, December 7 will be postponed until the first assembly in 2021 when we hope we may be able to gather in larger numbers again.

Darren Atkinson
Principal

With so much going on at the moment, it will be a relief that my article is brief this week. With all students returning next week, and we are really looking forward to seeing them, the arrangements for assessment and reporting need some modification. We would like to maximise the time that students can learn in class at school and therefore delay assessment until as late in the term as possible. 

This will delay the reports for Semester 2 and subsequently impact the Excellence awards that celebrate student achievement in Years 7 to 11. Assessments may be conducted up to the last day of classes and reports will be available no later than Monday December 14th.

Celebrate - Excellence Awards Evening, which congratulates students who have achieved highly in academic, leadership, social, sporting and artistic fields, will still go ahead but it will be in 2021, when we have more certainty about the involvement of parents. Our intention is to hold it around the same time as the High Achievers assembly, when Year 12s from 2020 return to the College, giving students with Years 7-11 who are to be acclaimed a chance to have separate time in the limelight but also allow the whole student body to recognise their achievements. We look forward to these events in 2021.

Michael Box
Deputy Principal Learning

What can we learn from the 2020 AFL Season?

The end of each footy season brings much excitement to most people. Perhaps, it also brings relief to some, as we also realise at this point that summer is not far in the distance. If your team did not achieve as well, you may find some closure as the regular season concludes. There are the teams that did not perform as planned, which end up at the bottom of the ladder, the teams that battled hard but unfortunately did not make the top eight, and then the teams that either snuck in (like my beloved Bulldogs did this year), only to be knocked out or those that truly made the most of the conditions in their context, to perform in ways that allowed them to dominate and achieve within the competition. Thankfully, two Victorian teams are still alive, and one will reign as AFL premier of a year that has left its mark in history. If you barrack for either team left in this race, I wish you all the best.

What professional sports have mirrored in 2020 is amazing. Taking advantage of conditions and opportunities have truly supported plans to achieve within the context where games have been played. Yet, we cannot ignore that fact that many teams have struggled to adapt to the conditions that sports鈥� bubbles have had on all players to adhere to the expectations that their teams have set out. There are also injuries to consider and the impact on the mental health of those players who may have been away from loved ones for long periods of time. Despite this, there is much hope that 2021 may be the season for things to change. There is already a lot of discussion about the trade period and what this could do to the competition. The Kangaroos begin the delicate task of employing a new coach in attempting to rebuild a proud club, and like them, all other teams will be hoping for success and achievement in 2021. Yet, reality tells us that achieving the goal of a premiership will only be experienced by one team. Is it sufficient to accept that any progress, irrespective of how far a team moves positively within a measurement scale, may be an acceptable stepping stone in the aim for greatness? 

The AFL 2020 season reflects the state of affairs for your child鈥檚 educational journey of 2020. Some students have thrived and achieved positively under the conditions that remote learning has provided, and others have maintained some progress by simply staying afloat. There are some that have struggled to meet the demands set upon them. Realising that your child may have not made the expected progress however, should only be a reason to encourage them to set attainable goals and to learn from the challenges that they have faced as they return to school. The social element of learning underpins human development and remote learning has highlighted its relevance and importance. Please ensure to encourage your child, like we all encourage our footy teams, to not only learn from the remote learning experience, but to set goals as a way to either consolidate on new learnings and skill development, catch up if need be, and engage with their teachers to ensure that learning is authentic, collaborative and positive. Irrespective of their year level, they should look towards their future with excitement. 

Our Years 8, 9 and 10 students return on Monday 26th of October and key staff have worked industriously in preparation for the return. Please ensure to chat with your child about their return to school, their progress and wellness. If you have any questions or concerns, please refer the matter to the child鈥檚 Homeroom Teacher, Learning Mentor or respective Year Level Leader or Team Leader. 

Our Year 12 students have reached an important stage of their secondary school life. It may be the end of school, and the start of exams not long after, but the return to face to face learning at 海角大神 in the last week must also symbolise the realisation that they will always be members of the 海角大神 community. The connections to their teachers and each other have been displayed for younger pupils to see. By and large, the Year 12 students have truly demonstrated resilience, adaptability and honest (and dignified) conformity in following the directions of the staff. I am certain that they will achieve their desired goals if they continue to work hard. Our state and federal governments have continued to work towards providing opportunities to graduating students so that they may embark on tertiary education or work. Although the future may right now may seem uncertain, the students can rest assured that hard work is what eventually leads to success. Keep in mind that they are in control of their journey. 

Our Year 7 and 11 students have been great in their return to school. Attendance has been positive and students seem to be enjoying the sense that normality that attending classes has provided them. 

As mentioned in the previous edition of this newsletter, next week will see the return of the other half of the student population as well as the rest of the staff. It is important to remember that the return is a significant step for our community. There is an obligation for all of us to follow the strategies and processes we have implemented as a way to keep all members of the community safe. Please refer to the video for your consideration and to encourage your child to follow our directions. It is important that we follow all directions to be safe so that the College remains open.

I wish all our students the best of luck as the school continues in a full house mode from next week. All the best with your contribution to what should be a safe and enjoyable return for all concerned.

Dr Nap Rodezno
Deputy Principal

What do we take with us on our life journey?

As the new week approaches, we begin the annual tradition of final preparations  for Year 12 exams and saying farewell as they also prepare to face a new world beyond secondary school. It is often a time of reflection on the past as well as the excitement of looking forward to future pursuits. So as our students start to head off, I hope that the Holy Spirit guides them on their journey. This leads me to today鈥檚 thoughts - what do we take with us on our journey through life? 
This Sunday鈥檚 reading contains a well known statement that resonates not only within our Catholic faith but also within other faiths and secular society.

Jesus said, 鈥榊ou must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself.

Often as children we were reminded to treat others as we would like to be treated, a basic recognition of the human dignity we all share and one that can be easily shown through our thoughts, words and actions. Our core values, found in our mission statement, expand on Christ鈥檚 teachings providing the 海角大神 community guiding our daily lives.

So - in these final weeks for our Year 12 students, we pray that they can take the

values of Belonging, Stewardship, Perseverance, Justice, Compassion and Spirituality and share them with our global community.

Tania Grace
Assistant Principal - Mission

PE & Health at Home

What has learning from home looked like in the case of Health and Physical Education? 

Fortunately the curriculum addresses how contextual factors influence the health, safety, wellbeing, and physical activity patterns of individuals, groups and communities. As such, we have been able to positively leverage the challenges of a global pandemic as stimulus and reason to provide students with the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and dispositions to advocate for, and positively influence, their own and others鈥� health and wellbeing throughout this period.  

This strengths based approach to the curriculum hopefully supports students to recognise that they and their communities have strengths and resources that can be nurtured to help navigate through life's challenges. In Health, this has been achieved through the students' engagement and interaction with relatable topics and units of work focused around Nutrition, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Decision Making, Health Promotion and Respectful Relationships.

Physical Education classes have posed a unique set of challenges. In this curriculum area we would normally engage students in practical sessions with small and large groups of students interacting with each other through the use of various types of equipment and spaces. We now needed to adapt and develop learning activities which students could complete individually with limited to no equipment at home that still maintained an educative purpose with clear learning outcomes and intentions.  

We used remote learning as the opportunity to focus on the value of movement and physical activity in our lives and aimed to enhance the students鈥� physical literacy. We focused on students developing an increased sense of confidence and competence in their ability to participate in physical activity throughout their lives within a range of different settings, and particularly in the context of restrictions as experienced throughout the pandemic.

To ensure that students were working towards and demonstrating progress in these outcomes, they were provided with a range of opportunities to reflect upon and articulate their learning each lesson. These included some of the following HPE at Home learning activities and approaches:

• Students activity logs and reflections
• Activity task cards, circuits and checklists 
• Shared videos and apps which students could follow to help guide and support them in performing various fitness activities and programs
• Personal and group activity challenges
• Flipped learning - students familiarise themselves with content knowledge outside of the classroom (in the form of text, videos) to allow remote learning to focus on application of knowledge, discussions and feedback

The HPE team is incredibly excited in anticipation of students in Years 8,9 and 10 finally returning back on campus next week to join the rest of the college and are looking forward to supporting every student to reconnect and engage with each other and our community.  

Steve McGrath
PE & Health Learning Area Leader

Even though it was remote learning, our Year 8 French students didn鈥檛 give up their Annual French breakfast or their restaurant experience. 

Language learning is not just about some vocabulary, expressions or grammar. It鈥檚 also about learning the culture, cuisine and traditions of the country.

Year 8s shared their  mouth watering croissants, pains au chocolat, baguettes and other pastries with their friends to celebrate their petit d茅jeuner. The highlight was their virtual role plays in a French restaurant, practicing real life conversations. 

Sarah Aluthge
Teacher

"One morning in French class we participated in a virtual French breakfast on our Google Meet. We learnt many things about what French people had for breakfast, how they had breakfast and when they usually had breakfast. It was very interesting to see how having a meal in a different country was similar and different to us. The virtual French breakfast was a fantastic way to have an immersive experience at home during lockdown that was different from the usual online class."
Jack Jemmeson

"Our French classes had to make a video, roleplaying the experience of a French restaurant. We had to firstly listen to an example of what this oral might sound like. Next, edit the script, and make it unique. We chose our characters and got to practice. Each person was required to bring props and have a proper dining setting that matched up with everyone else in the group. One person was the server, and they would have dressed up as a server. From this, the students learnt how to pronounce many French words, especially foods and drinks. We also learnt how to work together to create an oral, and how to break down French words to learn how to pronounce them. Overall, it was a fun task and it taught us many things."
Lucas Mandaliti 

"Term 3 in French we had to do a restaurant roleplay. It was fun to plan and film our parts. Then on the last day of school we went through and watched everyone in our classes videos. It was interesting to see how different some of the videos were. It was a fun assessment task to do."
Natasha Ladd

Let鈥檚 Go Fly and Kite !!!!!  With year 7 students back onsite Kite Making and Flying was a fun way to begin our Art class. First students researched existing kites and looked at the various structures, design elements and principles. Students then drew several ideas for their own kites and refined their favourite. Kites were built using recycled materials and lots of streamers and ribbons for colour. They all enjoyed flying their kites out on the oval.

Kathy Thompson
Teacher

"It didn鈥檛 fly because it didn鈥檛 have enough structure. I could improve my kite by adding more structure. I did enjoy making my kite because it was something different."

Tiana Cauteruccio
7 Green 

"I liked the design of the kite. It did not fly too well but there wasn鈥檛 enough wind for it to fly.  Making it lighter so it would lift better. I enjoyed making and flying my kite."

Eloise Marraffa
7 Green

"I like how my kite flew so well and how it was very different to the others. Mine flew pretty well due to the structural design. I could improve my kite by taking more care in it so that it looked better."

Maddie Payne
7 Green

"I had to tell myself several times that this was real and it was happening at last - going back to school. I was nervous and excited but anxious and queasy. It was all mixed together like one big emotion! But as I walked into my homeroom, seeing a whole class of familiar faces put all that unease to rest. I think I was grinning away like a goanna the whole entire day. I was thrilled to have my music lessons again in person - this was the thing that I was looking forward to most. I would be lying if I didn't miss home, though. Specifically, I missed being able to sleep in. And the food."
Lucy Jordan

"I thoroughly enjoyed the sport activities we did! It was a great way to reconnect with others! It was a great opportunity to socialise and be active! It was wonderful that we did it on the first week back so then everyone can have fun and familiarise ourselves with each other."
Chloe Alexandropoulos

"I have really enjoyed being back. I especially enjoyed all of activities in the first week and being able to connect with my friends again. I can鈥檛 wait for the rest of term."
Lucy Crouch

"I enjoyed spending quality time with my peers whilst doing fun activities because it gave me a great chance to reconnect after being in isolation and working from home. It was worthwhile to do in the first week because it gave us time to work with our class and use teamwork skills after many months of home learning. It was a very enjoyable afternoon."
Lucy Scutt

"Coming back to school in term 4 almost felt the same as the first day of school. I knew all of my classmates, but over online learning I didn鈥檛 get to develop a friendship with my classmates as much as I would鈥檝e if I spent that time at school. Online learning was an interesting experience, but one thing for sure I will miss being able to go to the pantry and grab a snack whenever I wanted."
Zac Elliott

"Coming back to school after so long away was a little bit nerve racking for all of us, but in saying that it was also super exciting to be able to come back to school and see our friends, peers and teachers once again. There鈥檚 been a great sense of relief since coming back. Being able to have some form of normality in our lives again has made coming back way easier. Thank you to all of the teachers for being here for all of us students during online learning."
Keeley Allison

"I enjoyed the afternoon on the oval because it was very good to get back with all my mates and classmates to have a bit of fun. I think it was good for the first week because we haven鈥檛 seen our classmates in ages so it was great to have a little competition for fun to get back Into the routine."
Jack Matthews

"It was honesty amazing, stepping back into the school grounds. Seeing all of our friends and our teachers. Everyone was in such a good mood to be back again. When the bell rang and we had to come inside to start our first period, I couldn鈥檛 sit still in my chair, I was just so excited to start back at school and our regular routines."
Matilda Stevens