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Leaders in Learning Excellence

With COVIDSafe measures in place, Caroline Chisholm Catholic College is excited to welcome back the community and prospective families to its 2021 Open Day, to be held Sunday, 23 May.

Taking a peek behind the front doors, families will step into a world of opportunities open to students across its three campuses. Learning Areas will be on display with dedicated and enthusiastic staff ready to answer questions and demonstrate their expertise. Attendees will be able to take part in a range of activities from science experiments to cooking demonstrations. The Performing Arts department of the College is welcoming back live performance with Footloose as the musical for 2021.

Open Day will allow visitors to see the exceptional talent at Caroline Chisholm Catholic College, and the range of subject areas available to students. “We want prospective families to come and discover, meet, experience and explore the college, and learn what makes us a leader in learning excellence”, says Principal Robert Brennan.

A Holistic Approach

The infrastructure of Caroline Chisholm Catholic College is designed specifically for the holistic development of its students and provides modern and flexible facilities. The new science wing at the Christ the King campus was completed and ready for the 2021 school year. The modern wing includes two new science labs, along with flexible indoor and outdoor learning areas. The Science Wing was designed by award-winning Melbourne based architects Branch Studios and incorporates the life cycle of cells in its design.

The college also has a new performing and visual arts building, St Madeleines Arts Centre, which houses music, drama, dance, and other subjects. Students at each of the three campuses have access to modern and well-equiped libraries, with a range of break out spaces for use by students in and out of class. With a vision to continually improve and keep up to date, the college offers modern classrooms with access to data projectors, as well as a number of specialised classrooms for art and technology subjects.

The senior students of Sacred Heart have access to a Senior Study Centre, which offers a space dedicated to the study needs of the senior students. It includes a kitchenette and outdoor garden, giving them an area to enjoy their food, take a brain break, and offer them a rewarding and dedicated area, promoting their independence and freedom to go along with their responsibilities as senior members of the college.

To find out more of what Caroline Chisholm Catholic College has to offer, visit www.cccc.vic.edu.au and come along to the Open Day.

History of The Kilmore International School

The Kilmore International School is modelled on international schools overseas. It was established in 1990 to provide a true and exceptional international education for students, whether local or from abroad.

The buildings of the school were originally built in 1887 by the Marist Brothers of the Catholic Church and became Assumption College.

The buildings and grounds were purchased by the current owners in the 1980s, then the new owners completely renovated and modernised the existing buildings. New classrooms including a library, science wing, drama and music studios, art rooms, computer laboratories, general classrooms along with staffrooms were added over the next 20 years, as well as a modern dormitory for girls. In 2011, a state-of-the-art Language Learning Centre was opened. The school grounds now contain two soccer fields, basketball courts, cricket facilities and tennis courts.

From 1990 through to 2009, the school offered secondary education only. Due to increased demand for high quality education in the local area, students in Years 5 and 6 were admitted in 2010 and Years 3 and 4 in 2015.

Since opening in 1990 with two international students, the school has grown from strength to strength. Alumni are employed by leading corporations around the globe. A vibrant community of graduates remain close friends with staff and fellow students. Even though the alumni form a diaspora in many nations, they are linked by the experience of completing their IB Diploma together at The Kilmore International School. Its ethos of dedicated, small classes continues as student numbers have grown to more than 400.

In 2021, the school celebrated its 31st anniversary as one of the most successful IB world schools in the southern hemisphere and the success of its graduates, both locally and globally, makes everyone at the school all enormously proud.

Extra Curricular Sports at Wahroonga Adventist School

Over the course of Term 1, students have attended running training on Friday mornings. The group has seen 40 to 50 participants every week, completing four to five kilometres, in the bush and along the Fox Valley Road paths.

It has been great to see the fitness and speed of the students increasing each session in preparation for the upcoming Cross Country. Thanks as always to committed parent volunteers for providing breakfast after the run! Running training will continue in Term 2.

The WAS mountain bike rides were impacted by the wet weather, however, the school did manage to sneak one ride in for Term 1. More than 50 riders, students and parents from Wahroonga descended upon the “H20″ mountain bike trail at Westleigh. The experienced riders completed a full lap of the trail, while beginner riders completed skills, drills and laps of the green-rated trails. The ride finished with an informal handicapped time trial race where students tried to chase down their friends on a lap of the green trail. More mountain bike rides are scheduled for Term 2.

The Wahroonga Basketball training group have been working hard every Monday afternoon. The junior and beginner sessions have come a long way in developing their skills. The senior session has focused primarily on training for the Tuesday afternoon representative basketball competition, and the senior boys’ and girls’ teams are developing into a highly talented group.

Roseville College Leads the State in Food Technology

Roseville College Year 12 graduates have dominated Food Technology in 2020 with Alexandra van der Laan de Vries and Catherine Ashworth placing 1st and 2nd in Course in NSW, respectively. 

Alexandra, who aims to study a double degree in Medical Science and International Studies at the University of Technology Sydney, met with Ms Deb Magill, principal, and was congratulated warmly on behalf of the college community.

“What a tremendous result for Alexandra and Catherine after such a solid effort in Food Technology over the past two years, which exemplifies the teaching excellence of Mrs Nada Burke, Head of Department, and colleague Mrs Jo Marshall, who have elevated the standard of Food Technology studies at Roseville College for more than a decade. The students and their teachers are to be congratulated for this remarkable outcome,” says Ms Magill.

“As a school, Roseville Colleges places a high value on wellbeing and health, as well as on academic excellence, therefore our Food Technology course is a rigorous course of study, too. I am extremely proud of the Class of 2020 during what was a very unpredictable and challenging year for HSC candidates.”

Alexandra says that her studies in Food Technology taught her practical foundations for health and nutrition in everyday life, and it enriched how she thought about other, related subjects such as Biology and Chemistry.

“Long gone is the stereotype that Food Technology is ‘just cooking’. It is challenging, you need to work hard and be willing to cross-reference with so many other areas of learning such as Economics, Biology, Chemistry, PDHPE and Mathematics,” says Alexandra. “We are all really thankful for our teaching team, who are exceptional.”

In 2016, another Roseville College graduate, Ilana Bolinowsky, placed 1st in Course in NSW in Food Technology, and in the past four years the College has secured 15 Top 50 results, including four places in the Top 20 in 2019.

Lessons Learnt from Remote Teaching and Learning

Late in Term 1, 2020, COVID-19 forced the cessation of student and staff attendance at school for a then unknown period of time. Accordingly, with very vigorous and splendid work by a number of key staff, St Andrew’s Cathedral School rolled out remote learning. This required training of staff and students in order for them to learn how best to utilise the systems.

During the ensuing weeks of remote learning, the school absorbed many lessons. Firstly, highly dedicated staff went above and beyond to make this mode of learning as effective as it could be. In most cases, remote teaching virtually doubled the workload of teaching staff. This was due, in part, to the inability to deal with all students as a classroom group. Rather, a great deal of individual conferencing with students and parents was required. Further, the preparation to deliver lessons through digital technology was extremely demanding and time consuming for staff.

Remote learning included not just the academic curriculum, but pastoral contacts and, as far as the school could develop creative solutions, co-curricular and sporting activities.

Secondly, St Andrew’s Cathedral School had reinforced to them the diligence and commitment of most students and of the wonderful partnership with parents, who actively supervised students’ learning remotely at home.

Thirdly, the school was reassured that its IT systems were sufficiently robust to cope with so many students and teachers online simultaneously.

Fourthly, it was powerfully confirmed that we are indeed social beings. God made us for community. We need one another and being locked away in physical isolation is no way to live. When students physically returned to school, many were heard to speak two utterances they never thought would pass from their mouths: “I missed school”, “I missed my teachers”. The staff certainly missed them!

Fifthly, we now know that it is not essential for everyone to be on-site all the time in order for learning to occur. While it is not reasonable to expect staff to simultaneously teach on site in the classroom and in remote mode, we are now more fully aware that online learning has powerful potential within regular schooling. We have also had confirmed that the professionalism of our staff is so strong that flexibility in their attendance and delivery of work are viable and consistent with the learning needs of students.

Sixthly, we have somewhat accidently stumbled upon some possible improvements. One example is remote parent/teacher evenings, conducted at a mutually convenient time for parents and staff, from the comfort of their own home. With an eye to the future, we are keen to examine what other changes may apply. Seventh, we have learned the value of social distancing and enhanced hygiene regimes in avoiding not just COVID-19, but other infections such as colds and flus. It is clear that COVID-19 has changed the world of education. The full implications are still being played out.

Senior Contemporary Dance Program

Welcome to the Senior Contemporary Dance Program in association with Sydney Dance Company and The McDonald College.

This program will enable students in Years 10-12 to engage all aspects of Contemporary Dance training and academic studies at The McDonald College, inclusive of the NSW Higher School Certificate.

Students will develop their technical skills and artistry while working with choreographers and educators pioneering their art form. Students may come from a variety of diverse dance backgrounds and will train towards an elite contemporary dance career as an ensemble member of a full-time dance company, an independent dancer, choreographer, director, dance educator, or an integral collaborator in any creative environment.

DOWNLOAD THE COURSE OUTLINE HERE

ENTRY*
2022 – Year 10, 11 & 12

*Please note that this program is for senior high school students only
Entry into Year 12 is subject by approval based on student’s academic status.

AUDITIONS & APPLICATION
Families interested in the program are encouraged to submit their interest on the link below. The College Registrar will be in touch with families once the EOI is received.

Prospective students must submit an Application for Enrolment Form (along with supporting documentation) to the Registrar prior to attending the audition. Please note that the application fee must be paid prior to auditions.

SUBJECTS & TIMETABLE
Students commence at 8.30am and finish at 4.40pm on most days except Thursday (3.40pm finish). There are a total of 10 hours per week allocated for SCDP classes, which are integrated around the school’s academic timetable.

Students will study a range of subjects across dance including Ballet, Technique, Repertoire, Choreographic Development and more. Each term students will get to experience teachings from different guest teachers, choreographers and dance practitioners.

When required, students will also be invited to attend Sydney Dance Company workshops and class viewings. This will be scheduled during performing arts time.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Three nebulae, as seen from ELTHAM College’s Observatory

ELTHAM College’s revamped observatory opened in May 2019, and has since provided students with the opportunity to look to the stars and explore their curiosity.

One such young person who has utilised the Observatory is Year 11 student Orlando Yen, who captured this striking image of three distinct nebulae: the Flame Nebula in the centre of the image, NGC 2023 directly below, and the Horsehead Nebula towards the bottom-left of the image.

Orlando writes: “The Flame Nebula is a crowded star forming region near Orion’s belt, 1400 light-years away. As it is an active star-forming region, there are many bright neutron stars with a blue tinge surrounding it. The nebula’s suggestive reddish colour is due to the glow of hydrogen atoms. The Horsehead Nebula is a small dark nebula located 1400 light-years from earth in the same region as the bright emission nebular NGC 2023. The dark reddish colour of the Horsehead Nebula is also due to the large amount of hydrogen in the nebula. NGC 2023 is an emission and reflection nebula, and is one of the largest and brightest reflection nebula in our night sky.”

ELTHAM College Observatory hosts an 11-inch Celestron RASA telescope, which uses a true colour camera to ‘see’ the actual colours of the night sky. These colours were later balanced and intensified by Orlando during image processing. The telescope has a wide field of view, with the ability to capture multiple large portions of the night sky and produce beautiful skyscapes like this one.

Embracing life in the ‘100-acre classroom’

Sustainability lies at the heart of a school set within a sprawling natural landscape

“You can’t expect young people to care about nature unless they get out in nature, in really true and tangible ways,” says Cornish College principal Nicola Forrest. And she’s well placed to wax lyrical.

Located in Melbourne’s south-east, on the cusp of the Mornington Peninsula, the college sits on almost 40 hectares of parkland. Encompassing natural bush, wetlands and farming pasture, aquaponics area and vegetable gardens, the school has beehives and harvests its own honey, and is home to alpacas, chickens and ducks.

“As educators, we have a strong moral purpose,” Ms Forrest says. “Instead of just teaching a subject because it’s in the curriculum, we say, ‘What’s this got to do with making a better future for our children? How can we teach this in a way that they will really live it’?”

The school not only has an exciting outdoor education program but prides itself on its local “outdoor learning” philosophy, where students learn in, with and from nature, and “every inch” of the college property is utilised. “We call it the 100-acre classroom,” Ms Forrest says.

Maths, sciences and art are some of the subjects that are regularly relocated out of doors.

“We find our kids respond hugely to getting outside,” Ms Forrest says. “The change of scene, fresh air, there’s a surge of serotonin … they connect with the subject on a deeper level.”

It’s this immersive education that Ms Forrest and the college want prospective parents and students to sample when the school opens its doors on Thursday 18 March for its Open Evening. Visitors will be encouraged to listen in on lessons and join student-led discussions and activities.

“Usually with these things, you get to see the physical spaces and hear about the programs but what you rarely get to see is what the teaching and learning looks like in action,” Ms Forrest says. “Our open evening will give people a tangible feel of the place, to see what it is really like for the students.”

Cornish College students are not consumers of education, but contributors to, and creators of, their learning experience, adds Ms Forrest. The result, she says, is a lifelong “disposition for learning”.

The school’s alumni include lawyers, doctors, researchers, outdoor educators and environmental activists.

“We believe that you need to be a problem identifier in life, not just a problem solver,” she says. “The young people at our school aren’t afraid to ask questions; they have enterprising mindsets, and they’re future-focused.”

The future of the environment is paramount, but the school’s emphasis on sustainability goes further, with a “Rings of Sustainability” ethos, inspired by the teachings of the college’s namesake, Richard Cornish. These encompass all aspects of life – natural, personal, socio-cultural and urban/technological – and underpin the curriculum.

“Everything we do supports one of the rings,” says Ms Forrest. “This helps students understand their learning in a local, regional and global context, and how they can make a difference to a sustainable world. Our children are equipped in every way to lead a sustainable future.”

Interest in Cornish College is growing. “People are excited by change, and they’re excited by what we’re doing here,” says Ms Forrest. “People are seeking out places where things are done differently, where education isn’t following the same dated models it has for 50 years.”

This article originally appeared in The Age Open Days Guide on Saturday 13 February 2021.

Author: Effie Mann

John Monash Science School Regional Science Exchange

Held annually, the John Monash Science School Regional Science Exchange invites Year 10 students from regional Victorian schools with a passion for science to join them for an immersive three-week block. Participating students attend classes with JMSS students, visit Monash University for science workshops, and experience Melbourne, something they may not have had the chance to do previously.

The curriculum at John Monash Science School challenges students to explore cutting-edge scientific knowledge in an engaging teaching and learning environment, including opportunities to participate in emerging science electives developed in partnership with Monash University.

In addition to study-related opportunities, students will also have opportunity to explore Melbourne’s diverse cultural and sporting landscape through curated excursions and guided weekend activities – forming a holistic school/life experience.

The Regional Science Exchange is also designed to give students exposure to the Monash University campus and facilities, helping to prepare for the transition to university and further study at the end of the secondary years of schooling.

Students stay with JMSS families during the duration of their stay, they are allocated a buddy, house and mentor group thus increasing the bond with the school and JMSS students.

The school has found that all students leave JMSS with a fresh approach to their studies, knowing different options within science and maths all while making lifelong friends. The exchange brings the whole school community closer, with the homestays, the teaching staff and the rural families.

Some of the recent Term 2 student reflections were -

Bailey – “It has given me a solid option of being at Monash University for future education and has given me many ideas for career paths.”

Simonette – “I do think it has made me want to push and strive even further into going in the direction of a science-based career.  Something that definitely makes me more interested is the medical field.”

Sarsha – “I think it has just enforced that I want to follow the paths I already like and to continue in the science fields I like”. She also mentioned her favourite part of the exchange was “meeting different people and taking classes I wouldn’t normally take”

Jade – “My favourite part was exploring a new school environment and learning about careers and sciences that I never knew existed.”

Matilda – “The teachers are really good and super supportive.”

Monatana – “Meeting new people who are also very passionate about science and staying with an awesome host family were my highlights.”

Eliza – “I wanted to see what Melbourne life was like and to get to know the science electives might be before heading into VCE next year.”

All students are invited back to JMSS in November to present their project at the Australian Science Fair. Students work on their project and findings throughout the year along with their teacher back home. This exchange program is one of the great ways students across Victoria are being supported to develop the skills they need in science subjects to set them up for the jobs of the future.

For any schools or Year 10 students interested in the program please visit here for the application process, dates and details:-

https://www.regionalscienceexchange.com.au/

www.jmss.vic.edu.au

Recognising our High Achievers

As is Barker College’s custom, high-achieving students from the Class of 2020 were welcomed back, and their outstanding results were recognised at a special school assembly on February 17.

Speaking at the assembly, Head of Barker College, Mr Phillip Heath, acknowledged the many demands that were placed on the Class of 2020, yet despite the challenges, this cohort achieved some remarkable results.

“These young people represented the school in their outstanding community service, leadership, their technical skills, sporting prowess and academic leadership,” says Mr Heath.
In such a year, it was an extraordinary outcome that there were 513 honour roll mentions; 189 students gained at least one top band result; 14 placegetters; 23 all-rounders and 16 students placed in the top 1 per cent of the state.

Further, three students received the perfect ATAR of 99.95 for the first time in the school’s history. Declan Zammit, who achieved a top 10 placing for all his units, is studying a Bachelor of Arts and Advanced Studies; Rhys Macintosh has commenced a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Mathematical Science and Kai Wong is undertaking a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Law degree, as well as studying a fashion and design course.

In their address to Year 11 and Year 12 students at the assembly, their message was the same – set your goals high and apply yourself.

“I remember sitting at the 2020 Academic Assembly and feeling completely in awe of the previous year’s High Achievers,” Declan says.

“I wondered how I could ever achieve what they had, but I realised that the best way to master a subject is to be passionate about it.

“No one is born with a killer essay ready to go. You need to push yourself and set your goals high. The human brain is capable of incredible things,” Declan says.

Rhys agrees that everyone has a different method to approaching the HSC, yet he advised all students to apply themselves in their final year.

“You have been at school for 13 years. You owe it to yourself to do as well as you can,” Rhys says. “Don’t look back and have any regrets.”

Despite some health setbacks in his final Senior years, Kai believes it is important to set yourself a goal.

“Establish goals for yourself, work hard and you’ll be fine.”

For more information

Barker College