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OFFICE HOURS 8.30AM TO 4.30PM
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BORONIA K12 COLLEGE NEWSLETTER
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Mt Buller Snow Trip
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Thurs 13th OCTOBER: Mon 17th OCTOBER: Thurs 20th OCTOBER:
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Wed 26th OCTOBER: Wed 9th NOVEMBER:
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LAST DAY OF TERM 3 - 2.15PM FINISH TIME
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YR 7 & YR 10 IMMUNISATIONS
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PRIMARY SWIMMING PROGRAM BEGINS
YR 12 VALEDICTORY DINNER
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INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC CONCERT
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PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
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It was wonderful to come together this morning to celebrate another term of learning – all types of learning. Learning is not just the skills and understandings that relate to subjects learnt in classroom. We are also learning how to operate in a diverse community – how to interact, share resources, and appreciate all our differences.
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A big part of that is showing RESPECT, which is why it is one of our college values.
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I saw on the news this morning, as I am sure many of you have over the past week, the images coming from the UK as they show their respect to the Queen after her passing. As I drove to school, I thought about what respect really means and the difference between the symbolic respect I saw on the news and feeling of respect that I have for people I know.
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On the TV I saw soldiers, ceremonies, people wearing black clothing – all as symbols of their respect. At school, you may have noticed we have our flags at half-mast as a symbol of respect too. It’s not a decision we have made, it’s a convention that we have conformed to in order for our community to show respect.
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Next term, it will be Remembrance Day, when we will show respect by observing a minute’s silence.
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We also have less elaborate symbols of respect that happen in a school – like referring to teachers as Mr, Ms, Sir, etc. This is not something students decide to do but by doing it, it demonstrates respect.
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These bigger ‘symbols’ of respect are important. However, what I focused on in assembly this morning was the respect that is shared for each other within our school. Teacher to teacher, teacher to student and student to student.
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I explained to students that they may have heard phrases before like “respect is a two-way street” and “respect is earned” – and the truth is, if we do not respect others, they will not respect us and if we do not respect ourselves, we won’t be respected by others either.
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Respect really starts with you. I cannot think of a single example of a member of a community, whether it be a school, a sporting club, a local community or even within a family – where someone was highly respected, and they were not highly respectful themselves. As humans, we are naturally drawn to respectful people. They make us feel safe and valued.
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And it is not always the grand symbolic gestures of respect that are important, it is the simple things we can all do every day. For example, the language we decide to use or not use, really listening to people and valuing others’ differences.
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So, to those students receiving awards today for RESPECT – your true reward is not the piece of paper, but the fact that through your actions, you have earnt yourself respect in our school community. Thank you to all the recipients for your efforts to make us all feel safe and valued at school.
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NAPLAN
Last week, our Knox Network Leader sent us the following message:
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“Just looked at some of your NAPLAN data for this year and compared it with last year. Some fantastic increases in the top 2 bands in many areas across the school. I hope it’s an opportunity to celebrate some of the positive progress being made.”
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As the students that completed NAPLAN this year didn’t complete NAPLAN in 2020, there is no growth data. Therefore, the key focus from the Department is Band Data, particularly Top Two Bands.
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In our 2022 NAPLAN results we achieved an increase in our Top 2 Bands in 13 out of 20 measures.
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Some highlights of the top two band data include:
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- Year 3 Reading went from 23% to 53% and Numeracy 10% to 21%
- Year 5 Writing went from 4% to 22% and G&P 12% to 16%
- Year 7 Writing went from 4% to 22% and Reading 17% to 27%
- Year 9 Writing went from 2% to 10% and Numeracy 4% to 8%
In our mean scores, the following areas are our best results in at least 6 years:
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- Year 5 Writing
- Year 7 Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation
- Year 9 Writing
Many more are an improvement on last year.
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Our Year 7s have outperformed Knox Network schools in the percentage of students in the Top Two Bands in Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar & Punctuation… AND, IN YEAR 7 READING WE OUTPERFORMED THE VICTORIAN AVERAGE FOR PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING IN TOP TWO BANDS – a tremendous effort!!!
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There really are many things to celebrate in the data, this is just some highlights! It is a testament to the work teachers, students and families put in during the difficult times.
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I look forward to sharing more positive data next term.
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Have a safe and happy holiday break!
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ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
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Another action-packed term has drawn to a close. There have been a wide variety of sports and exciting activities held in Term 3 and it is fun to finally get back to a little pre covid normality. I would just like to report on a small number of events and begin with one of the events that I was most proud to be a part of.
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After the cancellation of two debutante Balls thanks to Covid it seemed like we would never be able to provide our senior students the opportunity to dress up and have a fun social event. We eventually held the event on Friday 12th August at the Lincoln of Toorak. The purpose was to bring all Years 11 and 12 students together to celebrate the amazing efforts of 2022. It was a fantastic night. The DJ ensured there was lots of dancing and our students looked superb. I would like to thank the Formal Committee and Senior Sub School Assistant Ms Maggie Davidson for their efforts in putting together such an entertaining-filled evening. The Years 11 and 12 students should be so proud of the way all members collaborated as a team and created one amazing evening that will not be forgotten for many years to come.
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The Term 3 VET and Year 9 Music concert was another great highlight for me. As a regular attendee of the concerts during my last 5 years at the college, I have been able to witness outstanding growth in the skills and confidence of our performers. The students play with so much passion and the comraderies shared amongst their music loving peers is so evident.
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Between 18 July and 9 September our school participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). PISA is an important part of the National Assessment Program in Australia, which is the measure through which governments, education authorities and schools can determine whether or not young Australians are meeting important educational outcomes. A random sample of 15-year-old, mostly from Years 9 and 10 were selected to complete a two-hour computer-based assessment consisting of mathematics, science, reading, and creative thinking. As an international assessment, every participating school and student has an important role in showing the rest of the world what Australia can do. We wish to thank the 20 students for their cooperation and positive attitude towards this programme. Special thanks to Ms Holleran for coordinating the event. ACER will provide our school and participating students with a certificate, recognising our contribution. Each student will also receive access to the Insight video series.
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Thank you to the families that booked and attended the recent parent teacher interviews. We hope that the conversation around your child’s achievement and learning growth was productive and that goals and strategies for further learning are able be put into practice to support each student in their continued learning.
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Wear It Purple Day was a great day for all our students as we all came together to celebrate this international day to raise awareness of the experiences of LGBTIQA+ young people. It is an opportunity to show them that there is hope, support and acceptance for those with diverse sexuality, sex and/or gender and they have the right to be proud of who they are. Thank you to our student Voice team and Wellbeing team for organising the day.
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Year 7 and 9 NAPLAN reports, along with the Year 9 certificates of achievement were recently distributed via the students. There is a great deal of data that a school can analyse from NAPLAN results. Not only in student achievement scores, but also in learning growth. The recent NAPLAN results have indicated an increase in high learning growth from Years 7 to 9 in all areas, with exceptional results for Reading and Writing. What a tremendous achievement for our students, in the face of the many challenges that the last two years have brought them.
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Off site Evacuation Drill
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Our VCE and VCAL cohort are now entering their final few weeks of their secondary schooling. There are still SACs to complete, projects to finalise and competencies that need to be completed. Our wonderful staff are working harder than ever to help our students achieve their personal best – it’s a two-way street! Students must realise that they must do ALL the work, and then some, to achieve their aspirant goals. There are celebrations planned within the College in early term 4 and we expect our cohort to finish their year well, with good humour, friendliness and full of class.
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Finally, a big thank you to all staff and students for their efforts across Term 3. Whilst Covid related absences continued to disrupt our programs on occasions, our staff and students soldiered on. As the children take a well-earned break let us keep them learning because learning does not only happen at school!
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Stay safe and we are looking forward to seeing you in Term 4.
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Secondary Assistant Principal
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ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
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I’d like to begin with a big ‘hooray!’ and congratulations to our students, staff and families on successfully making it through our first wintery Term 3 fully on site in 2 years! It has been amazing seeing the growth and development of all of our students as we maintain consistency and build stamina across the year.
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It has been a jam-packed Term 3 with the continuation of:
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- Assemblies, including classes sharing their learning
- Year 5/6 Sports Round Robins
- Book Week Celebrations
- Fathers’ Day and special people Open Morning
- Hoop Time
- Parent / Teacher / Student Conferences
- Representative Sports and Athletics
- 5/6/7 Camp
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Some of our Extraordinary Learning Experiences
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This Term, the 3 and 4 year old groups have been exploring the concept of creativity and how we use creative ways to share different parts of who we are and how we are feeling. We are also using this to understand who other people are and how they are feeling. We explored the colours of nature such as Autumn and Rainbows, sharing what we noticed, thought and felt when exploring these natural phenomenon. We made picture stories, splatter art, and had fun with puppets and songs. We even went for a walk to the new public space next to the Boronia Police Station and got creative with the musical instruments that have been installed along with the Art Work there. We also went to the Progress Hall to see the Year 4’s final work on the My Generation Project. They came to see us early on to tell us all about it and it was nice to see it finished. There were lots of beautiful symbols that made our day!
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Foundation Chesterfield Farm Excursion
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In Foundation we have been discovering how different animals are suited for different purposes and how people and animals rely on each other. After lots of work classifying and exploring different kinds of animals and how we may (or may not!) interact with them, our Foundation students visited Chesterfield Farm to see them ‘in action’. We were able to see how farmers, sheep and their dogs work together to keep each other safe, the different roles that various animals play on a Farm and explore what help and support baby farm animals need from us.
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Fire Safety Visit Year 1/2
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As part of their exploration of How We Organise Ourselves, students explored how “Many jobs contribute to the organisation of communities”. In particular, one of their line of inquiry centred around the members of the community, their roles and how they help us. The Boronia Fire Education program came out to visit us twice with all their equipment to explain their role in the community, how they keep us safe and the ways in which we could keep ourselves safe in an emergency. We also learnt firsthand how dynamic their job can be. However, alongside all that learning I think all the students thought the best part was being able to use the fire hose!
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Book Launch Year 3/4 & 2/3A
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Through their exploration of the Transdisciplinary Theme “How We Express Ourselves”, the Year 3/4s delved deeply into stories, poems and drama to really understand the purpose of storytelling as well as the emotions author’s provoke through their work. We undertook a Positive Start workshop which focused on introducing core elements of engaging storytelling. All of this then culminated in a ‘Book Launch” where we were able to share with our families and carers the different forms our stories took and how we worked through the unit as a whole. It was wonderful to see and hear how students were able to articulate the what, how and why of their learning throughout this Unit of Inquiry.
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What is the PYP exhibition? The exhibition is the culminating, collaborative experience in the final year of the IB Primary Years Programme. Students will explore, document, and share their understanding of an issue or opportunity of personal significance. For this experience, we used our Sharing The Planet Unit, focussing on the UN Sustainaibility Goals to explore how Global partnerships and cooperation underpin sustainable change. While we have attempted the 5/6 Exhibition in previous years, we were met with remote learning through some or all of the process in 20/21. This year, we were excited, nervous but determined to complete our first one in person as an Authorised IB PYP School. There were many learnings to be had and reflections made, not just on those UN Goals and their significance but for ourselves as learners as well as the teaching staff as mentors. The process of the exhibition is for our senior students to take action on something they have a passion for by learning, sharing then acting. For most of our students the most powerful parts of the exhibition was the call to action and the understandings they came to about their strengths and what was challenging for them as they worked through the process.
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My Generation Art Project – Year 4
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By far one of the biggest projects our students should be proud of is the My Generation Artwork Project. Spanning 10 sessions of interviews and Art Workshops, 9 of our Year 4 students gave up their time to work with Eastern Community Legal Centre on this project, designed as a proactive approach to tackle ageism by building awareness, understanding and comradery through reflection and art. Their finalised pieces can be found at Boronia Progress Hall (134 Boronia Road, Boronia) in the walkway near the Basketball Stadium and Library. To see the wonderful documentary produced from this project visit.
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But, if you thought this term was big, just watch out for Term 4! With more camps, sport and a Christmas Concert there are so many ways to be involved. Keep an eye on Compass for our upcoming events!
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Primary Assistant Principal
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WELLBEING & INCLUSION
The feature of this term has been the focus on building the capacity of our cohorts and building inclusion processes in the school.
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At Boronia K-12 College we are always trying to offer evidenced-based opportunities for our students. We want to enhance the experience of school and challenge our students to be their best.
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Through our Respectful Relationship connections, we became aware of a program called Man Cave. Man Cave is a program that allows students to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities of masculinity. They are a preventative mental health and emotional intelligence charity that empowers boys to become great men.
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The program exists because suicide is the leading cause of death for men aged 15-44. It’s not car crashes, drug overdoses or coward punches. The biggest killer of young men is themselves. Not only that, more than 1 woman dies every week at the hands of a man, and most of the time this is a man they’re close with, someone they trust.
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After working with over 30,000 boys across the country, Man Cave fundamentally believe that these statistics are preventable through early intervention programs that focus on boys’ strengths, rather than their deficits.
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We invited Man Cave to work with our Year 9 boys this term. The boys completed Level One training which looks at the “boy as the centre of their universe”. Next Term the boys will complete Level 2 training and then they will finish Level 3 training in Term One 2023. Level 3 will see the boy transition to “now being a part of the universe”.
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The staff and boys really loved the program. The facilitators were a great match for our school. They challenged our boys, there were tears, there was laughter. The staff would all recognise that the workshop has had a positive impact on the boys and we look forward to seeing the impact of the remaining workshops.
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In Term 4 the Year 9 girls will have an opportunity to be in a similar program called Flourish.
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Our vision is to create a world in which every young man has healthy relationships, reaches his full potential and contributes to his community.
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Engagement and Attendance Student Program
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There has been a real focus on attendance from the Education Department this year and how it links to student outcomes. All schools have identified that students have struggled to reengage since the extended periods of remote learning. Some students have developed poor habits and low educational stamina with regular unexplained absences. Boronia K-12 College in partnership with Knox School Focused Youth Services have secured a Grant to implement the following intervention planned to support not only the student’s engagement but to also support all the systems around them, through building the capacity of both the school staff and parents. The different components will be delivered over a twelve-month period between Term 3, 2022 and Term 2, 2023.
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One of the actions of this Plan is the selection of a Student Action Team.
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The Workshop will run for a 10- week period with two groups of students. The program frames the students as ‘the experts’ on this issue. A group of Year 9 students have been working with Kate Wilde to conduct research with the wider student body around the stated engagement and attendance and then develop outcomes and strategies that can be implemented within the school. Our current Year 9 students involved in this program are: Casssidy G, Billy T, Anthony H, Emily H, Emily M, Shyra H, Elye M, Peter R, Hanna K, Emily O, Riya M, Ghia R, Jesse W, Caleb C, Anthony T and Hayley A. The students have been a real pleasure to work with and I look forward to the results they gather.
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The Year 11 and 12 VCAL classes took control of the whole Father’s Day stall operation. They surveyed the students to see what they would like to buy for their special person, sourced, packaged and priced the merchandise. They presented the gifts on the day and provided a fun sales pitch to all the students. I want to congratulate the students on making the Father’s Day stall possible for our primary students.
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Assistant Principal Wellbeing and Inclusion
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SPORT
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Congratulations Alice S. in Yr 7 who represented the college, competing at the State Cross Country Championships!
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Congratulations Jacob C. Yr 5 and Noah C. Yr 4 on qualifying for Regional Athletics!
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Yr 9/10 girls Basketball teams
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and Yr 5/6 Hooptime Basketball Teams
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JUNIOR SCHOOL
PYP Exhibition Year 5/6
‘The Year 5/6 students have been working closely with the Sustainable Development Goals to give our community greater insight into the issues currently affecting our planet. Students have created displays to show their understandings and have also taken action to make a difference. They’ve done an excellent job throughout the ‘Exhibition’ and should be extremely proud of their efforts!’
Two students submitted their work and requested as their 'action', that it be shared to the Boronia K-12 College Community via the newsletter to bring awareness to their areas of interest.
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Gender Equality by Lexi G
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Did you know in most jobs women are payed 4% less than the average man would, and certain genders still cant go to school in some places!
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Both genders should be free to pursue whatever career, lifestyle, choice and abilities!
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For generations girls or women haven't had education, why are people still sexist?
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People can have beliefs, but there's no need to be horrible with them?
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Global Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions by Matthew P
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Refugees and migrants have forever been an important part of Australia. They are an important part of our society and have been for centuries. From the gold rush in the 1850s to the Second World War in the 1940s, wave after wave of people have come to Australia to make us the unique place that we are. Despite this fact, refugees have been discriminated against for centuries and face many challenges, even coming to Australia! The world is in a refugee crisis with some 90 million people forcibly displaced around the world, with 21 million being recognised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as being refugees, only 1% of refugees are resettled each year, around the globe.
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The global migrant crisis, which is the worst since the Second World War, has been greatly exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine. It is interesting to see the different responses that various countries around the world have had, particularly in Eastern European countries like Poland, where more than a million people have fled to from Ukraine.
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It is saddening that Australia isn’t stepping up enough. Although we have created a special humanitarian visa, specially for refugees fleeing Ukraine, the scheme finished on July 31st, which is only 5 months, 1 week since the war began. It has been very stressful for Ukrainian refugees in and coming to Australia and the ending has only exacerbated this stress. Although 8,500 visas have been granted, only about 4,100 have actually come to Australia, and those who were granted a visa but haven’t yet arrived in Australia will have their visa cancelled.
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How can we allow this? We are in the midst of the worst refugee crisis in decades and we just sit back and twiddle our thumbs? For some reason the refugees coming ‘illegally’ by boat to Australia is the common picture of refugees, however they only make up a small percentage of refugees coming to Australia, as the vast majority come here ‘legally’ by plane. However, all refugees are entitled to try to seek asylum in which ever country they wish, according to international law.
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It is concerning that a lot of refugees coming by boat are then either deported or put into detention centres for at least five years. One has to remember that these people are coming here because of extreme circumstances, no one would want to go on a dangerous voyage on a usually crowded, small boat.
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Australia has to do more in either preventing the boats from coming, meaning that these people won’t have to suffer through years of anguish, or provide better circumstances for these people when they come to Australia. For instance, in Lithuania, if people who have been trafficked into the country report themselves to authorities within 48 hours, no matter if they have legal documents or not, they are eligible to seek asylum within a year, if not a few weeks, much quicker than in Australia. But of course, those coming by boat are only a small number of the small number of refugees that Australia takes in every year.
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If Australia took in more refugees, then everyone would benefit. Refugees often have important and/or unique skills that Australia needs, especially in one of the worst worker shortages in decades.
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It is clear that refugees have a right to live in Australia, but we are not doing nearly enough to accommodate them. Also, it is clear that these refugees, fleeing from their homeland because they were forced, not because they wanted to, can help us, in Australia, solve the worker shortage.
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Year 5/6/7 Camp
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MIDDLE SCHOOL
Year 9 City Experience
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Early this term the Year 9 cohort ventured into Melbourne each day for a week, staying over night one night, and experiencing some of what our lovely city has to offer. The program promotes independence and awareness of our city as a resource and a community. They visited the Australian Sports Museum, took a tour of the MCG, spent a day at the Melbourne Museum including an IMAX 3D Feature. They toured the Old Melbourne Gaol and the City Watch House, the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Shrine of Remembrance, a sunset at Eureka Skydeck and on the last day visited the Queen Victoria Market and competed in an Amazing race through the city! A great week was had by all and a memorable experience for our Year 9's.
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SENIOR SCHOOL
Get Wild
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1000 steps Kokoda Track Memoral Walk
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Rock Climbing in Warrandyte
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VCAL
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We would like to thank the Year 12 VCAL, for hosting the Father’s Day Stall for the Primary School, on the 1st of September. Thanks to Mrs Wright, we were able to commandeer the Junior school staff room, to set up for the Day. Ms Tanner was instrumental in funding the merchandise which was of high quality and much appreciated by the students and families. Thanks to all staff and students who participated.
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SECONDARY ART
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One of our senior artists, Sarah C. of Year 11, exhibited her work in the 'Young @ Art' exhibition at The Hut Gallery. She was awarded a 'highly commended' in the Senior Youth category for her piece 'Persephone'.
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Senior Art Excursion to The Picasso Century at the National Gallery of Victoria
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OFFICE NEWS
Parent Payments 2022 and 2023
As parents are aware schools provide students with free instruction to fulfil the standard Victorian curriculum and we assure you that all contributions are voluntary. Nevertheless, the ongoing support of our families has ensured that our school could continue to offer the best possible education and support for our students. On behalf of the school, I thank the many families who have taken the opportunity to contribute by way of voluntary contributions for items such as curriculum, ICT, wellbeing, School ground improvement etc.
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The parent payment arrangements for 2023 will be released early in Term 4. In the meantime, families are still able to contribute to our voluntary contributions for 2022 and we would appreciate any contribution at this time.
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If you have any questions regarding Parent Payments, please feel free to contact me.
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