by Rosina Fotia, Principal

Welcome to Term 2, I trust that everyone has had a restful Easter period and is enjoying the beautiful autumn weather we are currently experiencing in Melbourne. This term promises to be very busy and includes events such as: NAPLAN, Work Experience, Open Night, Examination periods, Self-Evaluation, Attitudes to School Survey and reports.

Learning Focus

This month the College will continue to keep its focus on Literacy and Numeracy across the whole school. The key emphasis for Professional Learning during this term will be embedding Writing to Learn and Substantive Talk across the curriculum as well as introducing Writing across the Curriculum and reading comprehension. Term 2 also sees the NAPLAN testing completed across the country. The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual national assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. All students in these year levels are expected to participate in tests in reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

ANZAC Day Primary School ceremony

On Wednesday April 18, the Middle School Global Conflicts class, with the support of Ms Riazati and the Lilydale Legacy Group, facilitated an ANZAC ceremony for over 120 students from local primary schools. The event is now a regular on our College calendar. It provides young people with an authentic opportunity to strengthen their understanding and to come together and appreciate the significance of ANZAC Day. Students were also provided with the opportunity to chat with war veterans and meet with local MP’s and RSL and Legacy dignitaries.

ANZAC Day Dawn Service

The Lilydale Dawn Service ceremony was attended by College leaders and representatives this week. The student leaders laid a wreath, along with other community groups, on behalf of the Lilydale Heights College community. Many thanks to College members who were also in attendance.

Lilydale District Network of Schools – Working Together!

There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that when networks of schools work collaboratively, student achievement is optimised. The Lilydale Network of schools including both primary and secondary are very pleased to be able to work closely to take the education of our students to the next level. On Thursday, 10 May, as part of an ongoing shared practice agenda, we will be engaging with a range of workshops held at varying network schools between 4.15pm and 5.30pm, organised and led by specialist teachers from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). Teachers will be able to choose to attend workshops on a range of subjects including: digital coding, STEM, critical thinking, ethical capabilities, literacy, numeracy, music and health education. They will hear from expert teachers who have the latest in evidence based teaching strategies that will ensure our students benefit when the teachers return to the classroom. The opportunity for our teachers to come together and share ideas is also an important part of the shared practice program. We look forward to engaging with the workshops and continuing the ongoing professional learning that engages and inspires our teachers into the future.

Attitudes to School Survey

We value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction and are conducting a survey to find out what your child thinks of our school. The Attitudes to School Survey is an annual student survey offered by the Department of Education and Training to assist schools in gaining an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. Our school will use the survey results to plan programs and activities to improve your child's schooling experience. Students from Years 7- 12 at our school will participate in the survey. Your child will complete the survey online during school hours using a purpose built secure online survey tool. It is important to note that we are not in any way “testing” your child. Your child has the right to refuse or withdraw from the survey at any point before, during, or after completion of the survey.

Your child will be provided with a unique login to complete the survey. The student login is an assigned identifier that may be used to link data for statistical and research purposes only. All responses to the survey are kept anonymous in the response file. Personal identification data will not be recorded in the survey response file. This ensures that the confidentiality of your child’s responses is protected at all times. This year the Attitudes to School Survey will be conducted at our school over the period April 30 and May 11. The survey only takes 20 minutes to complete and occurs during your child's class time. Anonymous survey results will be reported back to the school before the end of Term 2 If you would like more information, please speak to your child’s teacher or visit: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/management/improvement/Pages/performsurveyat.aspx

International Student Exchange Program

There are many student exchange programs available to secondary school students to study abroad. The Rotary Youth Exchange Program is an outstanding personal development opportunity and has been in existence now for 60 years and with its superior infrastructure, is the most sought after. This is a 12-month program and the benefits for the students are many and include:

• Confidence building and resilience gained from living 12 months away from home in another culture
• The immersion in another language that inevitably leapfrogs students’ progress and their academic results in that language

If you would like some more information regarding this program, please do not hesitate to contact me at the College.

Encouraging School Attendance

Absences add up! Missing just two days a month means a child misses 10% of the school year.

Encouraging regular school attendance is one of the most powerful ways you can prepare your child for success—both in school and in life. When you make school attendance a priority, you help your child get better learning outcomes, develop healthy life habits, avoid dangerous behavior and have a better chance of graduating from high school and transitioning to further study, traineeships or full time employment.

When students are absent for fewer days, their results and reading skills often improve—even among those students who are struggling in school. Students who attend school regularly also feel more connected to their community, develop important social skills and friendships.

If you are having difficulty getting your child to school and would like some support, please do not hesitate to contact the relevant Sub-School Learning Leader on 9735 1133.