Parent Teacher Student Meet and Greet Sessions
The first of our Parent Teacher Student Meet and Greet sessions took place last Thursday 10 March on the Broadmeadows campus and Wednesday 16 March on the Glenroy campus. This session was an opportunity for parents to meet with the subject teachers of your sons and daughters to let them know relevant information about your child/children. I was delighted with the number of parents who attended via Teams and hope that it was a productive night for all parents who were involved. We continue to engage more parents and students in the learning process with the aim of further improving student outcomes. There were many conversations about learning, setting realistic goals for the year and future pathway options.
A reminder that another session is scheduled for both campuses on Thursday 7 April but this will occur through face-to-face meetings only.
The purpose of the Meet and Greet Session is for parents to meet the teachers of their child or children, to convey important information about your child or children to the teacher and to discuss their goals for the year. What we are seeking from these sessions is to find out as much information as we can about your child to assist us with planning and maximizing the growth of each student in our care.
Although we believe we are the educational experts in relation to each student’s learning, we readily recognise that parents are the experts in their children. Therefore, for us a parent’s insights and understanding helps the College tailor its approach to each young student’s learning and growth. We achieve this by aiming to ensure that all conversations and planning about each student’s development are undertaken in a collaborative and supportive way. This approach is used by everyone, teachers, school counsellors and leaders.
International Women’ Day – Tuesday, 8 March
Happy International Women’s Day to all of the women within our community. The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is to Break the Bias.
Imagine a gender equal world.
A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.
A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
A world where difference is valued and celebrated.
Together we can forge women's equality.
Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.
Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions –
all day, every day.
We can break the bias in our communities.
We can break the bias in our workplaces.
We can break the bias in our schools, colleges, and universities.
Together, we can all break the bias - on International Women's Day (IWD) and beyond.
Year 7 Camps
Thanks to all involved with Years 7 camps last week. These camps are a great opportunity for our students to get to know their classmates and teachers in a setting other than our school. They also provide opportunities for students to challenge themselves and for personal growth through a range of activities. These opportunities would not be available to our students without the generosity of our staff and their willingness to forgo time with their families and friends for the benefits of our students. Whilst we have had approximately 10% of the year level reporting they have contracted COVID, I am hopeful that the number of further COVID cases reported after the camps remains relatively low.
Rapid Antigen Testing
Thanks to the many staff who are completing their rapid antigen tests on Monday and Wednesday mornings. A reminder that it is okay to complete on another day if you forget. As you will notice from the COVID notification letters released each day there are still a number of cases being reported each day and the vast majority are being picked up by Rapid Antigen Tests. This surveillance testing using RATs is helping our community to remain safer, so I encourage all to continue with the testing.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Ms Kim Nguyen who has been appointed as a Food Technology teacher at Creekside P-9 College in Caroline Springs. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly recognise the contribution that Kim has made here at Penola Catholic College and our burgeoning student numbers in Food Technology have been largely due to her efforts to make the curriculum as engaging as possible. I take this opportunity to thank Kim for her contribution and wish her well for the future.
Staffing Changes
Thanks to Dr Maria Joseph, who finished up last Friday 4 March, replacing Diane Farah. Welcome to Ms Madison Kaczalska, who is taking that load for the remainder of term. Farewell to Ms Nellie Mimms who started maternity leave last Friday 4 March. We wish her well for the impending birth.
Welcome
Welcome to Mrs. Amanda Michielin who has commenced her role as e-Learning Leader. She will be teaching Year 12 Software Development as well as providing EAL support in some Math classes.
Welcome to Mr James Giannoukos who has been appointed as our new Psychology teacher and Literacy tutor has commenced. James joins us from Australia International Academy where he has been teaching VCE Psychology.
Welcome to Mr Anthony De Angelis who has been appointed as our new ICT Helpdesk person to assist staff and students with ICT issues. Anthony is a former student who graduated in 2014 and completed a Bachelor of Information Technology and previously worked as IT Service / Support Technician at one of Australia’s leading Desktop PC and Laptop suppliers, Aftershock.
2023 Year 7 Enrolments
A reminder to all of our existing families that Year 7 enrolments for 2023 closed on Friday 20 August 2021. A number of families applied after the close of enrolment last year and it makes it very difficult to accurately plan for the following year, so I ask that you submit your enrolment as soon as possible. Often families assume that we know that there is a younger sibling and I would be very disappointed if one of our existing families missed out on an enrolment due to not submitting their enrolment in a timely manner. If there are any current families with children in Grade Six who are intending to enrol them at Penola in 2023, I would ask that you make contact with Ms Anita Harding at the College as soon as possible.
School Advisory Council
The first meeting for the new School Advisory Council will be conducted Tuesday night, 22 March where the following positions will be determined:
Board Chairperson Deputy Board Chairperson
Ms Louise Pacor was the only parent nomination received for the advertised vacancy on the School Advisory Council and, as a result, she has been accepted onto the School Advisory Council. I would like to thank our other School Advisory Council members for their ongoing contribution to our school: Fr Dishan Candappa, Ms Rose Crocitti, Mrs Jenny Vinten, Mrs Karen Harvey Collings, Mr Seyit Kaplan, Mrs Alfina Astuto, Mrs Julie Lyons, Mr Stuart Harrison, Mr Angus Drennan and Mr Jordan Gioskos.
Whole School Activity Days - Athletics Day Tuesday 5 April
I would like to take the time to outline our expectations with regards to these events. When students and families sign up for a place at Penola Catholic College they agree to the whole package and do not get to choose which parts of the package they will participate in. Attendance is compulsory at all whole school functions including the Athletics Carnival. If your son or daughter is going to be absent on any of these days, could you please ask them to come and see me! There will be follow-up of all absences on this day.
There are some students and families believe that the Athletics Carnival is not a valuable activity and may condone the absence of their son(s) or daughter(s) from the Athletics Carnival. This is most concerning to me as I believe that students should be involved with all aspects of College life, not just the one’s that they enjoy or want to do. As a school, we will make contact with the students who are unexplained absences from the Athletics carnival. Each student and family has signed up for the whole package and I believe that whole school activities are important and that each student should attend.
Parental Engagement
Driving to work the other morning I heard a report on the radio which talked about the link between the education levels of parents and their children’s NAPLAN success rates. Simply put the higher the level of parent’s education the more likely the student was to succeed compared to other families. I believe we need to be very careful when considering research such as this as there is a danger that we can accept these findings without question, and it becomes a self-fulfilling idea. That is, students cannot change their level of performance and it is all pre-ordained according to genetics, postcode and income levels. In my experience in education, I have met many outstanding students who come from families with a variety of levels of education who succeed extraordinarily well.
Fortunately, the researcher went on to say that what they do next is to see what these so called ‘successful families’ do to support their children’s education. I believe that there are strategies and approaches that consistently benefit students when instituted at home on a regular basis. As parents you should have been able to access your child’s / children’s reports online. One of the key ways that you can support your son or daughter’s education is by taking a genuine interest in what they are doing at school. Ways that you can show that you are interested is by asking how their day was at school or through your attendance at Parent/Teacher/Student interviews and other school events.
I have been pleased with the numbers of parents that have attended our initial Parent/Teacher/Student interviews. The purpose of these interviews is for staff to find out from parents’ information about your son or daughter, to meet with your child’s subject teachers and for teachers to give feedback about their performance to date. Many of you will have noted a change in practice with our progress reports in terms of when they are available and whether interviews have been requested. We have sent personal invitations to every family as we are seeking to promote two-way communication between the school and our families.
One of the most important study habits a student can institute is ensuring study times are regular and immoveable unless there is a remarkable reason to make a change. Times can be sorted around sporting or musical commitments, part-time work or even favourite television programs but once they have been sorted out it should be as regular as brushing your teeth in the morning. If there is no homework then some schoolwork such as revision, additional maths or reading a novel should be done instead. There are always a certain number of students who will cram their class work so that they can come home to announce that they don’t have any homework! Having an unconditional homework time can encourage students to expand and develop their work further.
Secondly, usually the best place for homework is in a public place in the house. Especially where adults are quietly doing other things around them and are touching base with how they are going. For both of my children this place is on our kitchen table! Some students find doing homework locked away in a bedroom so crushingly boring that they either don’t get on with anything or they are constantly tempted by distractions such as Facebook, computer games or even just surfing the net! The other advantage with this suggestion is that there is considerable research around that says that when parent’s take an interest in the child’s school work, this improves the attitude of their child to everything associated with schooling which improves learning. What is also critical is that the homework is done earlier in the evening rather than late at night.
All students struggle with motivation at various stages and one of the things that we can assist with as parents is reminding our children that nearly every form of success that we have achieved has been as a result of hard work and lots of it! Some students need assistance with their organisation to ensure that they start tasks early enough to be able to complete their best work rather than in a huge rush just before it is due. Others simply need help in planning and recording what tasks they need to complete and prioritising this work. Despite what your children may believe, you know them better than anyone else so you will know the areas where they need support and ways that you can help.
St Joseph Prayer
Within the Christian tradition, the feast of St. Joseph is celebrated on March 19. St. Joseph's life was that of an ordinary workman, yet his ability to see and communicate the presence of God made him extraordinary. Although Sacred Scripture doesn't tell us a great deal about him, we know St. Joseph listened to God in his dreams, and he protected and cared for Jesus and Mary.
Today, let us ask St. Joseph to give our Sisters, and all who serve the healing ministry of Jesus, the courage to listen to our dreams and follow what we know to be right, so that we will continue to care for those within our Josephite communities in the spirit of Joseph.
Prayer to Joseph,
Who is Known by Many Titles
Faithful Joseph:
Teach us to listen and not be afraid to trust
as you did in God's promise.
Loving Joseph:
Teach us to love courageously with a heart
that is free and just.
Protector Joseph:
Teach us to protect one another and all
that belongs to God.
Dreamer Joseph:
Teach us to dream a world where all are neighbours;
a vision illuminated by God's light.
Teacher Joseph:
Teach us to keep the Word of God close to our hearts, and to proclaim it in word and action.
Gentle Joseph:
Teach us to be gentle with our power and
strong in our tenderness.
Parent Joseph:
Teach us to be for all persons a living lesson
of goodness and truth - a blessing for all
generations to come.
Amen.