What’s the buzz around Braemar College?
As we reach the end of a week of remote learning, I have reflected on what has been achieved. There have been 784 SEQTA notes to Middle School students and 675 SEQTA notes to Senior School students last week. Most notes focussed on supporting young people while in remote learning. I am proud of our response and the manner in which our community has approached the current circumstances we find ourselves in. As part of a global community, there are significant variations in how different educational jurisdictions have approached these circumstances.
I read this as a headline in the newsfeed I follow from the John Hopkins University – School reopening site in the US: ‘It’s against this backdrop – rising COVID cases due to an aggressive new variant and lagging vaccination numbers – that the nation’s estimated 56 million students grades K-12 return to the classroom full-time in the coming weeks, many of them for the first time since the pandemic shuttered schools in March 2020.’
What struck me was that many students in the US had not attended face-to-face learning since early 2020. While these restrictions we face currently are challenging, my mind turns to the young people in that country, many of whom have not been face to face with their teachers for well over a year. This vignette in no way diminishes what challenges us here at the moment, but it does bring some perspective.
Through our anecdotal data collection and coordinated data sets collected by other peak education bodies, there is a growing body of evidence that the impact of this disruption on young people will be varied. While some students have thrived in a remote setting, others have struggled.
The link below is to a short clip (6 Minutes) featuring Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, one of Australia’s highest-profile child and adolescent psychologists. He provides a perspective on wellbeing, especially youth mental health and the impact of the pandemic on young people. My thanks to the Association of Heads of Independent School Australia (AHISA), the peak body for independent school principals in Australia, for providing the link for use in our communities.
Click here to view the special report clip now.
Finally, in our Strategic Plan, we have a priority to report transparently on the College’s progress. Each year, to meet the Commonwealth and State requirements, we are required to produce an Annual Report. The Annual Report refers to the previous year (2020) and refers to a range of academic, pathway and operational datasets for the College. The Report is available on the College’s Braemar Parent website, under the publications section.
Russell Deer
Principal
Upcoming Dates
There have been changes to scheduled events and activities in the College Calendar. The Calendar is being updated as regularly as possible and is the best place to check for the latest information.
See our College Calendar for the latest information regarding upcoming dates.
An update from our Associate Principal
I concluded my last Buzz piece at the end of Term 2 with the line: “I wish all students a restful break, and look forward to a more settled and normal Term 3.” Well, I was wrong about that.
In this edition, the Principal has written about the College’s new Strategic Plan 2021-2025. The plan will guide our actions over the next four and a half years, but also provide an opportunity to revisit and rearticulate our values as a College. One of the values listed is excellence in teaching and learning, which is manifested in acting with integrity and respect, becoming resilient, and acting independently. It’s one thing to have our shared values articulated in a plan, but the example and excitement is in the lived examples that we see in the daily life of the College.
Last Friday on the first day of lockdown, one of our senior English staff, Anthony Young, sent through an image captured from his laptop of four Year 12 students finishing a SAC at home. Cameras angled down so that Anthony could invigilate and authenticate their work, these students had been on a Drama excursion (which we just snuck in on the Thursday) and so needed to finish their Literature SAC on Friday. Less than 24 hours after lockdown was called, these students had flipped to remote learning without a pause and turned around to finish an assessment in totally changed conditions. By keeping their focus on the content not the medium, they became a fine example of acting with integrity, being resilient, and acting independently. So, well done to these students and well done to our teaching staff who, like Anthony, have enabled learning and teaching to continue, regardless of the medium.
Michael Horne
Associate Principal
An update from our Acting Head of Senior School
I would like to warmly welcome students and families back to semester two. I will be replacing Caitlin Pohl while she is on parental leave and I look forward to working with the senior school students in her absence. Although the students’ face-to-face arrival this term at the College was short-lived, I applaud them for their continued flexibility and approach to learning online in response to the ever-changing COVID-19 situation.
Rapidly approaching is the subject selection process for students who will shortly be entering their 2022 subject preferences. Students moving into VCE (2022) and Senior School (Year 9 2022) will conduct interviews with a staff member to look at and support the students within their selections. I encourage you to have conversations with your child about their preferences and plans moving forward before submitting their preferences which are due on Monday 2 August, 2021. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Year Level Leader or myself.
Finally, a reminder that next month Sonya Karras will be speaking to students about partying safe, drugs, and alcohol. Sonya is a dynamic presenter who connects with and has spoken with more than one million teenagers over the past 18 years. Her presentation style focuses on relevant and real issues students face and can also include topics such as bullying, cyber safety and career choices. Sonya will also hold a specific parent/guardian session focussed on providing tips, strategies, and information to support parents and guardians to have meaningful conversations. Further information can be obtained from Sonya’s website.
Again, I look forward to working with the students and if I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Lisa Fritz
Acting Head of Senior School
An update from our Head of Middle School
Well, our term has not started as we had hoped and again, we face uncertainty in being able to plan ahead and complete a normal semester. However, even though we do not have a face-to-face program, the College is providing many opportunities to stay engaged and continue our learning…but it does take some resilience and determination not to give up.
At this time of the year, I watch the daffodils start to flower in my garden and around the district. I see daffodils as a real symbol of resilience and determination. They are not very strong plants with hollow stems, but they emerge from the ground each year when it is wet, windy, and cold and wait for those sunny days to really flourish and then they stand tall, showing us how wonderful they are and bringing joy to many. Listening to the messages from our College Prefects about our core values, I hope you can stand tall, bring joy to others, show kindness, be a leader, be independent, and continue to learn through feedback and being engaged with your teachers. We have a wonderful community; lets continue to make the most of all that we have and support each other.
Ros Shipp
Head of Middle School
2021-2025 Strategic Plan
The latest version of our Strategic Plan was released last week. The Plan has a life span from 2021-2025 and replaces the previous version; its release was delayed due to COVID. Parent, staff, and student voices added a rich dynamic to the document.
The Vision and Mission have been reframed a little from the previous plan, while the values have seen the most change, taking into account the students’ voice. For example, the value of ‘showing kindness’ directly references the student’s voice; they felt that being kind was a value that they wished to emphasise. Therefore, rather than using synonyms, we used the words as articulated by our students.
Five pillars support the plan. Four of those pillars should look familiar, as they appear in our previous version. The fifth pillar, ‘Sustainable Growth’, highlights the College’s desire to grow in a managed way. In 2022, the number of places offered at Middle School remains constant, with the growth being in our Senior School. The Year 12 cohort next year will grow as the larger student cohorts move through the College. Larger cohorts in these year levels allow for expanded subject choice, along with other benefits. There are also challenges,including the physical constraints of the Mt Macedon Campus. We will undertake a range of works, however major infrastructure projects are not feasible.
The 2021 – 2025 Strategic Plan was launched to the staff on 12 July at our staff day and is electronically available on the College’s website. On Tuesday, at the Principal’s Assembly, the Plan was to launched with our students. Given the current restrictions, our Prefects produced a short video presentation reflecting on our values. The link to the video is not available to anyone outside the College’s domain; however, your children will have access and could show you (it is currently available via SEQTA on the COVID Splash Page for students).
When the restrictions ease and we can resume the Principal/Parent Coffee Catchups, hard copies of the Plan can be shared with those who would like a copy. In the meantime, please enjoy the electronic copy and, as always, we welcome your feedback on the document.
Click here to view the 2021-2025 Strategic Plan on the College Website.
Job Keeper
There have been a number of media articles regarding Job Keeper. The College received Job Keeper 1.0 in 2020 and was contacted by the Herald Sun to make a comment. My response is below.
In 2020, as the pandemic commenced in Victoria, we recognised that our College parents were overly exposed to job losses as the international borders closed. A large number of families worked in the travel and airline industry due to our proximity to the Melbourne airport.
On 26 March, before Job Keeper or any other assistance schemes were announced, we communicated to our College community that a 50% discount was being applied to Term 2 fees for all students. In addition, our College Service Scheme was paused, and funds or hours worked as part of the scheme were refunded. This was an additional discount equating to $700 per family or 20 hours of service work.
These two discounts qualified the College for the scheme, announced on 31 March by the Prime Minister.
This Job Keeper payment allowed the College to retain all its students and staff.
Overseas and Interstate Trips
Given the general tenant of many articles in this week’s Buzz, it’s hard to look towards the future, however we are mindful that many students have missed opportunities, either via our EXEAT program or the extra-curricular activities over the past two years. These programs and trips create many links within the student body, between students and staff, and between staff and parents. In many ways, these activities and programs create opportunities to support the College’s values: being resilient; growing through feedback; and being part of a community.
As we plan for 2022, we have devised a different approach for the extra-curricular offerings. Working with Youth Adventures, the youth travel arm of World Expeditions, we have created a suite of programs focussed on service. The exact dates are being finalised; however, we are planning for the following, with multiple opportunities at each of the term breaks.
APRIL 2022
- Tasmania – 6-day program.
- Sydney and Blue Mountains – 6-day program.
JUNE / JULY 2022
- NT Kakadu – 8-day program.
- WA North West – 12-day program.
SEPTEMBER 2022
- North Queensland – 7-day program.
- NT Lilla Service program – 7-day program.
DECEMBER 2022
- New Zealand (alternative schoolies) – 11-day program.
- Kangaroo Island – 6-day program.
- WA South West – 8-day program.
The programs are focussed on our Senior School students. The only programs that will have a year level focus will be the schoolies alternative and the Lilla programs, which will be for Years 12 and 9 (2022), respectively.
These opportunities are, of course, in addition to the EXEAT program, which is being planned as usual. More details will be made available in the coming weeks.
VCAA Update
A message about the VCE, including the GAT, was provided to students in Year 11 and 12 today. While the news was focussed on particular year levels, as a Year 5 to 12 College, all College community members should be aware of this announcement.
The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) have advised today that the General Achievement Test (GAT), which was to have been administered at the College next Thursday (29 July), has been rescheduled to Thursday 12 August.
The Minister for Education and Deputy Premier, Minister Merlino, focussed on the fairness for VCE students across the state, given school closures, quarantines, and the requirement to self-isolate. He also focussed on the health, wellbeing, and safety of staff and students.
The VCAA has also stated that schools will again use the Consideration of Educational Disadvantage (CED) in 2021. However, given that Unit 4 is well underway, there will be no additional changes to study designs or examination content or VCE examination dates.
We know that our students and their parents may be anxious about the impact of the conditions created in schools to manage the pandemic. However, the CED process last year was clear and concise, with students reporting they felt supported.
We are also mindful of our teachers, who, via flat screens, are doing their utmost to ensure that the teaching being provided is supporting their students. Our teachers have a strong professional ethos, and we are proud to have observed and heard about the length to which our teachers have gone that ensures the VCE students are supported.
Parent Volunteerism
In 2020, the College Service Scheme, previously the driver for parental involvement at the College, was paused due to the pandemic. Again in 2021, with an ongoing level of uncertainty prevailing, the Service Scheme was not part of the fees and charges for the year.
During the Principal/Parent Coffee Catchups earlier in the year, the feedback was apparent that parents wanted a level of involvement and were happy to contribute as volunteers. To support this, as soon as the Operational Guidelines allow, parents will again be invited to participate in College activities. The potential range of activities includes food services and assistance with sport and excursions.
We anticipate that there will be varying conditions associated with masks, density limits, and QR codes when parents and others outside of the College’s staff are involved. Therefore, the Leadership Team will evaluate each request from staff members for parental volunteer assistance on merit and against the operational guidelines.
We have genuinely appreciated the feedback from parents about feeling disconnected and we hope that having the ability to volunteer – once we can offer that – will provide opportunities for parents who wish to reconnect with the College.
If you wish to volunteer, please email Mrs Wendy Swagemakers (w.swagemakers@braemar.vic.edu.au) to indicate interest.
JOIN US FOR A TOUR
Come along and see for yourself what Braemar College has to
offer your child in a guided campus tour.
offer your child in a guided campus tour.
Acknowledgement of Country
Braemar College acknowledges the Woi Wurrung people as the traditional owners of the land on which the College stands, and we pay our respects to their elders past, present, and future.
CONTACT US
- Mt Macedon Road, Woodend, VIC. 3442 Australia
- 61(3) 5427 2500
- registrar@braemar.vic.edu.au