2021 and 2022 Newsfeed

Beaufort Primary School

During Terms 3 and 4 at Beaufort Primary School, high-achieving writers in Grades 3-6 participated in extension writing sessions on a weekly basis to continue to extend their skills as authors, and explore the nuance and control it takes to craft an imaginative and engaging piece of writing.

As part of the weekly writing blocks, students were taught about the ‘craft’ of writing; how to enhance small moments by zooming in and zooming out, developing the critical element of a solid problem to carry a story, mapping out a plot and utilising cohesive devices to move the story along. Students also had the opportunity to practice short paragraph writing moments to explore thoughts, feelings and actions of characters using the ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ model.

The driving force behind these extension writing groups for Grade 3 and 4 students was their participation in the LittleScribe Writing Festival, where students got to work with and observe, via Zoom, real Australian authors in action. These workshops helped to enhance and bring together the skills that students had been developing as part of their weekly writing lessons. The pieces of writing that these students worked on as part of the Festival will now be sent off to a printer and will return as a book that the students can keep!

All of these wonderful opportunities culminated in two workshops with the amazing Jodi Toering, author of the wonderfully captivating and emotive picture story book Mallee Sky. In collaboration with our Learning Specialist, Mon Radford, Jodi was able to design authentic workshops where students got a ‘behind-the-curtain’ peek at what it takes to become a published author, and the skill, patience and reflection that goes into taking an idea from a momentary spark to a tangible book in the real world. It was an experience that these students will never forget, and what they learnt is evidenced in the spectacular pieces of writing they have produced.

06/12/22

Ballarat Specialist School Work Experience at IGA

The Senior School at Ballarat Specialist School is very excited to have joined a student work experience affiliation with Country Grocers IGA, in particular their Country Grocers store in Skipton. This wonderful opportunity came about earlier in the year when Loretta Robinson, our VET, Careers and Work Experience Coordinator approached Ben Decis, who is a past Specialist School teacher.

During the initial early conversations with Ben to discuss the possibility of his supermarkets taking on work experience students, Ben had a brilliant idea of offering us a 10-week work experience program. Ben commented: “When Loretta and Katie first approached me to take on work experience kids from BSS I said no, because they were only going to be sending us two. I knew we could do a lot better than that!”

Essentially Ben offered to turn his Skipton supermarket into an operating training hub for 10 of our year 11 and 12 students. Ben and his chosen staff, along with two supporting staff from BSS, join the students each Wednesday this term to support them learning valuable retail skills that may assist them in gaining employment in the future.

From the moment students enter the store each Wednesday they are treated as though they are employees, dressed in appropriate IGA uniform and name tags. The students have already learnt beneficial information on how a supermarket operates from day to day, including many of the behind the scenes’ aspects.

The students are all given tasks to complete that include: basic retail principles like rotating stock or ‘FIFO’ (first in, first out), the importance of stock placement and presentation on shelves, building customer displays, training on the register and serving customers, helping when new stock arrives, store walks with Ben looking at what needs to be done to make retail stores operate, and allocated time to complete the IGA induction modules.

Even though we are still in the early stages of the program the students have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were drawn into learning from the initial induction day during week 1 when Loretta mentioned “Students were engaged from the minute Ben opened his mouth and spoke”.

Discussions with the students about the program so far have been brilliant, and the general consensus is how enthusiastic they are to be part of this program. Many students commented that they “love working with Ben and his staff” Courtney, Ashlee, Kate, Jess and Bec. They talked about Ben being a friendly and humorous “boss” and enjoyed the way he was teaching them, and “keeping them on topic” about all the supermarket daily practices. It was also lovely to see students greeting customers in a friendly and cheerful manner, and they were delighted by many of the customers interest in what they are doing and wishing them well.

Book Week

Ballan Primary School's Book Week celebrations included a Wombat Stew display in the school foyer.

22/08/22

Moyston Primary School

Moyston Primary School finished last term with some amazing experiences! The grade 4 - 6 students joined with students from Buangor, Maroona, Pomonal and Stawell West to attend a Snow camp at Mt Buller for the final week of term!

The junior students had a fun-filled day visiting the Melbourne Zoo. This was an incredible experience for all involved as it was the first visit to Melbourne for some students, and even the first time on a train!

During Term 3, Moyston Primary School held an Open Day to celebrate 150 years of Education in Victoria. The whole school dressed up for the day to experience what schooling may have been like in different eras.

This term we have welcomed Joanna to our school. Joanna is a Provisional Psychologist who is on student placement through One Red Tree Resource Centre. Joanna will be at Moyston Primary School for one day a week for the remainder of 2022. Our junior room teacher Zoe Hogan has also recently complete Therapy dog training with her dog Rue. Rue is now a permanent member of our school community and is much loved by all of our staff and students.

As part of our specialist program Moyston Primary School offers cooking classes each fortnight where each class cooks and the whole school sits down to enjoy the next day.

Last Friday our 2-6 classes went out and planted a variety of trees locally with Moyston Landcare followed by a sausage sizzle back at school courtesy of the Moyston Landcare group.

Moyston Playgroup runs on the first Wednesday of each month at Moyston Primary School from 9.30am to 11.00am. The Ararat Maternal Child and Health Nurse is also on-site during this time.

(01/08/2022)

Morning child: Aboriginal-led kindergarten opens in BallaratThe $1.3 million centre aims to support the area's flourishing Indigenous community.

Click on the link to the left to read an article celebrating a recently opened Aboriginal-owned and led kindergarten in Sebastopol.

Oldest School in Victoria

Did you know that Victoria’s oldest continuous school is Bacchus Marsh Primary School? Opened in 1850, it pre-dates Victoria’s public education system and is still teaching students today! The school changed its name from Bacchus Marsh State School to Bacchus Marsh Primary School in 1970.

To commemorate 150 years of public education in Victoria, our Schools Records Management Program has been travelling all over Victoria, digitising and archiving historic school records. You can check out the history of hundreds of Victorian schools online.

Find out more at: 150 years: Bacchus Marsh Primary School

📷: Teagan Glenane

#Schools150Years #EdWeekVic

Copied from LinkedIn

20.05.22

Victorian School Sports Awards - Alanna Peart - Ballarat High School

For more photos from the Victorian School Sports Awards - Click Here

For more information about the Victorian School Sports Award - Click Here

On Wednesday 27th April, School Sport Victoria held its annual Sporting Blue Award ceremony at The Glasshouse, Olympic Park, Melbourne. After 3 consecutive years of nomination, Alanna Peart was successful and awarded the Sporting Blue Award for Athletics (number 1 female in athletics at a government school). Not only did she win this award, she was awarded the most outstanding of all nominations received across all sports! This is only the 2nd time in history that a Ballarat High School student has been given this honour, the first being Peter O’Neill for water skiing in 1999.

Alanna has also joined a select few who have won Sporting Blue Awards in both Primary and Secondary Schools and joins 18 BHS alumni who have been awarded a Sporting Blue in recognition of their outstanding achievements.

Alanna had yet another great year in 2021. She was ranked number 1 in Australia for the Under 20 Roadwalking and number 2 in the Under 20 Track Racewalking. She obtained 3 Under 20 10km Roadwalking Team qualifying times enabling her to compete at the World Under 20 Racewalking Championships in Oman where she won the silver medal. In July she is competing in Columbia representing Australia.

Our congratulations on her outstanding achievements and wish her all the best for her upcoming competition.

06/05/2022 - Ballarat High School Newsletter

Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremonies

At the beginning of the year, several schools in the Central Highlands Area conducted Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremonies.

What is a Smoking?

A Smoking can be an important part of any ceremony, and it can be a ceremony in itself, too. When it accompanies a Welcome to Country, it is usually performed at the beginning of a ceremony. A Smoking is an important part of cleansing an area and people of bad spirits, promoting the protection and well-being of visitors. When people fully participate, they will often be invited to walk through the smoke for an individual cleansing. The smoke is a significant part of the ceremony; the way the fire is lit and the materials used are very important. Different mobs use different leaves, branches and bark, and sometimes only a specific type of leaf or bark.

Clunes Primary School:

Students, families, teachers and the Clunes community engaged in a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony lead by Aunty Marilyne Nicholls, Djaara Elder and Traditional Owner, Dja Dja Wurrung. Aunty Marilyn spoke to the community about Bunjil, a dreamtime story common with other Kulin peoples. The ceremony was conducted in front of the native garden in the school’s courtyard. Students were completely engaged throughout the ceremony and in walking through the smoke. Afterwards, the sacred charcoal from the fire pit was placed in the Native Garden, a special place. The ceremony generated great discussion and many wonderings with students keen to know more about Koorie traditions and heritage, an integral part of the school’s Marrung strategy.

Sebastopol Primary School:

The Sebastopol Primary School community also engaged with a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony lead by Elder, Barry Gibson, with students, staff and community members reverently taking part. Students were enthralled as Barry told stories of the local area and shared their understanding of Wadawurrung language by confidently repeating words and phrases. The sighting of a wedge-tailed eagle during the telling of the Bunjil story was incredibly powerful.

Sebastopol Primary School also took the opportunity to celebrate it's multi-cultural identity with the unveiling of Ballarat's first Peace Pole, donated by Rotary Australia. It's presence celebrates the school's connections to the First Nations peoples, our Maori neighbours, and Sebastopol's history as a Ukranian borough through messages of peace in the four languages. Standing next to the school's flag poles, the Peace Pole encourages students to think about the way in which they can help build peace not only in their community, but across the world.

12/04/22

What is expertise and how can we cultivate it?

On March 24th 2022, middle leaders and principals from across the City Network participated in professional learning led by Dr Ryan Dunn. With a focus on ways in which to further develop expertise amongst staff, middle leaders utilised the School Impact Model to develop a theory of action that reflecteted their school's combined expertise and opporutnities for improvement. Further sessions in Term 2 will continue to develop middle leaders' capacity to encourage and support expertise in our schools and subsequently, improve student outcomes.

12/04/22

Mount Pleasant Primary School

So wonderful to begin seeing our students make their mark! Our project with Art Teacher Kellie Maddaford, who has teamed up with Mairin Briody, developed a 6 week learning cycle for students to explore their impact on the local community.

The project has been funded by Creative Victoria and we are one of only 14 schools to receive funding in Victoria. Bravo to all of the children who have been a part of this inspiring project

#mountpleasantkidsaregreatkids

See more on the Mount Pleasant Primary School Facebook Page.

30/11/2021

Mount Egerton Primary School

Mount Egerton Primary School has been sharing their work on Facebook and the school's website through the Student Work Showcase. This is a quick and easy way for students to show the work they are proud of with the broader community. Great work Mt Egerton!

See more on the Mount Egerton Primary School Facebook Page

30/11/2021

Ballarat High School

Over the course of the the Ballarat High School VCE students in Art, Studio Art, Media, Visual Communication and Product Design Technology have produced some amazing pieces of Art. View the slideshow ,and vote for the people's choice awards!

30/11/2021

Cave Riders

(Digital Print)

Angel White

Solivagant

(Watercolor and ink on watercolor paper)

Briana Collins

Ballarat's Natural Beauty

(Digital Print)

Mary O'Callaghan

Death of Order

(Mixed Media)

Beth Murfett

Mount Clear College

We are delighted to present some of the artwork created by our Year 12 Studio Art class this year. With the past two years of constant disorder these students have done an amazing job in their commitment to creative practice. We were unable to have a VCE exhibition on site but needed to share the achievements of this talented group virtually.

Art is not only a creative outlet but also connects us with our own culture, and that of the wider world. In difficult times art can play a crucial role in helping people to cope through uncertainty. This This year my students have worked through difficult circumstances and continued through all the challenges laid before them. I am so proud of their effort and resilience. Well done Studio Art 2021.

Jessica Harrison - Studio Art Teacher

See more on the Mount Clear College Facebook Page.

30/11/2021

Erin Rawes

Claudia Carton

Morgan Ward

Maddisyn Maver

Invermay Primary School

What a great afternoon we had with our first ever art show and the official unveiling of a beautiful mural designed by our students and painted by our Artist in Residence Rachel King as part of the Regional Arts Victoria Grant. Our students were also proud to show off their 2021 artwork over in our hall. Thanks to all families who were able to come and look. There was a real buzz of excitement as our students took their families around. #regionalartsvictoria

See more on the Invermay Primary School Facebook Page.

30/11/2021

Linton Primary School

Paddock to Plate

Linton Primary School staff collaborated to bring a whole school cross-curricular hands on learning experience to children, in term 3. Recognising National Science Week, the integrated learning focus covered agricultural innovation, sustainability, food science and bio-nutrition. This was the springboard to promote positive nutrition as part of the Healthy Achievement program. Healthy bodies fuel healthy minds. We themed the learning as Paddock to Plate and employed a full week of engaging and accessible activities to the entire cohort. These hands-on experiences provided opportunities for inquisition and exploration as students collaborated to make their own butter from cream, bread from fresh milled wheat, chips from potatoes, and fruit salad. George the Farmer video tutorials formed the basis of our daily topic, introducing and explaining the process involved in the production, harvest, and consumption of wheat, dairy, fruits and vegetables, poultry, even timber, wool and cotton. They further explored environmental impacts including, waste production, consumption of natural resources, transportation and consumer cost viability, and innovations in science to support global food shortages.

The students are still talking about, and self-promoting the learning they experienced regardless of Science Week being the only full week of onsite learning for the whole school in term 3 and 4 thus far. It has provided a sense of connectedness and accountability towards food choices and sustainability between the students, empowering their student voice to be advocates for the health and wellbeing of their community.

15/10/21

Students preparing and consuming foods made by hand: such as bread, butter, roasted veggies, and fruit salad.

Willaura Primary School

Thank you to Rae and the team at Willaura Primary School for sharing their extensive Bump It Up wall that links their VCOP program with the wider curriculum. The Bump It Up wall has explicit examples of each learning progression with a clear path to success.

08/10/21

Combining Remote and Flexible Learning with Onsite Learning at Teesdale Primary School

As Foundation, Year 1 and 2 students settle back into rigorous routines of the classroom at Teesdale Primary School, students in Years 3-6 are being prepared for the staggered return to onsite learning. Teachers are filming instructional videos with the onsite students, and uploading the recordings to the schools Learning Hub to provide continuity for the students learning from home.

Morning Messages commence each day through Google Meet with teachers, before launching into daily instruction, covering both Generalist, and Specialist lessons. Students can access the Learning Hub to find explicit direction, instructional videos and links to both Google Classroom, and Padlet, allowing students to access resources and to share and reflect upon work and progress.

This 'hybrid' approach is constantly evolving to meet the needs of students and families, has seen Teesdale Primary School's Learning Hub as the bedrock for continued learning and engagement.

8/10/21

Student Agency through Bump It Up Walls

Erin is using a Bump It Up Wall with a clear goal in Number (fractions and decimals), Writing (punctuation) and Reading (expressing and developing ideas) with her senior years students.

Alee is using a clear Bump It Up Wall with one focus for her junior students. She tailored the Bump It Up Wall to her younger audience by using bright colours, motivating words, and the analogy of an ice cream, to motivate her students to frequently refer to the wall and strive to 'level up' their work.

Teachers at Linton Primary School, Erin Mitchell and Alee Bryce, have used Bump It Up Walls as a visible student friendly rubric linked to their current PLC inquiry. Each Bump It Up Wall is linked directly to the focus skill of punctuation at each level of the curriculum, with the level descriptions written in student friendly language, and worked examples for students to refer to. After completing their writing, students are encouraged to discuss their achievement with a partner, and set a personal goal, thereby promoting student agency. While conferring with their teacher, students are encouraged to explain their level of achievement, and have the possibility of their work replacing the sample on the Bump It Up Wall.

The choice to include one element of the achievement standard for each level came from the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) analogy of the 'cake, slice and crumb'. The Bump It Up Wall presents students with the 'slice' - punctuation, and their individual goal becomes the 'crumb'. This supports students to develop achievable goals and track their progress.

Being a small school, classes are multi age with a wide spread of student ability. Through using the Bump It Up Wall, teachers are able to differentiate learning to extend and support all students to reach the high expectations of the school. These expectations were set after an analysis of student data at a recent PLC meeting. The results from the pre-assessment were shared with students, and we look forward to seeing the impact of student driven learning through self assessment and agency, combined with targeted explicit teaching.

6/8/21

Remote and Flexible Learning and Returning to Onsite Learning

Mount Clear Primary School - Virtual Tour

As we move through the school year, lockdowns and remote learning have become a way of life. At Mount Clear Primary School, we strive to make these transitions as smooth and seamless as possible. We make every effort to offer a range of learning opportunities for students across all curriculum areas but seek to maintain a strong focus on connectedness with our students and families. We run regular whole class, small group and individual Google Meets across the school to ‘check in’ with how children are travelling, and endeavour to provide support, encouragement and flexibility to assist families to engage with remote learning as much as possible. We offer devices and internet to all families who need it. We even ran our own radio station and hosted an online whole school assembly during this last lockdown! The transition back to school has been smooth with students happy to return to their classrooms, see their teachers and catch up with their friends.

Below are some reflections on Remote Learning from some of our Year 6 students (Dekota, Bella, Frazer & Isabelle):

I think moving in and out of Remote Learning has improved from last year. We have great rubrics to work from, and there are lots of choices. Being organized during Remote Learning is important – otherwise you don’t get as much work done.
Our teachers expect us to have our cameras on during Google Meets. This helped me to stay focused. Technical difficulties can make it harder, I got a Chromebook from school after my laptop stopped working. The use of one app (Google Classroom) for our rubrics and Meets makes it easier to stay connected to everyone. All of our work and feedback is in one spot.
Remote Learning has helped me to develop my own self responsibility and be accountable for getting my work down - it was tricky at times!!!
We can email our teachers at any time and ask for help or feedback. It was great to be able to stay online after the meet and ask any questions – it was also a chance to say hello to our friends. The fun events, like the radio station, were something to look forward to during the day.

Bella reflected on her personal circumstances during lockdown…

We are lucky to be able to have hot meals during the day when we are at home. We have a warm house, our heater is working, we have hot water at home and we can learn inside. Not everyone is as lucky as we are.

After surveying our families about the opportunities we are offering during lockdowns, the feedback indicates we are meeting the needs of our families and accommodating student learning as best as possible during challenging circumstances. We will continue to make improvements and tweak our programs to make the most of learning opportunities and maintaining connections for our school community.

2/8/21

New play space for Invermay Primary School

The current play space for students.

The planned play space.

Invermay Primary School is 148 years young and whilst their students thrive in the inclusive and engaging learning environment, they have not been able to enjoy the benefits of a safe, attractive, hardcourt player area. That's why the recent decision by state and local governments to facilitate the development of an inviting synthetic play space has been met with excitement all round. The planned hard court area will meet the needs and capabilities of the students during the day, and community members outside of school hours.

2/8/21

ASSIST

Twenty of Central Highlands' small schools are reaping the rewards of collaboration as part of the ASSIST program. Analysis of combined data to inform teaching, professional learning for staff in the area of sentence structure and fluency, and the acquisition and development of student and teacher resources ensure that working together benefits all.

2/8/21

PLC Coaching

The PLC initiative has seen an increase in school support with state based coaching taking place across a range of our Central Highlands Area schools to embed effective PLC practices. Wendouree Primary School and Forest Street Primary School joined together for three days of intensive discussion and exploration of the practices PLC leaders and teams use to improve students outcomes and develop teacher capacity. Our coach, Richard Lloyd, facilitated far ranging conversations that jumped the boundaries of PLCs as these two schools had the rare privilege of visiting each others classrooms and learning environments.

We now look forward to engaging with Buninyong Primary School, and four of our Secondary schools as they focus on Timetabling and Structural PLC implementation over the coming months.

Reconciliation Week 2021

More than a word. Reconciliation takes action.

Recently, schools within the Central Highlands Area took action to promote reconciliation. Whilst the snap lock-down curtailed some opportunities, students and staff demonstrated their determination to build communities and relationships by celebrating connections with Indigenous peoples, particularly their histories, cultures and futures.

For more information about the ways in which your school can advance reconciliation please speak to one of Central Highlands KESOs: Darlene Rumler, Donna Holloway, Margarie Pickford, Rick Balchin and Zeta Wilson.

Yuille Park Community College is this year’s winner of the Schools and Early Years category of the HART Awards (Helping Achieve Reconciliation Together) which recognises their contribution towards advancing reconciliation. The school has a 20% Indigenous student population and is a safe space for students, staff and families to come together and share life. It provides so much more than just curriculum. Nyatne Mok Boriyn, Thankful and Proud in Wadawurrung language, began as an identified need within the community to educate staff, students and families on how to create a culturally safe environment while embedding Indigenous perspectives into both curriculum and everyday life. In consultation and collaboration with local Elders, their KESO, Indigenous school community members, BADAC, and local government bodies, Nyatne Mok Boriyn guides all areas of learning and living at Yuille Park Community College. The winning of this award celebrates and acknowledges all the work they have done so far on their Reconciliation journey, and highlights the ways in which they will continue into the future, Thankful and Proud.

Students at the Scotsburn Campus of Buninyong Primary School kindly agreed to create artworks for the CAFS Reconciliation Action Plan. Their teacher, Elizabeth Morgan, explains: "Scotsburn students were inspired by the picture story book 'Say Yes' by Jennifer Castles, which explores friendships during the 1967 referendum (which sought to change two sections of the Constitution in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples). We talked about improvements gained by the landmark decision, work still to be done and the importance of continuing on the journey of reconciliation. When asked what reconciliation meant to them, most students identified themes of coming together, supporting each other and celebrating differences. We aimed to show these messages in these artworks."

Newlyn Primary School

The little school that could!

Newlyn Primary school was recently featured in 'The Local', a weekly news magazine for the Central Highlands:

"For 163 years, Newlyn Primary School has seen many changes in its time. With the original brick building, commemorative trees and an original 1930s piano, the threat of closure has loomed over the years as numbers declined and funding dried up.

But the little school just keeps on going and if the current school community is anything to go by, Newlyn Primary will still be around in another 163 years. "

Click here to read more: https://tlnews.com.au/the-little-school-that-could/

Sebastopol Primary School Camp

Cave Hill Creek

Term 1, 2021

Mountain Biking, Canoeing, Low Ropes, Damper Making, friends, fun, adventures and Glamping. The outdoor campfire was stoked and all were very happy and relaxed.

Lots of smiles as students achieved more than they believed they could!

Individual Education Plans

A range of professional learning resources and supports are currently available to schools to develop, implement and evaluate Individual Education Plans (IEPs, formally known as Individual Learning Plans and Koorie Education Improvement Plans). The development of an IEP involves a Student Support Group (SSG) which may consist of school staff, education support staff, allied health professionals, parents/carers/kin and the student thereby encouraging shared responsibility and student voice.

Currently, IEPs are required for Students in statutory Out-of-home care, Koorie students, students receiving funding through the Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD), other students including students in youth justice (custody and community), and students with a re-engagement program contract. They are also recommended for students with additional needs, those not achieving their potential or those who are at risk of disengagement, and children who are part of the Tutor Learning Initiative.

See PAL for more information - https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/individual-education-plans-ieps/resources

Professional learning and support are available to Central Highland Area schools through:

My LearnED: a 30 minute online module that builds on teacher knowledge of IEPs and can be accessed through Edupay, My LearnEd, and searching for Individual Education Planning.

Black Hill Primary School

The Blueprint

The Blueprint is a weekly school news program shared to our classes and the wider Black Hill community as an unlisted YouTube video. It features a range of stories from within the school showcasing student work, and achievements, to stories that are designed to inform us of important issues and events within our wider community. Also embedded within episodes are segments to promote wellbeing, resilience, health and fitness, as well as to help build a sense of community. A popular weekly favourite is our roaming mic, which allows many students within the school to have their say on the topic of the week.

Students meet weekly on a Tuesday afternoon for one hour. In this time the group completes a range of different tasks including

Brainstorming and finding stories to report on
Researching school, community and city-based stories (including making contact with community members)
Script writing
Interviewing and reporting
Filming and editing

Given the program airs weekly, students work to a deadline to ensure episodes are ready in time for the final cut. Students have developed their tech skills and now work to a high standard in order to complete all of the elements required to bring an idea from paper to screen. This includes an understanding of camera angles, filming locations, sound quality, lighting and green screen, iMovie and other editing software, image and music sourcing, and using the Google Suite in a collaborative way. Throughout last year the Blueprint team sought feedback from their peers, teachers and wider community in order to grow and evolve the format of episodes and reflect on how to improve the quality of production.

The Blueprint has complimented aspects of our schools’ goals and targets around student voice, agency and leadership beautifully over the past two years. The staff involved with the Blueprint team have broadened their knowledge through this process with students. Initially the program was very teacher driven however, recently that role has been reversed. Students now come with the ideas and teachers support and encourage where needed, as students lead the charge. The staff are always there as a safety net but allow the students to experience the pressures of a leadership role like this one.

The Blueprint has strengthened student voice within the team, which we expected; however it has also allowed many other students to be heard on issues that matter. Furthermore, we have seen the first hand effects on student confidence and independence in school leadership roles due to their involvement in this program.

The Blueprint also connects to our AIP through strengthening communication with parents and carers. This has been beneficial in allowing community members to be a part of our school whilst we were unable to have them on the school site. We also have quite a few grandparents who tune in from afar and love being able to watch the progress of their family members.

If other schools are looking to implement a program such as this one, then they are more than welcome to make contact with the staff involved, Vanessa Belsar and Chloe Dew.

Newington Primary School

Welcome to Country Smoking Ceremony

Newington Primary School were extremely privileged to welcome Wadawurrung woman Bonnie Chew on Friday 26th, February. Bonnie performed a Welcome to Country, followed by which all of our staff and students participated in a traditional smoking ceremony. All of the students and staff were invited to take a gum leaf and pass through the smoke from the fire, representing the cleansing of our path moving forward. This ceremony formed part of our transition to Newington Primary School and we are very proud of all of our students for the respect they showed throughout the ceremony.

Lesa Compton, Koorie Champion, NPS

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