A new wave of growth

Secondary Update - Annie Spelling

The wave of change has been exciting and exhilarating for the secondary school cohort. The move into the new wing has allowed us to spread out into more classrooms and take personal ownership of our individual spaces. 

The Year 7’s have transitioned seamlessly into a mix of ‘old faces’ and newcomers to the team. There has been a wonderful crossover of new friendships being formed and settling into the new routine of secondary life with a focus on elective choices. The highlights have been preparation for an Easter Service in the Drama class, with Mrs Santostefano helping the students to write a script that blends the salvation story with some interesting modern quirks. Parents are welcome to join our Easter Assembly on the 4th April at 1.10pm. Mr Craig Minter has joined our team as the Technology expert and has taken up the mantle of expanding the Agriculture  and Woodwork classes. The students have enjoyed either learning about chicken care and planter box preparation or spending time outside with a hammer and chisel. There is a distinct interest in outdoor pursuits that engage hands and mind. 

The Year 8’s are enjoying having more space in their classroom as a single stream cohort. The joy of adding a few new faces has spiced up the friendship groups and added new interests to social events. Mr Grant Furneaux has added a new dimension to the Music space and is delighting students with his dreams of expanding our performance capabilities and opportunities. The Friday Chapel sessions led by our Chaplain Mr Mosely have been targeted to explore the Parables of Jesus, with a  hands-on approach to get students thinking about some of the deep concepts embedded in these texts. We are looking forward to forming a Chapel band and having more student input during these worship sessions.

The junior classes have participated enthusiastically in pastoral care sessions led by the Wellbeing team, including Louise Daly who also meets with students individually as the need arises. The focus this term across the secondary level has been on improving executive functioning skills. A well prepared booklet is helping the students to consider appropriate strategies to improve their engagement in the learning environment. This class time is also an opportunity to discuss social matters that may be impacting the cohort.

All Year 7 and 8 students completed the Dibels reading test and will be receiving extra support based on a combination of performance data. Our aim is to individually support student engagement in the reading and writing space to provide each student with the necessary skills to excel in their academic studies. We are currently speaking to individual families and writing Support Plans to direct student learning and highlight specific teaching strategies where appropriate. This process is part of the annual procedure for the National Consistent Collection of Data to support students with neurodiverse learning needs. 

The Year 9/10 cohort have taken over ownership of the largest room in the new wing, with a combined focus on starting to set realistic academic goals and plan for future work pathways. Mrs Jeannine Marchesi joined our team as the English/Humanities teacher, with  a heart to see the students settle quickly into a productive working pattern using the Canvas platform to enhance learning through the ACC schools network resource. 

Students who are 15 before the 12th May, are currently selecting work experience placements with the assistance of NE Tracks employment services. The program will run from the 12th - 16th May in Term 2. Students not eligible for this program will attend normal school classes.

The 9/10 cohort are being encouraged to rise up and take on leadership opportunities within the school environment. It has been pleasing to see students take up positions in the newly formed ACC Media Team and step into House Captain roles for sporting and extracurricular events. The concept of fast tracking a VCE subject has also been taken up by a number of students and they are meeting the challenges of academic extension programs. 

The newly formed VCE (Year 11) cohort has hit the ground running under the leadership of Mr Michael Ey. Our students have navigated smaller ‘in house’ class sizes for core subjects and diligently met the requirements of onboarding in the virtual world of ‘online subjects’ where their interests lay outside of our current subject offerings. The addition of a senior common room area has brought great delight and a new level of responsibility during their break times. The manner in which they are using this space is a credit to them setting a high standard of behaviour for other students to follow in the future.

The VCE Vocational Major students have started their work placement pathway. We are very pleased to support Joshua Knight with his interest in Barbering, Petra Dalgleish in the Allied Health sector and Issac Mason in his passion to extend his lawn mowing and gardening services. These students are being supported by Robert Ashworth to navigate the three days at school and two work placement, TAFE days. 

The new secondary staff and students are adding a dynamic dimension to daily life at ACC Benalla. We are embracing the challenges of change and seeking to further his kingdom as we grow in wisdom and understanding of God's plans for this season.