Year 4
2023 marks the fourth year of operation for Elevation Secondary College. Those four years have certainly flown very quickly for us. For those of you who were with us at our first meeting at the Hume Global Learning Centre all the way back in 2019 – I’m sure it’s flown quickly for you as well!
As we grow as a school and move towards being a full 7 – 12 school in a couple of years time, it’s important to focus on learning, development, and improvement of our school as a whole. As our school grows, we are relentlessly focused on improvement and development
A large focus for us last year and again this year will be the development of our VCE program. We have high aspirations for our VCE program and have been able to employ VCE experts in a range of subject areas. Our VCE program will be strong, rigorous and academically focused.
Later this year we’ll be holding Information sessions to inform the community of our VCE program as well as additional counselling sessions for Year 10 students to choose their program.
Welcome to our New Year 7 students
It has been wonderful to get to know some of our 200 year 7 students over the last month. Our teaching staff have also been impressed by the ability of our year 7 students to adapt quickly to secondary school life, keep organised, complete learning tasks and participate fully in classes.
It was also wonderful to meet so many of our year 7 families who attended our Year 7 family BBQ.
New staff welcome
We are excited to welcome an amazing new group of teachers, leaders and support staff to our school this year. Our staff have come from a diverse range of backgrounds before choosing to come to Elevation with staff coming to us this year from schools around Melbourne, Victoria, interstate the UK and the US.
- Natalie Conboy – Leading Teacher – Multi Tiered Supports and Inclusion
- Alexandra Connor – Year 10 Coordinator, Careers Teacher and English Teacher
- Sarah Darling – English Teacher
- Asli Dulger – Senior School Leading Teacher
- Alison Eslake – Maths Teacher
- Nicholas Freer – Guitar Teacher
- Isabella Ganino – Maths and Science Teacher
- Samuel Haberman – Science Teacher
- Jason Haggerty – Visual Arts and Communication
- Jacqueline Hunter – Careers Practitioner
- Noah Johnstone – ICT Teacher
- Peter Jurasek – Maths and Science Teacher
- Agathi Koroneos – Food Technology
- Grace Misere – Maths Teacher
- Ella Mulquiney – Science and Maths Teacher
- Amitesh Prasad – Maths and Science Teacher
- Nikita Richardson – Health and PE
- Kim Sekhon – Classroom Support
- Ken Sinderberry – ICT Teacher
- Andrew Stock – Assistant Principal
- Sarah Stone – English and Humanities Teacher
- Jade Westergaard – Administration Office
- Iain Muir – Administration Office
- Melissa Milczak – Grounds and Facilities
- Sachi Jayasooriya – Classroom Support
Stage 2 Buildings
Our stage 2 building works are complete and functioning well. Our Gym and Performing Arts building, Food Tech rooms and new Learning Communities have added exciting spaces for the school.
Our students have been particularly excited to use the Gym for PE, complete Food Tech in the new practical rooms and of course utilize the canteen.
There is still quite a bit of work to go to complete the landscaping around the new buildings and on the oval. We are hoping that the bulk of this landscaping will be complete by the start of term 2 – however it may be longer.
Exciting new developments in our fourth year
Some of you may have noticed some new developments at the school already this year as we progress into Senior education. It’s very exciting to welcome Ms Asli Dulger to lead and manage our Senior School students as we head into the VCE. It is also fantastic to now have a fully fledged careers and pathways team. Led by Mr Henderson our Pathways leader, we now have Ms Jacqui Hunter and Ms Alex Connor providing clear, accurate and up to date careers support for our students. Our expanded careers education and support program will be seen mostly by students in Year 8 completing their Year 9 subject selection process, Year 9 students completing their Morrisby testing and Year 10 subject selections and our Year 10 students who will have regular careers support and an enhanced VCE subject selection process later in the year.
COVID – 19
Finally in this edition, I’ll quickly cover some main points to do with our ongoing COVID-19 management:
- We have air purifiers in every classroom and teachers are also utilizing windows and doors for ventilation.
- Rapid Antigen Test distribution is now handled by Councils. You can find pick up locations here: ‘Get a Covid Test | Coronavirus Victoria’
- With any illness – if students are ill they should stay home from school
Positive Cases
The Department of Health recommends that a person who tests positive to COVID-19 report that result to their employer, school and household.
Where a student or staff member is identified as a positive case, the following steps should be taken:
- Parents/carers should complete the Student COVID-19 COVID Test Portal if a student tests positive to COVID-19 (via a PCR or rapid antigen test). Where a parent/carer informs the school by phone or written notification, the school should complete the Schools COVID Case Management Tool.
- Students who report a positive result are recommended to isolate for a minimum of 5 days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved. Students who isolate as a result of a positive COVID-19 test should be supported in the same way as students with an extended absence due to illness or injury, with learning materials provided to support their continued learning.
- There is no longer a requirement for principals to inform the school community of a positive case associated with the school.
- Schools must treat health information, including positive COVID-19 test results, in accordance with the Schools’ Privacy Policy. COVID-19 diagnoses are not to be shared or discussed unless the individual (or their parent/carer) provides consent, or unless schools are legally obliged or authorised to do so. Further guidance on the handling of health care information can be found on PAL under Privacy and information sharing – Health care information.