Learning Walks – Student Involvement

Our Learning Walks continue to provide valuable opportunities to reflect on teaching and learning across the College. A particularly positive development has been the involvement of students in the Learning Walk process, ensuring student voice is part of our conversations about effective classroom practice. Having students participate provides a different perspective on what engagement, challenge and effective learning look and feel like from the learner's point of view. This work continues to strengthen our culture of collaboration, reflection and continuous improvement.

Curriculum Day – Refine and Refocus 2.0

Our recent Curriculum Day provided an important opportunity to continue the work of Refine and Refocus 2.0. A significant focus was providing teachers with dedicated time to work collaboratively, reflect on current practice and further develop the initiatives being implemented across the College.

Providing genuine collaboration time is important to ensuring our improvement work moves beyond planning and becomes embedded consistently in classroom practice. Staff were able to work together, share expertise and maintain a clear focus on improving learning experiences and outcomes for our students.

We also celebrated our fantastic NAPLAN results and rewarded the hard work of staff with a morning tea.

Year 12 VM – Journey Through Education Presentations

Our Year 12 Vocational Major students recently completed their Journey Through Education presentations, marking an important milestone for the first group of students to progress through our new VM program.

The stories shared by students were honest, reflective and inspiring. Students spoke about their secondary school experiences, challenges, achievements and the people who have helped shape their journey. It was particularly rewarding to see how proud students were to walk their families and teachers through their experiences.

Two highlights were the students' reflections on their secondary schooling and their letters of invitation to a person who had significantly influenced their educational journey. These presentations demonstrated the relationships and personal growth that sit alongside academic and vocational achievement. We are extremely proud of this first cohort and what they have achieved through the VM program.

Drama Club Performance

The recent Drama Club performance was another wonderful opportunity to see our students succeed in a very different environment. The performance highlighted the importance of providing a broad range of opportunities for students to discover where they belong and where their strengths lie.

Particularly pleasing have been the stories of students who may previously have been disengaged or reluctant to participate at school finding confidence through Drama Club. Seeing students come out of their shell, perform in front of an audience and experience genuine success is a powerful reminder that engagement can take many different forms.

Matinee Performance

The Drama Club performed a special matinee of their show ‘Portal’ to around 200 students from Bell Park North and Holy Family Primary Schools. It was fantastic to have both schools in the audience and to give our students the opportunity to perform in front of a full crowd the day before their main event.

VCE Art Exhibition

The VCE Art Exhibition provided an impressive showcase of the creativity, skill and commitment of our senior students. The quality and diversity of the work displayed gave students an opportunity to celebrate the culmination of significant effort throughout their VCE studies.

It was also an opportunity to recognise the considerable work occurring behind the scenes. We are proud not only of what our students have produced, but also of the expertise, encouragement and commitment of our teachers who support students to develop their ideas and produce work of such a high standard.

Western Chances Scholarships

This year, the College has submitted six new applications for Western Chances scholarships. We have identified students who demonstrate strong academic ability and commitment to their education, excellent attendance and genuine financial hardship.

Western Chances works with high-achieving and motivated young people across Melbourne's west and the City of Greater Geelong who face financial barriers to their education. Scholarships can assist with practical educational expenses such as laptops, textbooks, internet access, calculators, specialist equipment and other learning needs.

Importantly, Western Chances is about more than financial assistance. Their support can continue beyond secondary school into TAFE and tertiary education for students who remain eligible, while their broader opportunity programs provide young people with experiences that can develop skills, confidence, leadership and professional networks.

Our relationship with Western Chances therefore provides an opportunity to support talented and motivated NGSC students not just with their immediate educational needs, but potentially throughout the next stages of their educational journey. We look forward to hearing the outcomes of our six new applications later this year.