Parent Bulletin 2
7 February 2020
Principal’s WelcomeI would like to welcome our students and their families back to Strathmore for the beginning of a wonderful school year. A special welcome to our new students and their families. I trust that families have had an enjoyable holiday.
Last year Strathmore Secondary College developed a new Strategic Plan for 2019-2023 and set our school's goals for the next four years. In developing the Strategic Plan we reviewed and agreed upon five School Values. At Strathmore Secondary College we value:
These values apply to all members of the school community, students, staff and families and place an emphasis on shared responsibility. In welcoming students to the new academic year I spoke about our school values and what they mean in our learning context. In summary, I asked the students to 'Be their Best' and to take advantage of every opportunity our outstanding school offers. Our new Strategic Plan continues to focus on examining what to teach and how we teach. To assist us we will continue to have a number of leading educationalists from the United States working in the school with our staff. Our first visitor will be Dr. Jane Pollock, co-author of "Classroom Instruction that Works", who will have her initial visit to the school in Term 1 2020. Thursday morning Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) teaching staff meetings commenced. These are small teams of teachers working collaboratively on matters directly related to learning and thus leading to higher levels of student achievement. To allow staff to meet in these teams, form assembly on Thursday will commence at 9.15am rather than 9:02am. A small number of Year 11 and 12 classes will run during the PLC meeting time because of the pressure we have on room availability. These classes will start at 8.25am. Of particular importance to parents are our Student Coordination arrangements. The central role of Team Leaders and Coordinators is to work with students and families to ensure students are happy and successful at school. Teams are led and overseen by a Leading Teacher - Team Leader with two Coordinator s in the Year 7-10 teams. Senior School has a Leading Teacher responsible for Year 11 and one for Year 12 with one Coordinator for each Team. Junior School - Years 7 to 10:
Senior School - Years 11 & 12:
Jenny Sali is responsible for organisational and administrative matters within the Senior School.
Compass will continue to again be used as our primary means of communication in 2020- Parents are able to login to Compass via the link to the Compass portal on the Strathmore Secondary College website. Help is available if you are having difficulty logging on, go to the ICT Website. Year 7 parents received their parent login credentials in December. If you have misplaced the letter or are having difficulty please contact the College via email. I hope that 2020 will be an enjoyable and rewarding year for students and staff alike. I am happy to meet with parents and carers to discuss your child's learning and to hear your feedback. If you would like to take the opportunity to meet with me please contact Rebecca Oosterhof, Principal's Assistant to make an appointment. Jillian English College Principal Important DatesPlease check Compass Calendar.
https://strathmore-vic.compass.education/ Click the icon beside the home button: 
Student Attendance on CompassThe school is required to record attendance for every student and every class, including the reason for each absence.
Parents and guardians must update Compass Attendance in advance if a student will be leaving the school early for appointments, or for any other reason. Students cannot leave the school without parent or guardian approval and must not leave the school grounds without signing out at the General Office, before they leave. Students arriving late to school or returning from appointments, must also sign in at the General Office, before going to class and an explanatory note on Compass is required. If parents and guardians are unable to update Compass due to technical difficulties, they should telephone the Junior School Attendance Officer in the General Office, for assistance. For instructions on how to use Compass for entering Attendance Notes, go to: https://ict.strathmore.org.au/compass-absence-help.html |
School Council Elections 2020
Notice of School Council Election and call for nominations will be sent out on Monday 10 February via Compass.
Jillian English Principal Year 11 & 12 Parenting Strategies for Teenage SuccessAll families of Year 11 and 12 parents are invited to come along to this seminar.
The session is led by the same presenter who is presenting to students at the Year 12 Retreat and the Year 11 Camp. Thursday 13th Feb 6 - 7:15pm in the college Theatrette. Please see Compass for more details. Year 11 CampWeek 4, Monday February 17th – Tuesday February 18th
The Year 11 Transition Camp is approaching quickly! The camp allows incoming VCE students an opportunity to develop skills for success in VCE, get to know their new coordinators and the VCE team they will be working with over the next two years. This is a compulsory event where students will have targeted presentations and activities to benefit their academic growth and potential. We have extended the consent and payments deadline, they are now due by Monday 10/02/20. The camp information can be found on compass in the event. Any questions please don’t hesitate to contact myself or the appropriate Senior School coordinator. Andrew Beavis Year 11 Leader Burnet BulletinYear 7 Welcome
Well that’s one week down! It has been super busy, but we’ve all survived week one and the Burnet corridor and the wider college are starting to feel a bit more familiar. Welcome to all of our new Burnet families, your students have settled in well, are finding their way around and getting to meet lots more students, their new teachers and other members of the Strathmore community. Well done to all of our Yr 7 students on the mature way you have transitioned, navigated your way around the campus and been patient with us organising lockers, email and Compass info, and ensuring you’re in the right place at the right time. Our next event to look forward to is the Yr 7 Orientation Camp in Anglesea. Our camp will run from the 26th – 28th of February and the due date for payment is the 14th of February. All relevant camp info and payment/consent details can be found on the Compass parent portal. Following the camp, we are beginning to organise a Yr 7 Parent Meet & Greet on the 13th of March to reflect and celebrate on the transition into secondary college and introduce ourselves in a more casual setting. Year 9 Peer Support We have a fantastic group of Yr 9 students who have signed on to be our Peer Support and Mentoring team for 2020. They will be working with our Yr 7 students throughout the year to assist in organisation, building relationships, setting goals and a range of other skills and strategies vital for happiness and success in secondary college. Our peer support leaders are encouraged to keep an eye on emails and the Burnet bulletin board to ensure they know when and where the sessions are to be run. Year 10 Work Experience The Yr 10 work experience program occurs early in term two, however it is expected that all students by now have organised a placement and begun to process the necessary paperwork for school/parents/employers. New students to the team will be involved in a work experience/careers catch-up session with the Careers & Pathways team in the next few weeks, keep an eye on Compass. Form Assembly A reminder to all students and parents that the daily timetable has been slightly amended this year to reintroduce form assembly into the daily schedule. Form assembly is important for roll marking and will become a place for us to include some pastoral care activities, delivery of important announcements and be a hub for including a better student voice representation in school structures. Mr Matt Roberts, Ms Erica Trahar & Ms Teagan Fraser Burnet Junior Team 
Drop & Go Map - Strathmore Secondary CollegeStrathmore Secondary College and Moonee Valley City Council are committed to creating a safe and more sustainable environment for students. Walking and cycling to school is a great way for your child to start the day, as it stimulates the mind and improves overall health.
This map has been created through the Better Moves Around School Program, this program brings Council and schools together to improve safety and encouraging walking, cycling and the use of public transport. Moonee Valley Council has identified Drop and Go locations for Strathmore Secondary College students, each location is within a comfortable walking distance. The map has been designed to encourage more students to walk to and from school at least part of the way to reduce congestion in Pascoe Vale Road. Strathmore Secondary College is very appreciative of the support of Moonee Valley Council and encourage the College community to support this initiative. PLEASE NOTE - Parents are not to enter the Pascoe Vale Road carpark or the rear driveway of the school. Jillian English College Principal 
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