Phoenix News – Issue 6

*Due to the current pandemic, please continually check the online newsletter and COMPASS for important information and sudden changes in the College’s timetable.

Student free days will be confirmed throughout the school year. 

Please make sure you continually check our online Newsletter, the College website or COMPASS for updates.

2022 – Term Dates

We are looking forward to gradually seeing all our students returning to face to face learning over the next few weeks!  Here is a visual guide to help you understand when each year level is expected onsite or learning remotely.

We hope everyone has had a nice restful holiday break and are so happy to be welcoming everyone back.

Year 10 Students studying a VCE Subject

Dear Students and Parents,

Year 10 students who are studying a Year 11 VCE or VET subject will be able to attend for the YEAR 11 CLASSES only starting from Wednesday 5th October. Students must sign in and out in the LRC before and after their scheduled Year 11 classes.

Year 10 classes will resume face to face as per the attached schedule for staggered return. Year 10 students will not have to sign in on Thursdays and Fridays in week 2 & 3.

Any questions please call the General Office.

Our world is moving rapidly – restrictions are changing quickly – things are opening up and in a new COVID normal way. To adapt to this new world we have a very clear focus this term and we have called this Essential Elements. The term essential elements applies to:

Essential Connections: Our first focus is on getting students back to school, in the habit of attending regularly and learning in the rhythm with the school day.

Essential Curriculum: As a teaching team we have worked to pare back the curriculum to agreed non-negotiables of what students need to learn by the end of the year. We do not expect students to re-learn everything that would have been taught in a regular calendar year.

Essential Care: By this we know that our students will be best placed if we help them re-adjust to face-to-face learning. This includes learning behaviours, adjusting to being away from home, adjusting to working with peers and teachers.

You can help us to return your students to school effectively by:

• Ensuring your student is rebooting school/home routines.
• Working towards regular sleep and meal patterns.
• Trying uniform and finding books etc. Reach out if you need assistance.
• Ensuring that your child is eating well for learning, which includes avoiding overly sugary foods and items such as energy drinks which are not okay for school.
• Ensuring your children from Grade 3 and up understand why we all need to wear a mask for the time being.

This is a very important term; we can’t wait to work with your students on these essential elements. Equally we are so excited to be having our children back face-to-face and re-establish relationships.

We want to recognise the outstanding work that students, staff and parents have done through these periods of flexible and remote learning. Together we have been amazing!

Karen Snibson
Principal 

Information regarding reporting exposure sites attendance.

If your student has been to any Covid exposure sites please contact the General Office (03 5329 3293) let us know.

Please follow the below rules regarding testing and isolation as set by the Department of Health:

If Tier 1 – Get tested & isolate for 14 days, contact the school once your student has been cleared to return.

If Tier 2 – Get tested and stay home, once you have received your result contact the school.

Thankyou we appreciate your support and vigilance.

2021 has been another year of COVID ups and downs! Our teachers and students deserve much credit in the way they have conducted themselves and adapted to the remote way of learning. It has been a pleasure to work with so many students, assisting them in planning their pathways that will take them onto the next stage of their lives.

After much work with our Year 10 students in securing Work Experience placements, we only managed to get half of the Year 10 cohort out before another lockdown occurred. This has been disappointing for us as well as many of our students. We do want to remind you though that student can do Work Experience through any of the term school holiday periods apart from December.

Our Annual TAFE Discovery Day also had to be postponed. This is normally a great opportunity for our Year 10 students to try a trade at TAFE. If your son or daughter would like to do Work Experience and has an employer who will take them, please encourage them to pop in and see us in MIPs and we can organize a placement for them during the term holidays.

2021 has again seen many of our students engage in a School Based Apprenticeship. These are for students who identify that this may be a suitable pathway for them. An SBA is a great way to combine school with an area of work that may be of interest to you. To do an SBA you must be 15 and either in Years 9 or 10 or undertaking our VCAL program in Years 11 and 12.

Across this year MIPs have been busy working with the Years 10, 11 and 12 students to complete their Pathway Plans.

We also have been able to successfully find alternative options for some students who have become disengaged with school and have sought to seek alternative options outside main stream school.

The following shows how many students have engaged in the following areas over the course of 2021:

• Students who have taken up a School Based Apprenticeship = 33 (9 of these continued on from 2020)
• Students left to Full Time Apprenticeships = 24
• Students left to Full Time employment 25+ hours = 9
• Students left to do a Pre-Apprenticeship = 5
• Students left to Fed. TAFE and/or Federation College = 27

During Term 4 we worked tirelessly with our Year 12 VCE and VCAL cohort to ensure that they all have a positive destination in place for their life post school. All our Year 12 students will be followed up early in Term 1 2022 to ensure a positive outcome has been secured. If this is not the case the MIPs team would encourage you to touch base with us so we can further assist you or your student with post school options. A further follow up call or email will also be completed around June 2022, to do a final check in with all Year 12’s.

Despite the interruption to our normal school year and the challenges that remote learning has presented, the MIPs team would like to wish our departing Year 12 students of 2021 all the very best for their future endeavors. We always welcome any past students who may like to come back to Phoenix to speak with the students about the career path they have taken since they left school.

Best wishes to you all.

Pauline Pipkorn and Sharron Smith – MIPs Team

The STEM Like a Girl Masterclass is a one-hour webinar, inviting girls to learn about all the incredible things the industry has to offer.

When: Wednesday 27^th October from 6pm until 7pm.

Where: Zoom (a link will be e-mailed when you register).

The webinar is FREE and the link to register is here – STEM Like a Girl — career pathways to change the world.

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Attention Year 12 Students!

Thinking of Federation University for your pathway after Year 12?

Check out their Facebook Page or Website for some information about their scholarships and programs they offer.

You can also register to access a food voucher to fuel yourself as you prepare for exams! (Vouchers are limited).

Jessica Fell – Class of 2010

Financial Planning Practice Manager

Jessica graduated in 2010, and tried many different things during her schooling years but only realised her strengths in her 20’s. For Jess, high school was a great experience as she had amazing friends and created memorable experiences. Although she didn’t consider herself an ‘academic’ student, she does know that everyone learns differently and you just need to find out what’s best for you.

After high school, she started studying at William Angliss Institute in Melbourne, leading to an incredible experience working on Hamilton Island in Queensland. During this time, Jess made lifelong friends, gained experience in many different areas (Food & Bev, Tours & Activities, Guest Services/Hotel check-ins, Aviation, Logistics), and found her independence.

For the past four years, Jess has been working in a Financial Planning firm in Brisbane, where she has since become the Practice Manager. Jess oversees a team of fourteen staff who provide financial advice to Medical specialists. This position has provided the support for Jess to buy her first home on the Sunshine Coast with her fiancé before starting a family.

Jess’ one piece of advice would be to take every opportunity that comes your way as you never know where it may lead you.

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