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Welcome Back to Term 2 at Senior Campus

Welcome back to Senior Campus for Term 2. I trust that the holiday break was a wonderful opportunity to spend valuable time with family and friends. These 'circuit breakers' throughout the year allow us to unwind, reflect, and refresh for the term ahead for our students, families, and staff.

Photos from our SIS Sports Senior Boys Football win over St Johns and Junior Girls Soccer, Intermediate Girls Indoor Cricket, Intermediate Boys Football and Junior Boys Volleyball teams.

Term 1 allowed me to see Senior Campus in full swing. So much of what Woodleigh is recognised for within our community was successfully accomplished – for the first time in two years.

Learning is not bound by the four walls of a 'traditional' classroom. I was able to hear the hum of instruments and vocals from Jago again, witness a full complement of Activities offerings on the ballot sheet, and see our orientation program 'Day Zero' welcome our youngest and eldest students back onsite for the year. I've now experienced the genuine sense of team spirit at our Swimming and Athletics Carnivals, seen potters taking to the wheels in the Art Courtyard and celebrated the successful running of Homestead Camps run in their full range of settings. We also finally had the chance to connect with you all at our Homestead Night, enjoying the opportunity to socialise out there on the grassy knoll.

I acknowledge that the transition back to a jam-packed schedule was challenging at times, but I am grateful for being able to witness Woodleigh come alive. We are working towards being 'school fit' again after being at home for such an extended period, and this will take time and perseverance as life returns to normal. I am so proud of the way our students approached their learning, both in and out of the classroom, last term.

Term 2 has begun with the same momentum. Although classes started back on a Wednesday, the last two weeks have continued to provide us with an array of events and programs on the School Calendar to look forward to. Our Year 9s moved straight into the City Bound experience and returned to School this week. Independence, communication, teamwork and collaboration are capabilities and skills learnt through participation in this program. I was excited to join the City Bound crew for a few days and privileged to visit and hear some moving, real-life stories of people in our CBD and local communities needing support. This inspired our Year 9s to tap into their social consciences and think about where they can make a difference beyond the City Bound Program.

The City Bound experience frames the IB Middle Years Community Project, which is a key part of the MYP Curriculum. This is the first year of the Community Project at Woodleigh. All Year 9s undertake the project over six months with a minimum of 15 hours spent on the project. They begin at City Bound, then have three activities sessions on return to school, (with more sessions able to be added in Term 3 if required). They can work alone, in pairs or in groups of three.

Students identify a community they are interested in, a need within that community and then research, plan and carry out a project to meet that need. They are scaffolded through this process using an online process journal. I encourage you to ask your child to share their findings with you in their OneNote Notebook. They can undertake action in four areas – direct service, indirect service, advocacy or research. They are assessed using four criteria and formally present their process journals and project in the first week of Term 4.

Celebrating Our Mums

Last week Mums from all campuses joined us at Merricks General Wine Store for our 2022 Woodleigh Mother's Day Out. It was a wonderful afternoon, and you could feel the excitement of being at such a special social event. After two years in hiatus, Mother's Day Out was a beautiful way for our mums and special ladies to reconnect over lunch and laughter.

Thank you to the businesses who donated goods and services to our goodie bags and door prizes.

Communication

I want to remind all families that their first point of contact at Senior Campus is your child's Tutor. With our year level tutor groups re-established in 2022, Tutors know their groups best and can identify areas where the group or individual may need further support. Over the coming week, your Tutor will contact you either via email or phone to touch base about your child's journey and connect with you.

As we start a new term, I would like to encourage all students to continue to strive to do their personal best.

Stay safe and take care,

NAT McLENNAN
Deputy Principal - Head of Senior Campus