It’s time to enrol

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Frankston House Sanctuary of Early Learning is set to open at the end of November — so it’s time to book your tour now! Frankston House is a 78-place boutique centre with a government-registered kindergarten, and it is committed to providing a home-like environment where each individual child can thrive. Given this, now is the perfect time to enrol. 

Frankston House is a family owned and operated long day care provider and currently runs Mt Eliza House Sanctuary of Early Learning at 41 Baden Powell Place, Mount Eliza. It believes that all children have the right to grow and learn in their own way and at their own pace, allowing them to gently unfold to reach their full potential.

With natural outdoor play spaces and four inviting rooms, the children will spend their days exploring their world, creating positive friendships and developing empathy and respect. Frankston House’s curriculum reinforces connections with nature and encourages self-reliance, problem solving and creativity.

Frankston House’s learning environments are provided to assist young ones to become curious, confident and caring decision-makers. Frankston House highly values family input and works collaboratively within its team and the community to provide best practice and continual improvement.

Frankston House Sanctuary of Early Learning is now accepting bookings for tours and enrolments are also now open. Visit frankstonhouse.com.au, and for further information, email [email protected]

FRANKSTON HOUSE SANCTUARY OF EARLY LEARNING

A: 1-3 Vera St, Frankston South

T: 9783 1117

W: frankstonhouse.com.au


Awards a huge plus for kinder group

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Community Kinders Plus scooped the pool at the Victorian Early Years Awards last month, with Carrum Downs kindergarten teacher Nicole Bechaz named Teacher of the Year, and the not-for-profit organisation becoming the inaugural winner of The Emeritus Professor Collette Tayler Excellence in Educational Leadership Award. CKP was also a finalist in the Creating Collaborative Community Partnership Award for its Let’s Chat oral language program. 

Nicole said she was overwhelmed by her award, which recognised the leadership she has shown in developing a strong relationship with Banyan Fields Primary School to help strengthen the link between kindergarten and primary school to ensure a smooth transition for children and their families. “To be recognised for the work that we’re doing with children and within the local community is a huge achievement,” she said. “The Let’s Chat program has been instrumental in increasing parents’ skills and knowledge around the importance of early reading.”

CKP chief executive officer Jane Spencer, who nominated Nicole for the award, described her as “an exceptional teacher and an inspirational leader”.

This is the third year that a CKP early childhood teacher has won the award. 

The Emeritus Professor Collette Tayler Excellence in Educational Leadership Award was in recognition of a project to improve outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable children who attend CKP-managed kindergartens.


Wheels turning at Toorak College with announcement of new bus route

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Toorak College will be chartering a new bus route for Frankston and surrounding suburbs, offering more students a safe and comfortable journey to and from school. From early 2019, the new Toorak College bus route will operate daily throughout the suburbs of Tyabb, Pearcedale, Langwarrin South, Langwarrin, Skye, Carrum Downs, Sandhurst, Patterson Lakes, Carrum, Seaford and Frankston.

With an increase in the number of students enrolled at Toorak College from these suburbs and with areas along the Frankston line undergoing rail crossing removals and station upgrades, Toorak College’s bus route has come at an opportune moment for families looking for convenient and alternative transport methods.

Three other Toorak College charter buses are already in operation circling the Sorrento to Rosebud area, Balnarring and Shoreham coastline, and suburbs between Flinders and Mount Martha, including Red Hill.

A new charter bus route is not the only news announced by Toorak College recently, with scholarship applications for students looking to attend Toorak College from Year 4 to Year 9 in 2020 now open. These include academic, general excellence and music scholarships, supporting Toorak College’s philosophy to encourage all students to aim high and follow their dreams.

Toorak College embraces the all-girl advantage in education and graduates stand out as spirited, well-rounded and resilient women. Research supports that girls are far more attentive to class discussions in an all-girl environment, are more willing to step outside their comfort zone and try new activities, are more likely to build confidence and leadership skills, and able to get higher grades within an all-girls environment.

If you would like to discover more about Toorak College, please book a tour at toorakcollege.vic.edu.au or attend an Open Day on Wednesday, October 10 or Saturday, October 27.

 

Music a key part of Peninsula Grammar life

Music plays a central role in the educational and cultural life of Peninsula Grammar. Students are offered a 21st century music education that is both stimulating and relevant to each child.

Music not only develops new skills but also consolidates skills learned in other areas of school curriculum. Gross and fine motor skills consolidate co-ordination, rhythm and pitch assist with language development, music theory improves literacy, ensemble music promotes collaborative social interaction and leadership skills, instrumental and vocal lessons help students develop individual learning strategies, and music technology complements e-learning.

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At Peninsula Grammar we invest in our music program and students enjoy a broad range of musical experiences. Directed by Dr Richard Vaudrey, Peninsula Grammar’s music department presents over 30 concerts per year including the incredibly popular Peninsula Grammar Presents concert series which brings leading artists from around Australia and the world to our very own Performing Arts Centre on campus: peninsulagrammarmusic.com

To experience the spectacular sounds of Peninsula Grammar’s musical talent, purchase tickets now to the annual Grand Music Showcase at the Frankston Arts Centre, Wednesday, August 29, from 6pm. To book tickets, please call the box office on 9784 1060 or go online at thefac.com.au. Tickets are $33 for adults and $22 for students/concession.

For further information regarding Peninsula Grammar’s music program, please contact Vicki Maclachlan on 9788 7733 or via email at [email protected] 

Peninsula Grammar is proudly co-educational from K-12 with leading-edge programs and targeted teaching to meet individual needs.

 

New CEO builds on a decade of quality training

Nepean Industry Edge Training has developed a strong reputation for providing quality, student-centred training since it began 10 years ago, and that’s something new chief executive Sharyn Bellingham is keen to continue. “I started my career many years ago as a TAFE teacher and then moved into the private training sector, and I understand the needs of students and want to provide a positive and supportive environment for staff,” Sharyn says.

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“I have a very strong passion for education, as I know how empowering gaining a qualification can be in allowing people to improve their lives and also improve the lives of their families. I was raised by a single mother and she started going to TAFE when I was young, and after two years of going to night classes, she finished her diploma and gained a better paid job. This led to my mum buying a house and providing a stable home environment, which allowed us to flourish.”

NIET has solid links with industry and provides students with a range of options to gain hands-on experience in a real workplace, giving them job-ready skills when they complete their course. “Students start out feeling a little overwhelmed and nervous, but at the end of the placement their confidence has grown, and they are productive members of staff and ready to gain employment.”

NIET offers courses in a range of areas, including aged care, early childhood care, disability, leisure and health, celebrancy, trainer and assessor qualifications, first aid, food handling and RSA. The NIET team welcomes any questions you may have regarding courses and is always willing to provide support and assistance.

NEPEAN INDUSTRY EDGE TRAINING

A: 405 Nepean Highway Frankston

T: 97701633

W: niet.com.au

FB: NIETraining

INSTA: niet_training

Cornish students continue to make a difference

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Since 2012, Year 9 Cornish College students have had the opportunity and privilege to work with a variety of remote communities in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia through our Make A Difference Experience (MADE) program. So far they have funded and built classrooms, built kitchens and drying rooms needed in a tropical climate, installed water tanks, funded three students to attend school with the view to continuing at university, and more.

“I feel the Year 9 MADE trip has given me a greater appreciation of what I have access to and also a broader outlook on what happens in other countries and how people live,” said now Year 10 student Niall of the experience.

Mrs Annemarie Denton, the integrated curriculum co-ordinator for Years 8 and 9 students, is inspired by these encounters. “I encourage my students to discover more about their world and the MADE program is a wonderful place to begin. Our students raise funds to build much-needed infrastructure in village schools. They work with young people in their villages to help build their schools, and even though they can't speak the same language, they connect with one another through working and laughing together.” 

The MADE program aligns with our motto at Cornish College: “Make a Difference.” The experience also helps to encourage confident and knowledgeable young people who are well-prepared to take on the challenges of the senior years.

As students move into the Senior School, Years 10 to 12, they continue to embrace opportunities to make a difference. The inaugural student trip to East Timor will kick off in 2019, focused on cultural immersion and a partnership with a local school providing an English language program and taking positive action.  

Students enjoy the opportunities to be ambassadors for their school and grow in confidence and self-awareness through confronting challenges beyond their familiar environment. They develop a global outlook as they grow to appreciate their own and a different culture.

To find out more about Cornish College, the VCE program, outdoor classrooms set on 100 acres and the build of their new Senior Studies Centre, please visit cornishcollege.vic.edu.au

Time for a story

It’s never too early to introduce your child to the wonderful world of books, and libraries throughout Frankston have a range of weekly storytime sessions for tiny tots, pre-schoolers and children up to the age of five.

Frankston Library, 60 Playne St: Tiny Tots (0-2 years) Monday 10.30am, Wednesday 10.30am; preschool (3-5 years) Tuesday* 10.30am, Thursday 10.30am;

Carrum Downs Library, 203 Lyrebird Drive, Carrum Downs: Tiny Tots Thursday 1.30pm; preschool Wednesday 11.30am, Friday 10.30am;

Seaford Library, cnr Station and Broughton streets, Seaford: Tiny Tots Tuesday* 11.30am, Thursday 11.30am; preschool Tuesday* 9.30am;

Belvedere Community Centre, 36 Belvedere Rd, Seaford: Tiny Tots Friday 9.30am;
Frankston North Community Centre, 26 Mahogany Ave, Frankston North: 0-5 years Thursday 9.30am;

Karingal Place, 103 Ashleigh Ave, Karingal: 0-5 years Wednesday 9.30am; and,
Langwarrin Customer Service Centre, Shop 6, Gateway Shopping Village, Langwarrin: 0-5 years Monday 2.30pm.

*There are no storytime sessions at Frankston or Seaford libraries on the first Tuesday of the month, and sessions do not run during school holidays or on public holidays.  For more details, contact your library at Frankston (9734 1020), Carrum Downs (8773 9539) or Seaford (9784 1048), or go to library.frankston.vic.gov.au

Learn to swim at home

Water is a way of life in Australia; not only are we blessed with the natural beauty of our beaches, creeks and rivers, we are also surrounded by backyard pools.

Swim Teachers 2 U offers swimming and water safety lessons in the privacy and convenience of your home pool or holiday resort. This allows children to feel more comfortable in familiar surroundings, thus being more confident and relaxed in the water.

With the announcement of the State Government’s compulsory swimming curriculum in 2017, this is the perfect time to teach your children the necessary lifelong water survival skills.

SWIM TEACHERS 2 U
T: 0403 654 722
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/swimteachers2U/
 

Five years on, new school is thriving

Cornish College is preparing to celebrate its five-year Foundation Day on February 16.  The college opened in 2012 as a new co-educational independent school with 220 students.  Almost five years on the school is preparing to welcome 700 students from ELC to Year 12 in 2017.

Cornish College’s 700 ELC to Year 12 students come from Bayside and Peninsula regions.

Cornish College’s 700 ELC to Year 12 students come from Bayside and Peninsula regions.

Principal Vicki Steer said the event would be a chance for everyone who had been involved in the college’s growth to celebrate.

“The story of the foundation of Cornish College is one of community persistence and vision,” Ms Steer said.  “Our school thrives today because of our community’s belief in our educational philosophy of preparing students for life.  We recognise the importance of academic rigour, creativity and developing strong foundation skills for learning.”

Despite the growth in student numbers, Cornish College is still a medium-sized co-educational school where students are known and learning is personalised and engaging.

Cornish College’s motto is “Make a Difference” and at its core is the development of independence, compassion and personal excellence in order for students to make a positive contribution within their community and globally.

With extensive private bus services, Cornish College students come from a wide range of Bayside and Peninsula regions, including Beaumaris, Mentone, Parkdale, Mordialloc, Chelsea, Aspendale, Patterson Lakes, Dingley, Sandhurst, Frankston, Frankston South and Mount Eliza.

CORNISH COLLEGE
A: 65 Riverend Rd, Bangholme
T: 9781 9000
W: cornishcollege.vic.edu.au

Our world needs more than an ATAR

Planning, preparedness and the ability to adapt to changing situations – essential skills for the Outdoor and Environmental Studies student – important life skills for everybody! Photograph by Blake Verlinden Year 11.

Planning, preparedness and the ability to adapt to changing situations – essential skills for the Outdoor and Environmental Studies student – important life skills for everybody!

Photograph by Blake Verlinden Year 11.

In a recent article, Fairfax journalist Anna Patty reported that companies such as KPMG, PwC, and Macquarie University were now asking prospective employees if they have a Duke of Edinburgh Award in order to help assess whether they are well-rounded and team players.

The Duke of Ed. program involves elements of community service, physical recreation, learning new skills and taking an adventurous journey. It is a program supported by an increasing number of schools, including Woodleigh, where it is a natural fit with all that we do.

In the article, Deputy chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award, Sandra Nor, is quoted as saying “Resilience, responsibility, respect and co-operation cannot be taught, they can only be learnt experientially.”

I could not agree more.

Experiential learning, or learning through direct experience, is a term I use a lot to describe the programs offered at Woodleigh School. Our Camps, Activities, Homestead, Broadening Horizons, Round Square, and Immersion Learning Programs offer our students a myriad of opportunities that challenge them to step out of their comfort zones, to be creative, to solve problems and collaborate.

Universities too are looking beyond the ATAR as a sole measure of student performance. Interviews, folio presentations and evidence of leadership and active engagement in the community are an increasingly important part of the tertiary selection process.

These human, or ‘soft skills’ not only improve employability, they support success throughout careers which will undoubtedly be longer and more diverse than our own. The concept of providing an education which is expansive and moves beyond the traditional schooling model is not new – at Woodleigh we have been practising this for more than 40 years. 

But today it seems more critical than ever.

Jonathan Walter – Principal

Creativity and critical thinking – essential skills for today’s learners

Encore! Encore! Year 12 student Holly Heron wowed three sold-out audiences with her stunning performance as Audrey in Woodleigh School’s production of Little Shop of Horrors.  

Encore! Encore! Year 12 student Holly Heron wowed three sold-out audiences with her stunning performance as Audrey in Woodleigh School’s production of Little Shop of Horrors.

 

“At Woodleigh School, we encourage students to step off the production line, push the boundaries of expression and respond in interesting and different ways to the challenges they face in the world,” says principal Jonathan Walter.  

“From the play and inquiry-based programs in our Early Learning Centres at our Minimbah and Penbank Campuses, through to the VCE years at Woodleigh Campus, ours is an environment that supports original, creative thought and focuses on the development of increasingly complex and sophisticated processes of thinking.

“Throughout the curriculum at Woodleigh, learning tasks are designed to elicit the highest level of creative thinking from our students.  Students are encouraged to tackle problems and investigations in innovative ways, to challenge and test theories and engage in the process of pushing their own boundaries to break through to deeper levels of understanding.

“No one can predict the details of what the students of today will need to know in 10 or 20 years’ time.  What we do know, however, is that as our learning and workplace landscapes change, the human capacity to be creative, to solve problems and think analytically will only grow in importance.”

Meanwhile, Woodleigh’s director of community relations, Adam Liddiard, has some advice for Year 12s about to sit exams: study hard, but not so hard that everything else suffers.

“Remember to eat and rest well, to keep up the water, to take breaks to stretch or surf, to have a dance or play with the dog.

“Seek help when you require it, offer help when you see (or sense) it is needed.  Take time to celebrate the things you have achieved already, with the understanding that there is still plenty to be done.

“And don’t forget - when you’re in the exam room and you’re ready and raring to go, read the question.  Read the question. Then, read the question again.

“Best wishes to all and thank you for the memories.”

Bronzed Aussie does Woodleigh proud

The entire Woodleigh School community have become overnight archery experts after watching Alec Potts (2013) become the first Woodleigh graduate to win an Olympic medal. Alec’s bronze medal in the men’s archery team event at Rio came after he, Ryan Tyack and Taylor Worth outpointed the Chinese team to take the match 6-2.

Staff felt immense pride in watching the young man who, as a senior student, would spend spare periods shooting arrow after arrow at a special ‘range’ built up behind the school’s wildlife reserve.

While he missed out by the narrowest of margins in his individual match against Brazilian Bernardo Oliveira, Alec feels he is shooting as well as he ever has and returns home immensely proud of his Olympic achievements. “I wasn't expecting to go home with a medal at all,” the 20-year-old said. “To come home with a medal, I've done more than what I could ask for.”

His mum, Shona, was justifiably delighted with his efforts. “That's the Woodleigh boy in him – that quiet confidence and belief that you can have a go and aim high, and if you fall it's just another step in the journey, not a stop. That's what Woodleigh has given both our kids.”

WOODLEIGH SCHOOL
A: 485 Golf Links Rd, Baxter
T: 5971 6100

Swim program makes waves

Since 1972, thousands of swimmers have experienced the Paul Sadler Swimland way of learning to swim.

Paul Sadler Swimland believes it is the small successes that provide the proudest moments for swimmers and their families, and it has a strong focus on deep water survival. The structured, certificate-based design of its program teaches swimmers the required skills from the beginner stage right through to competitive swimming.

The goal for all swimmers at Paul Sadler Swimland is to achieve their Swordy 1km Gold Medal and their Swimland Diploma.

PAUL SADLER SWIMLAND
A: 149 Hall Rd, Carrum Downs
T: 9782 9444
W: paulsadlerswimland.com

Banding together for Beaufort

Special Delivery! Beaufort the eastern barred bandicoot is released into Woodleigh School’s Brian Henderson Wildlife Reserve as part of the school’s partnership with Zoos Victoria.

Special Delivery! Beaufort the eastern barred bandicoot is released into Woodleigh School’s Brian Henderson Wildlife Reserve as part of the school’s partnership with Zoos Victoria.

Three critically endangered eastern barred bandicoots have taken up residence at Woodleigh School.

The marsupials, the first of eight that will be rehomed at Woodleigh’s Brian Henderson Wildlife Reserve, were part of a Zoos Victoria breeding program that hopes to reintroduce bandicoots to the wild.  Woodleigh’s role will be to house and monitor post-reproductive animals, freeing up space in the zoo’s captive breeding pens for younger reproductive pairs.

The bandicoots’ arrival has been eight years in the making and is a significant milestone in the school’s partnership with Zoos Victoria.  Believed to be extinct on the Australian mainland, they will share the reserve with a mob of swamp wallabies and two resident emus.

Year 12 student Romy Lipszyc said: “Being able to take in, care for and monitor such a critically endangered species is an amazing opportunity for students and cements Woodleigh’s core value of ‘Respect for the Environment’.”

Meanwhile, four senior students have been accepted to attend the National Youth Science Forum in Canberra next January, joining students from across the Asia-Pacific region for two weeks of intensive science education and networking opportunities with other students, researchers, scientists and professors from across Australia and abroad.

WOODLEIGH SCHOOL
A: 485 Golf Links Rd, Baxter
T: 5971 6100

School’s approach matches principal’s philosophy

Vicki Steer was understandably delighted when she took up the position of Principal at Cornish College this year.

“The college’s commitment to education for a sustainable future, its holistic and innovative approach to student development is strongly aligned with my educational philosophy,” Vicki says. “Our students are learning about how they can make a difference today and as adults. Our vision of sustainable living is all-encompassing and includes the personal, socio-cultural, urban/technological and environmental dimensions.

“This is a vibrant school community with a commitment to excellence in teaching and learning. We recognise the importance of academic rigour, creativity and developing strong foundation skills for learning.”

Vicki joined the college after 11 years as Principal of Sydney’s Ravenswood School for Girls, before which she was Vice-Principal of Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School and Head of the Senior School at Lowther Hall Anglican Girls’ Grammar School in Melbourne.

Cornish College, set on 40ha of natural parkland, is an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme school. It has 615 students from Early Learning Centre to Year 12, and more than half travel by bus from the Bayside and Mornington Peninsula region.

CORNISH COLLEGE
A: 65 Riverend Rd, Bangholme
T: 9781 9011
W: cornishcollege.vic.edu.au