Assistant Principal Update

Book Week

Book week is an annual event organised by the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA). It celebrates Australian literature and encourages students to engage with reading and storytelling.

This year’s theme…. Book an Adventure!

While primary schools often centre Book Week around dress-up parades, Fitzroy High School adapted activities to suit students by highlighting the CBCA Book of the Year shortlists and winners. Encouraging student-led book clubs, debates, and reviews. Linking reading to broader themes like identity, diversity, social justice, and future pathways. The staff and students alike did inevitably dress up, even cool high school students still love the fun of dressing up!

Inaugural Spelling Bee at FHS

This week, students and staff participated in the inaugural spelling bee at FHS. The event was organised as a part of Book Week celebration in support of all things literacy. The students and staff were asked to spell some very challenging words, many of which left a few wanting to brush up on their spelling skills. It was great fun and well attended by students in the TDU. We look forward to many more opportunities like this. Students have asked for a termly competition, I believe this will be a great way to capitalise on more fun learning opportunities.

Technology Blitz

PCMS: Positive Classroom Management Strategies in VTLM 2.0

PCMS is a set of eight structured approaches focused on teaching behaviour, not just managing it (e.g., setting expectations, establishing routines, positive reinforcement, feedback) Schools VictoriaVic Dept of Education.

These strategies are integral to the “Enabling Learning” element in VTLM 2.0, helping to create supportive and effective learning environments Department of Education, Victoria+1.

At FHS we have been working on improving student engagement in class by adapting strategies from the Positive Classroom Management Strategies placemats. We are currently implementing approaches in classrooms. The first approach is to have a technology table set up in each classroom. Students are asked to place their laptops on the table so as to keep from distracting them during explicit teaching. Technology is only accessed when needed. This avoids any inappropriate use of technology during focussed learning time.

Anecdotally speaking, so far staff have found students to be more engaged in teaching and learning. We are looking forward to extrapolating the data as we work through approaches like these throughout the year and beyond.

Learning Behaviour Reports & 3 Way Conferences

Student learning behaviour reports will be published in the coming days. Please review your student’s report and discuss their progress so far this semester. These discussions are important to ensure your student is on track to meet their learning goals and are maintaining positive classroom relationships and work practices. The learning behaviour reports are also a great discussion starter for our next round of 3-way conferences that will be communicated soon.

Margaret Doucas & Matt Roberts

Assistant Principals