What an interesting start to 2022 in the land of teaching and learning at Foxwell! We certainly weren’t anticipating that the term would be shortened by two weeks for students but we have used that time to our advantage.

As part of how we leverage digital at FSSC, staff were introduced to our whole school learning platform, OneNote. This has proved to be an invaluable tool to help students stay connected with their teachers and their learning given the disruptions we have faced throughout Term 1. Teachers manage a class notebook for each of their classes, populate this with the learning intentions and success criteria for each week, and share a range of resources and learning experiences applicable to their class. Most students are working in OneNote as a virtual ‘notebook’ so family members and teachers can track their progress. Engagement with this platform and feedback so far has been positive and staff are keen to learn more about other functionalities to support student learning.

2022 has also seen exciting changes to our Enrich Program for Year 7 and 8 students. Ms Sihvola is coordinating the program and working collaboratively with other Heads of Department to design a program that provides students with the opportunity to engage with literacy, numeracy and social-emotional learning through relevant and meaningful contexts.

This term, Enrich has focused on the following:

• Connecting and reconnecting with peers;
• Building positive relationships;
• Team building activities;
• VIA character strengths;
• Understanding and using the Mood Meter to discuss emotions;
• Planning for Personal Achievement (P4PA) – reflecting on previous results for attendance, effort, behaviour and academic achievement to set goals;
• Gratitude.

In Term 2, we will move towards more authentic inquiry-based learning which will see students and teachers learning alongside one another on a topic suitable to each specific class. We are excited to see how students continue to engage in this program and develop their skills in inquiry, and the 6Cs of Character, Citizenship, Collaboration, Communication, Creativity and Critical Thinking.

As students move into ‘assessment season’, family members may like to support their child by checking in to see if they have drafts due or upcoming exams fow which to study. Students are invited to access WIN Time in the Learning Hub if they need additional support and a quiet space to assist them with completing assessment. The Learning Hub is open before school from 8.00am-8.35am and again from 3pm-4pm.

I look forward to continuing to see students engaged in their learning after many warm and welcoming class visits so far.

Ms Rachel Vickers

Head of Department – Teaching and Learning