Axel Update
Axel is now 12 weeks old. Research shows that having a Wellbeing dog at a school help people to feel brighter and happier.
There is a lot of training and work to be completed prior to Axel being on site, however, here are some things you might find interesting about his progress:
- Axel has been learning to sit and is now working on waiting before his mealtime.
- He loves being outside and prances around with great excitement.
- The core group who will be working with Axel have been undertaking online training modules and have many instructions when training and interacting with Axel.
- There is a checklist of tasks to complete prior to Axel coming on site. Preparation will take many weeks and will involve staff, students, and our wider school community.
- This will include differentiated teaching of the 3 expectations and why it is crucial for a dog to learn to relax, including
- Say hello to the person and not to the dog.
- Give space to the dog.
- Keep moving (don’t stand and stare).
Please have a look at the following clip from Dogs Connect. This has been created for part of the introduction to having a wellbeing dog onsite soon…
https://cdn.fs.teachablecdn.com/kBalKrXQqiYJDhZsxJ5A
Building and Grounds update
It was with great excitement that we had confirmation of the $8.77 funding for further capital improvements at the college from the state government. We have already been meeting to discuss the planning stages of this next project, and considering how the teaching and learning program could benefit from further building upgrades.
We are also finalising details from our last capital works program. Including blinds to be installed and supplied in A block, our Year 7 centre. We have also ordered new furniture for many of the spaces that were involved in our capital works program, including classroom spaces and breakout spaces. This furniture, while its arrival is still a few weeks away, will be a valued addition to the completion of our project, and will help in promoting student engagement in their learning.
We can’t wait for it to arrive for our students to enjoy!
Student Leadership News
Student Parliament and the Student Representative Council continue to address issues important to the student body. Parliament is currently discussing how our learning environment can be improved and have been brainstorming ideas and suggestions in our collective endeavour to ensure we have a positive culture at our College. Other discussion prompts have been:
- How we make out LGBTQI+ community members feel safer and more accepted in our school environment
- What student leadership can do to ensure that all students at ESC have engaging opportunities and things to do during break times
- How to encourage the creation of clubs to make everyone feel more involved
- Promoting respect for our physical environment
- Safe travel to and from school
Senior students are also looking into how buddy/mentor/peer relationships with junior school students might promote positive behaviours and positive contributions to our school community.
BEST
This week in BEST, Year 7 and 8 students engaged in a ‘Minute to Win It’ challenge.
Pairs of students competed against each other, blindfolded, to spoon as many cotton balls into a bowl within a minute that they could. Winners will go on to compete against each other – who will be the ultimate Snowball Challenge winner??!!
Uniform
As the winter cold snap continues this is a reminder that it is compulsory for students to wear the College uniform outlined below. Students should NOT be wearing tracksuit pants, leggings, non-uniform hoodies/jumpers, non ESC beanies/hats or white shoes. Scarves are allowed but they should be completely navy blue or black.
In exciting news our new ESC pants are now in stock at PSW. Please call through to PSW to ensure they have your child’s size before you head into store or order online. Further stock will be coming into the PSW store in June.
The new style track pants (current sizes available
Size 18/M
14/XS
16/S
2xl
L
Lastly our ‘Puffa Jacket’ is proving to be popular item in the cooler months which can also be purchased at PSW.
Emerald Secondary College School Tours – Term 2
School tours run every Wednesday morning at 10.15am.
To book please click the link below.
Alternatively, please scan the QR code below:
We also offer School Tours for prospective Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) parents/students Wednesday at 11.30am. The tours are run by our SEAL Co-Ordinator, Tiana Clayworth.
To book please click the link below.
If you would like to request an alternate tour date, please contact reception on 5968 5388
