Issue 4 2024 - Residential Manager
Residential Manager
John Overton
Term 3 has started off strong with an array of calendar events taking place that have highlighted our students commitment to the College, as well as demonstrate the wonderful learning opportunities available at WACoA – Denmark. Our College focus in Residence has been centred around Personal Excellence this term which has been on display during these events and activities.
Open Day
Personally, Open Day was the highlight of the term to date - our students and staff did a wonderful job showcasing all elements of the College, in particular the residential tours. From my perspective, having students and staff lead the experience contributed to many positive comments and feedback. Well done to our staff and students.
Primary Awareness Day
We welcomed more then 300 Primary School Students from the region for Primary Awareness Day. Our students showcased the College in such a good light and demonstrated externally how wonderful our College is to our visitors. The visits were also an opportunity to reflect and share our point of view with members of the general public. I am really proud of our students in residence for either being involved in tours of our facilities or providing student centred information to all of our visitors.
Values and Wellbeing
Our Year 11 male residential students come together fortnightly to discuss a range of well-being topics to add to their values education sessions within class time. By taking time to share stories and experiences, we hoped our students could relate the conversations back to our college values, in particular, focusing on building positive relationships. This initiative is led by our College Chaplin - Chris and the program is called the Real Men Project.
Boarding Agreements
During the back end of this Term, we will be revisiting our boarding agreements with residential students through a review process which is similar to feedback in a report or performance management tool in the workplace. Each Year 10 & 11 student in residence has a scheduled one on one interview with either the Residential Manager, or residential supervisors. Each student has the opportunity to reflect on the code of conduct and how well they align their choices and behaviour to the agreement. For most students the process is standard and an opportunity to provide staff with valuable feedback such as:
“I want to represent the College as best I can” or
“I want to support others and be the best version of myself”.
For others, it has been a beneficial tool to have conversations that align back to the boarding agreement or code of conduct signed upon enrolment. Last year’s feedback on this process from staff and students was overwhelmingly positive and has provided valuable insight into the student experience within residence.
Activities and Excursions
In addition to our regular local activities, we have a Perth Cultural Trip booked for the end of Week 7. The excursion is centred around Culture with planned visits to WA Museum, Yagan Square, State War Memorial, Kings Park and a Blackwall Reach Cultural Tour led by Indigenous Tours WA.
15 Residential students will be participating in the Beverley Show the weekend of 16th September. This will be led by Farm staff which is always another opportunity to demonstrate the students industry knowledge to the general public.
We are currently considering a day trip to Pemberton to visit a high ropes and zip lining course. More information will be released soon, the location and venue looks pretty exciting and fun which we hope we can squeeze into our busy schedule this Term.
Sport
Winter sport season continues with a high volume of students involved in netball, AFL, football (soccer), and hockey. Well done to all participants for their commitment and dedication to their teams and good luck to all in the lead up to the finals.
Reminders
Names on all clothing really helps our wonderful laundry team. All washing is done onsite for our students and sorting is made easier with names clearly labelled on items.
Students passing their driving assessments and wanting to Self-Drive to school need to complete a Student Vehicle Guidelines form which can be provided by our admin team.
For students who require regular medication, it is a good idea to have scripts on file at our local pharmacy in Denmark and an account – happy to discuss this process to families who may have questions.
Term 3
This term is well and truly racing by following the closed weekend. With a busy schedule and opportunities for the students to represent the College in the coming weeks, the end of Term will pass by quickly. At this point of the year, our Year 12 students are only a few weeks away from participating in exams and graduating. I would like to thank them for their contributions but also wish them all the best for the remaining few weeks of their final term of high school.
John Overton
Residential Manager
WACOA - Denmark