Issue 6 2023 - Residential Manager
Residential Manager
John Overton
Term 3 has seen a vast array of events and activities that have not only highlighted our student's commitment to the College, but also provided meaningful learning opportunities. This term, our College theme of 'values' has been centred around personal excellence and through events or activities including recreational time, many positive examples of students aligning their choices and behaviours to this value have been observed. I would like to acknowledge the students and staff for their efforts this term and wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday break.
Open Day
Personally, I thought our Open Day was the highlight of the term - our students and staff did a wonderful job showcasing all elements of the College, in particular the residential tours. Having students and staff lead the experience contributed to many positive comments and feedback. Well done!
Christmas in July
Wednesday 26th July saw the dining hall converted into a Christmas themed setting with students and staff getting fully involved in the festivities. The kitchen staff produced a wonderful spread of Christmas treats that flowed into a night of activities for students to participate in after dinner. The evening was really well received and heads the planning for more themed dinner nights in the future.
Visitors
This term WACOA - Denmark has seen a wide-range of visitors, from Primary school students attending Primary Awareness Day and seemingly everyone in between right up to the Minister for Education, Aboriginal Affairs, Citizenship and Multicultural Interests – Hon Dr Tony Buti.
Again, the students showcased the College in such a good light and demonstrated externally how wonderful our College is. The visits were also an opportunity to reflect and share our point of view with members of parliament and industry stakeholders. 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 our visitors for ongoing improvements.
Values & Well-Being
Our Year 10 residential students came together by the fire 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 to focus on building positive relationships.
Boarding Agreements
We are revisiting our boarding agreements with residential students through a review process, 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. Some of the common things we are hearing are;
“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. To date, the feedback from staff and students has been overwhelmingly positive and has provided valuable insight into the student experience within residence.
Fremantle Cultural Excursion
September 1st to September 3rd, 21 students had the opportunity to immerse themselves into Fremantle Culture. Tours were organised by residential staff to Fremantle Prison and the Maritime Muesem in addition to dining at two of Fremantle’s iconic restaurants – Cicerello’s and The Mexican Kitchen. Students also enjoyed some well-deserved free time through the markets, café strip and laneways of Fremantle. We would like to offer this excursion again next year based on student feedback. A special thanks goes to Keir, Eric and Dane for facilitating the tour.
Castle Rock Hike
On September 10th, students hiked the Castle Rock walk in the Porongurup National Park on a beautiful Great Southern Day. Andrew and Toby led the expedition and enjoyed the walk and the view from the summit, overlooking the beautiful National Park towards the coast. A detour via the famous Mt Barker Bakery clinched the deal for the students in attendance, and was well deserved following a 4.4km Grade 5 rated hike.
Sport
Winter sport seasons concluded with students involved in Netball, Football (AFL), Football (Soccer) and Hockey. Congratulations to all participants for their commitment and dedication to their teams.
Next Term
Term 4 will be exciting for our Year 12 students as they begin the transition from College life to the workforce or higher education institutions. Whilst being new to the role as Residential Manager, this term I have very much appreciated the way the students have welcomed me into the College and in that short-time we have managed to have positive interactions and established new positive relationships. I would like to wish them all the very best for their future endeavours.
The residential team is coordinating the Year 12 Graduation Dinner which has been linked to a local and award winning Agri-Business – Boston Brewery. More information and specific details will be circulated to students and families over the coming weeks but we are excited to celebrate the efforts and achievements of our students.
Narrogin Agricultural College is planning a visit in Week 2 of Term 4 and a residential camp is scheduled for Week 3. A visit to Harvey Agricultural College is currently being worked on between the schools and a trip to Peaceful Bay to camp is being considered as the contingency plan for that weekend.
In between excursions, exams, events and graduation, term 4 will race by but I am sure we will make the most of it and get the most out of the shorter jam packed term.
John Overton
Residential Manager
WACOA - Denmark