Current Programs

Sep 2, 2009

Current Programs2009 Lorne Mesh

Lorne P-12 and partners Lorne Lions Club, Riordans Hardware Store, Rural Ambulance Vic., Lorne Community Hospital, Lorne Community Building Initiative.

 

This project is to construct and establish a "Men's Shed" within the Lorne - Aireys Inlet P-12 College that will ultimately be available to all community members. The space for community activities like this in Lorne is at a premium and this project helps to provide a venue for males of all ages to meet and interact while working on individual or group projects.

Selected young people from the school will develop a sense of identity, build relationships with community members and organisations and apply problem solving and communication skills to new situations as well as learning to make appropriate decisions. The project will assist the young people to develop a sense of connectedness and a sense of team work, success through working on the project.

The cohort selected for this project are young people who have been identified  as those who are disengaging from school and who also may be disconnected from the broader community. The project also aims to reduce the amount of "risk taking" behaviour in young men such as bullying and aggression, substance abuse and use in order to "fit in" through a collective community experience.

 

 

Look at Me

Colac Special School and partners Adore Skin & Beauty Therapy, La Virage Hair Studio

 

The project will provide friendships, a place of belonging, self expression, self esteem, building self respect, and to learn what is socially acceptable and to increase learning outcomes. Students with intellectual disabilities have difficulty in dealing with issues. Art is a way of expressing oneself and help increase confidence. The students are vulnerable, have low self esteem, inappropriate interactions and poor social skills. They have concerns regarding their management of their disabilities. The program will increase their self confidence and self respect in the girls and have them feeling good about themselves.

The project will run for 1 hour per week for 30 weeks. A group of 10 girls with the assistance of an art instructor, a hairdresser and make up artist will create pieces of visual art based on looking at oneself and self expression. Through the partnership links students would be able to access community services with confidence and these partnerships will be able to provide community support.

The make up artist and hairdresser will work with the girls on how to tastefully present themselves to prospective employers or when involved in work experience placements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lorne Star

Lorne P - 12 and partners headspace Barwon, Barwon Youth and Lorne Community Hospital

 

This project has come out of a need to address emerging concerns regarding students who it was felt needed a program to focus on personal development and then follow up by creating an opportunity to demonstrate these skills.

Term 1 will involve the planning and organising the introductory sessions with the students and their families to outline the program.

Term 2 will see the delivery of 6 weekly by 2 hour sessions with topics such as identity, peer relations and bullying, effective communication, team work and leadership skills, problem solving and thinking tools, decision making and taking responsibility.  There will also be 6-8 sessions with parents re adolescent parenting.

Term 3 will see the student selected project commence and this will take the form of a project using the skills they have learnt and it may have a community, business, health, social, recreational or arts focus.

The students selected for the program are at risk of not successfully completing school because of poor social connections to peers in the school, imbalance of power in peer relationships, lived experience of social exclusion within the school, relationship issues with parents and teachers and demonstrated risk taking behaviour.

 

Move On Up

Roslyn Primary School and partners Creative Endeavours and Belmont High School

 

The aim of "Move On Up" is to build on the children's self confidence, improve their self esteem and provide them with the incentives and skills to positively strengthen school bonds, retention at school and to help alleviate anxiety during the grade 6 to year 7 transition process. It will provide students with strategies and activities to help build resilient children.

The program will provide consistency and positive experiences, nurturing and support to the children to increase their sense of belonging and connectedness to their new school and the changes they face. It will aim to support "at risk" grade 6 students who may be encountering difficulties adjusting to mainstream school, including those experiencing disengagement and needing extra support. Through creative arts activities and small group discussions "Move on Up" will seek to create an atmosphere in which students become more empowered within themselves enabling a more confident transition into secondary school.

Two hour sessions of "Move on Up" will be held weekly for 10 weeks in terms 3 and 4 in 2009.Weekly themes will include the following topics : Who we are, personal strengths, skills, values and attributes, success and achievements, looking forward, building confidence, self esteem and resilience, brighter futures, setting goals and positive outlooks.

Activities include musical improvisation, storytelling and performance, small group discussions and creative arts activities such as painting, drawing and re-creating.

Riddles and Rainbows

Birregurra Primary School and partners Birregurra Community Health Centre, Birregurra Textile group, and Birregurra Anglican Church

 

 

This program has been designed to assist a group of Grade 5 and 6 girls who are experiencing varying degrees of withdrawal due to rural isolation and bullying, or are demonstrating anxiety and stress related behaviours. The group also have difficulty forming healthy relationships with peers, teachers and adults and tend to isolate themselves. Stress has been identified within the family unit of all the girls in the target group due to drought, single parent families or retrenchment.

The students will work in collaboration with a number of community groups and individuals to design, produce and display ceramics and boutique bunting for outdoor use at the Birregurra Celtic Festival, annual Birregurra Festival and other community events.

 

The school has recognised that the current programs on offer at the school do not cater adequately to the needs of the girls and that the staff at the school do not have the expertise or the extra time needed to provide the variation needed. It is expected that by extending such programs and involving community partners that community interaction, self esteem and other areas of their schooling will improve

 

VCAL Working with Community

Colac Secondary College and partners SCOPE Young Ambassadors,

Colac Community Organisation

 

The aim of this project is to motivate students at risk of leaving school to engage in worthwhile and meaningful activities that, as well as being valuable in themselves, may stimulate students' desires to continue studying and gain appropriate qualifications.

The program which is student driven will take place in half day blocks during terms 1-3, in 2009. During the initial stages the students will be trained, both practically and theoretically, by their VCAL teacher and 2 SYA presenters to participate in a hands-on community activity that will provide them with disability awareness. Following the training they will select a local community disability project to work on throughout terms 2 and 3.

Integral parts of the program will include formal assessment, structured debriefing programs at the completion of the 2 community projects and the involvement of the parents and local community organisations such as Rotary.

 

Year 9 Pathways

Colac Secondary College and partner Gordon TAFE

 

This project, through trialling units of Certificate 1 in Vocational Preparation in partnership with the Gordon Institute of TAFE, is aiming to achieve the outcomes of broadening the educational opportunities and pathways for a group of students in year 9 who are currently disengaged from the learning process and are at risk of leaving school early and without a pathway. To motivate and connect those students who are currently disengaged and exhibiting difficult behaviours to the learning process. Improve the workplace knowledge and skills of the students as preparation for transition from school to work. To open up potential  future employment and training opportunities. Develop relationships and networks with local employers and businesses as well as the Gordon TAFE.

The students will complete 5 modules of Cert 1 in Vocational Preparation.

 

Girlz Rock, Boyz Rock

Oberon Primary School and partner Geelong YWCA

 

Is a program designed to assist students in transition from a small primary school to a larger secondary college by increasing resilience, social skills, emotional expression and personal care. Separate boys and girls workshops will be held once a week for 8 weeks during term one in 2009 and the program will complement the schools normal transition program. Each workshop will be one hour and 15 minutes in duration and be creative, physical, reflective or game based in their delivery while addressing issues.

One workshop during the term will be held at the Secondary College to help the students familiarise themselves with the school and begin to create the sense of connectedness with the school.

Workshop topics will include such things as inclusiveness, expressing feelings, strong emotions, strategies, hygiene, conflict resolution, resilience, relaxation, individuality and self esteem.

 

Radio Heads

Apollo Bay P - 12 and partners Otway F.M. and City of Greater Geelong

 

The aim of this project is to reduce the incidence of disruptive behaviour in the classroom and the playground. The project will target a group of grade 5 boys who are currently displaying very disruptive and bullying behaviours. A number of these students come from dysfunctional families or families undergoing trauma (eg grief). The behaviour has gradually  come to the fore this year and the school feels it is time that the behaviour needs to be addressed at this stage in order that it does not become entrenched in the school as they progress through their middle years of education

The project will provide a specific anti bullying -self esteem program that deals with these issues by students learning the skills required to operate and deliver a radio program at the local station, Otway F.M. The focus of the program is to use the medium of radio to discuss issues of preventing bullying. It is hoped the students will learn specific skills in radio and advance their literary skills as well as encourage positive collaborative and communication skills with peers. The program also aims to assist students to express themselves appropriately and learn about goal setting.

Boys Build for Bikes

Forrest Primary School and partners Forrest Lions Club and Colac Network Support Staff

 

This project is targeting a number of 10-12 year old boys who are experiencing varying degrees of withdrawal due to isolation, disengagement and bullying, or have difficulty connecting with their peers and relating effectively with teachers and adults.

The project will involve an alternative program one day a week for 12 weeks under the direction of an instructor and run with the assistance from school staff, teachers, the principal and volunteers. The boys will design, plan and develop a brief project including elements of enterprise education with a focus on costing and procurement of materials, advertising, documentation and celebration of the project.

The construction of a permanent structure-bike shed for the use of the entire school community is the end product.

 

Cubby Fever

Elliminyt Primary School and partner Peter Bell

 

This program will be undertaken in a rural Primary school and is seen as a positive way of addressing the issues of social isolation, poor peer relationships and school connectedness. The students (10)  from grades 4,5 and 6 will be involved in the planning, design of and building of a cubby house in the school grounds.

The students will initially be involved with a builder in the selection of an appropriate site for the cubby and then design and draw up the plans for the cubby. This process will require cooperation between members of the group, discussion and listening to and accepting others points of view. Practical skills such as drawing, measuring, use of instruments and also learning about safety regulations will be an important part of the project.

It is hoped the project will improve the social isolation and lack of peer interaction of the students. The male builder who will coordinate the project will also act as a positive male role model for the boys as the school as no male classroom teachers.

 

Over to You

Colac Primary School and partners Colac College and Colac Network Support Staff

 

The aim of this project is to provide an alternative vocational program for students who have difficulty engaging in classroom programs. These students respond to practical applications. The program also aims to provide these students with a positive association with the local secondary college and contribute and consolidate the school transition program.

The target group is a selection of boys who will be in year 6 in 2009. They have been very difficult to engage during 2007/2008 and have received multiple detentions and suspensions. The boys have all demonstrated violent and abusive behaviour and are making minimal academic progress.

The school has developed a relationship with the local secondary college to extend the existing year 6 to year 7 transition program so that students at risk with behavioural and social issues can become familiar with the college programs, facilities and staff in a positive non threatening small group experience.

The students will experience a term of sheet metal, woodwork and home economics for a period of 8 weeks. They will complete small, achievable skill based tasks that they can extend at either home or their base school. The participation and achievements will also be recorded as part of their school based literacy and numeracy requirements.

 

Looking Fresh

Elliminyt Primary School and partner Cucina, Colac

 

The aim of this project is to provide an alternative vocational program for students who have difficulty engaging in classroom programs. These students respond to practical applications. The program also aims to provide these students with a positive association with the local secondary college and contribute and consolidate the school transition program.

The target group is a selection of boys who will be in year 6 in 2009. They have been very difficult to engage during 2007/2008 and have received multiple detentions and suspensions. The boys have all demonstrated violent and abusive behaviour and are making minimal academic progress.

The school has developed a relationship with the local secondary college to extend the existing year 6 to year 7 transition program so that students at risk with behavioural and social issues can become familiar with the college programs, facilities and staff in a positive non threatening small group experience.

The students will experience a term of sheet metal, woodwork and home economics for a period of 8 weeks. They will complete small, achievable skill based tasks that they can extend at either home or their base school. The participation and achievements will also be recorded as part of their school based literacy and numeracy requirements.

 

Positive Schooling Experience Program 

This program commenced in July 2008 and will conclude in July 2009.  The contact person is Jo Simms @ Colac College. The partners involved in the project are the Victoria Police, Colac Area Health and C.R.F.