At Siena College we hold the care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people as a central and fundamental responsibility of our College. Our commitment is drawn from and inherent in the teaching and mission of Jesus Christ, with love, justice and the sanctity of each human person at the heart of the gospel. (Siena Child Safe Policy, 2017)
Child safety remains a fundamental priority at Siena College and is central to all activities and programs. Creating child safe school environments is a shared responsibility requiring the engagement of students, teachers, families and the broader school community. In Catholic schools, a ‘child safe culture’ is nurtured through an environment where children are respected, their voices are heard, and they are supported to feel safe and be safe (Moore et al. 2015).
There are two significant projects that I will be working on with groups of students this year. The first one will seek student input on their understanding of Child Safe Standards with a view to exploring students’ perceptions of safety, including their understanding of existing processes and what they feel should be done to respond to safety issues. Students from Years 7 – 12 will be invited to participate in this forum in Term 1. This will then form the basis of a Siena College Student Safety document that will reflect the voices of our students and inform our practice.
Siena College has also been invited to participate in research which is being conducted by Catholic Education Melbourne (CEM) in partnership with the Institute of Child Protection Studies at Australian Catholic University (ACU). It is designed to enable schools to gather the perceptions of students regarding their safety. You may be aware that a vital component of safe environments is the active participation of young people in building school cultures that are respectful and inclusive. In such an environment young people feel comfortable to communicate their views and concerns and actively contribute to school strategies and decisions about their safety. Two year levels will be surveyed before the end of Term 2 and I look forward to sharing the learnings from these two projects with the Siena College community.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the Siena Parents' Association Annual Raffle, drawn today by Tracey Grobbelaar, Director Development and Community Relations.
Gaynor Robson-Garth
PrincipalWe are thrilled to congratulate our Year 12 students on their outstanding results in the 2019 Victorian Certificate of Education.
Gaynor Robson-Garth
PrincipalThe VCAA exams have concluded and the school year is fast drawing to a close. We enjoyed a final celebration with the Class of 2019 at the Graduation Ball on Thursday evening at Leonda b...
Jennifer Levett
Deputy Principal Mission and IdentityAwaiting Advent
Bernadette Donnelly
Deputy Principal Learning and TeachingYears 9 to 11 Examinations, 2020 Headstart, 2020 Booklists, End of Year Dates
Antonella Rosati
Deputy Principal WellbeingWhat is Eco Anxiety?
Please return all raffle tickets, sold or unsold, to the College by Friday, 22 November 2019.
Congratulations to our Principal, Gaynor Robson-Garth who received an Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) Vic Fellowship Award last week.
2020 Bell Times
Kerryn McGillen
Director of MusicSummer Concert Reminder
Bronwyn Ilott
Head of Justice EducationAs one of our beautiful Christmas traditions, each House Group at Siena has been allocated the details of a family who access the services of St Mary’s House of Welcome in Fitzroy.
Paul Failla
Teacher - MathematicsVCE Examinations, Australian Mathematics Competition
Bronwyn Ilott
Head of Justice EducationLast week the Siena community and their friends were invited to gather together for our first Christmas Market. After a week of precarious weather, we were blessed with a beautiful eveni...
Bronwyn Ilott
Head of Justice EducationEach community can take from the bounty of the earth whatever it needs for subsistence, but it also has the duty to protect the earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations...
Melanie McKenzie
Learning EnhancementYear 9 Siena College students recently competed against gifted and talented students from various schools
Minna Denholm
Leader of Wellbeing ProgramsThe Pastoral program in Term 4 has included sessions that have been spent as a house community electing 2020 house captains, as well as investigating a broad range of topics
Minna Denholm
Leader of Wellbeing ProgramsOn Friday, 15 November we welcomed one hundred and thirty excited Grade 6 students for their Orientation Day.
Clare Timmins
Head of CareersWith the year drawing to a close Career events listed in the latest edition of Siena Career News focus largely on the school holidays.
Ansalie Hanrahan
Learning EnhancementThank you to all students who have attended the Home learning Club this year.
Gaynor Robson-Garth
PrincipalHeld annually on 5 October since 1994, World Teachers’ Day commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers. This Recom...
Jennifer Levett
Deputy Principal Mission and IdentitySt Mary’s House of Welcome Outreach, Remembrance Mass
Antonella Rosati
Deputy Principal WellbeingBuilding resilience
Ansalie Hanrahan
Learning EnhancementDuring Week 6 the Learning Enhancement staff will provide two lunchtime study sessions designed to assist students from Years 9 to 11 prepare for their exams. These sessions will include ...
Celebrate the festive season at Siena’s twilight Christmas market!
Georgie Plasto
Head of Student Wellbeing CassiaCongratulations are extended to the Siena College students who took part in this year’s production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. This collaboration with St Kevin’s College allowed our students t...
Asthma is a long term lung condition which can be controlled but cannot currently be cured. People with asthma have sensitive airways which are more likely to react to triggers. The lini...
Claire Al-Noah
Head of Arts and TechnologyOur recent Visual Arts and Technology Exhibition showcased some outstanding student work from Years 7 to 12.
James Houghton
Head of Cocurricular SportAs we reach the midway point of Term 4, we have been really impressed with some excellent results in Basketball, Cricket and Junior Water Polo. With two more rounds to go until finals, w...
Clare Timmins
Head of CareersSiena Career News has some useful information for Year 12s in particular this week, including important VTAC dates, information about university rankings and what they mean and Course Inf...
Our Year 8 History study design encourages students to investigate and examine how people lived in other times. This year, we have focused on life in the Middle Ages. Recently, four class...
Claire Moody
Head of Student FormationStudent Reflections
At Siena College we hold the care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people as a central and fundamental responsibility of our College. Our commitment is drawn from and inherent in the teaching and mission of Jesus Christ, with love, justice and the sanctity of each human person at the heart of the gospel. (Siena Child Safe Policy, 2017)
Child safety remains a fundamental priority at Siena College and is central to all activities and programs. Creating child safe school environments is a shared responsibility requiring the engagement of students, teachers, families and the broader school community. In Catholic schools, a ‘child safe culture’ is nurtured through an environment where children are respected, their voices are heard, and they are supported to feel safe and be safe (Moore et al. 2015).
There are two significant projects that I will be working on with groups of students this year. The first one will seek student input on their understanding of Child Safe Standards with a view to exploring students’ perceptions of safety, including their understanding of existing processes and what they feel should be done to respond to safety issues. Students from Years 7 – 12 will be invited to participate in this forum in Term 1. This will then form the basis of a Siena College Student Safety document that will reflect the voices of our students and inform our practice.
Siena College has also been invited to participate in research which is being conducted by Catholic Education Melbourne (CEM) in partnership with the Institute of Child Protection Studies at Australian Catholic University (ACU). It is designed to enable schools to gather the perceptions of students regarding their safety. You may be aware that a vital component of safe environments is the active participation of young people in building school cultures that are respectful and inclusive. In such an environment young people feel comfortable to communicate their views and concerns and actively contribute to school strategies and decisions about their safety. Two year levels will be surveyed before the end of Term 2 and I look forward to sharing the learnings from these two projects with the Siena College community.