By CASEY NEILL
TWO Greater Dandenong schools have been applauded for innovative programs with Victorian Educational Excellence Awards.
Noble Park’s Carwatha College P-12 received the Outstanding Youth Pathways and Transitions award at the ceremony on 16 May, and the Education Support Team of the Year honour went to Dandenong West Primary School.
Jodie McCarthy is part of the Carwatha pathways team and said the $20,000 prize would help to further develop the team’s programs.
“Pathways programs at Carwatha are vibrant and responsive to community needs,” she said.
Opportunity Knocks is a Year 9 program that includes workshops and takes students into workplaces, and brings guests speakers to the classroom.
The school runs a Year 10 Mock Interview Day where students receive constructive feedback about key employability skills, and university and TAFE excursions expose students to post-secondary school opportunities.
There’s a Year 10 and 11 Managed Individual Pathways program that involves one-on-one and small group mentoring around goals and career planning.
“There is no doubt that we affect generation change and that the life opportunities of our students are greatly enhanced,” Carwatha principal Bronwyn Hamilton said.
Dandenong West principal Bev Hansen said she was “immensely proud” of her school’s wellbeing team, which includes a full-time social worker, a part-time social worker, a youth worker and a community hub leader.
“That team is charged with supporting students and their families and the wider community,” she said.
“They’re charged with making sure that things are in place to support families so that they can support their students.”
The team offers support groups, one-on-one counselling sessions, parenting courses and activities, and a men’s shed.
“We’ve had women in leadership programs for parents in the past,” Ms Hansen said.
“And we have a playgroup, so parents have opportunities to connect with each other before coming to school.
“There is so much happening across the school, it would be impossible without this team.
“They enable the teachers to be able to concentrate on teaching.”
Ms Hansen said the team would use its $15,000 prize to develop its professional learning.
“They have a whole range of things that they would like to go and learn about so they can bring them back into the school,” she said.
“They’ve been able to put their own stamp on it. They didn’t have to do what another team had done before them.
“They came in with fresh eyes and responded to what the needs were.
“I was just so excited and delighted for them, and incredibly proud as a principal.”
