Family& Staff Bulletin - Victorian School of Languages
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Family& Staff Bulletin
N.4, 4 October 2021
Welcome to Term 4
As we start Term 4 we continue to face some uncertainty. What is not uncertain, however, is the dedication
of our teachers and the professional way they have adapted their teaching styles and keep supporting
their students.
The pandemic has shown our community how essential our schools are, not just to students and families,
but to our society as a whole. Prior to 2020 I attended several technology conferences where the technology
disciples predicted the demise of schools (and teachers) and their replacement by the latest whizz-bang
technology and online programs. This is no longer the case. As Deputy Secretary Dr David Howes has
pointed out, there is now a greater appreciation of the work done by teachers, by students, parents and
the community. We are now clear that the purpose of schools is to support both the learning and wellbeing of students - and these
two priorities are interrelated. The compelling
evidence demonstrates the positive role that
schools provide in mental and physical health.
Similar sentiments are expressed by the
Governor of Victoria, the Hon Linda Dessau
AC, who as our Patron-in-Chief, on 23 August
sent us her message of support and her hopes
that we will see better days.
Our classes, especially our senior classes,
are now heading towards the assessment
and examination period. Year 12 students will
return to school to sit for their oral and written
examinations, and then they need to wait until
Thursday 16 December to obtain their results.
We wish them all the best.
Our 2022 enrolments will open on 11 October
for students currently enrolled in VSL classes
and new enrolments will commence two
weeks’ later. As the demand for student places
is greater than the number of classes we are
funded for, we urge all parents to complete the
enrolment as early as possible.
In conclusion, on behalf of the school, I wish
to congratulate all of our students for their
perseverance in the face of interruptions,
thank the teachers for their enthusiasm and
creativity, and the parents for your support and
encouragement of the children.
Best wishes to everyone for a safe end to
the school year and we hope that everything
returns to normal in 2022.
Frank Merlino,
Principal
N.4, 4 October 2021 | Page 1
Implementing a healthy school environment when students return to school
The principles for maintaining a COVIDSafe school apply to all Victorian schools. We require all students, teachers
and parents to be familiar with the details and to abide by them so that everyone is safe and we reduce the risk of
COVID-19 transmission within our school environment.
On 19 September the Government unveiled Victoria’s COVID-19 road
map. In relation to schools, the two main points were:
• Year 12 VCE students will return to school to sit for the General
Assessment Task (GAT) on 5 October and return to onsite learning
the next day;
• There will be a staggered return to schools by all other year levels as
from 18 October.
• Everything going well, all students will be back for onsite learning
from Friday 5 November.
A key factor that will determine the return to school arrangements
will be when the vaccination rate will reach 70% and 80%. As the
Heading to the hand sanitisers!
Minister for Education stated on 20 September, “For now, I just want
to urge every teacher, principal, school staff member, parent, carer
and student over 12 – go and get vaccinated. That’s our fastest way Face masks in schools
out of this.” • School staff and secondary school students aged 12 or older must
always wear a face mask indoors and outdoors at school, unless a
The arrangements for the classes of the Victorian School of Languages
lawful exception applies.
may be different so we will inform our school community as soon as
they are confirmed. • It is recommended that children under 12 years of age and students
at primary school wear face masks when at school.
The Victorian Curricumulm and Assessment Authority has put in
• Staff must wear face masks while teaching wherever practicable,
place clear arrangements for VCE students to sit for the GAT, oral
except where removal of a face mask is necessary for effective
exams and written exams. The measures include the wearing of
communication.
masks, density requirements of one student per 4 square metres, and
maximum ventilation. • The Department is providing a new allocation of single use disposable
masks to all schools for Term 4.
On-site supervision when schools resume • The Department will provide air purification devices to schools from
• When on-site teaching resumes, hand sanitiser will be available at the start of Term 4.
the entry points to classrooms and reminders will be made on hand
QR codes and record keeping
hygiene.
• The use of Service Victoria QR codes for electronic record keeping
• Physical distancing will be implemented in classrooms to the extent
is mandatory in all schools to enable the effective contact tracing of
feasible, and unwell students will be excluded from attending.
any COVID-19 cases.
• If some schools are closed because of infection, students from those
• QR code check ins are required to be used by all essential visitors
schools will not be allowed to attend VSL classes for the duration of
on school site and all parents who enter school buildings for essential
the closure.
purposes.
• Surfaces (desks, tables, etc) are to be kept clean - COVIDSafe
routine cleaning arrangements will continue in Term 4. Reinforcing COVIDSafe behaviours
• Students and staff should continue to be vigilant and remain home
Staff and student vaccinations if unwell.
• As part of the coronavirus vaccination roll-out, all school staff and • Everyone must practise regular hand hygiene.
all students aged 16 and over are eligible to receive a coronavirus
• Physical distancing (1.5m) is to be observed.
(COVID-19) vaccine.
• Face masks must be worn.
• On 22 September the Victorian Chief Health Officer determined that
vaccination will be mandatory for all staff who work in schools. • Interactions in enclosed spaces are to be avoided.
Thank you to everyone for your contribution in keeping our school
safe.
Page 2 | N.4, 4 October 2021
VSL contribution to Education Department services
The school’s priority is to offer Language classes (over 50 Languages) to school-aged students from Foundation to
VCE across metropolitan and regional Victoria. It does this through its multi-campuses (Centres) and its Distance
Education section. In addition, the VSL provides a range of services to the Victorian education system as a whole.
Here are some examples:
DET Regional and Rural VCE Expansion initiative teachers. A pilot project was undertaken and found to be successful.
The initiative is part of the Department’s goal of providing all students However, additional funding arrangements need to be found to cover
in regional and rural Victoria with the choice of studying any of the the cost of the VSL Distance teachers and the cost of the teacher
VCE subjects available. The VSL has been funded to develop and supervising the classes in the regional school(s).
delivery 3 new Virtual Learning (Distance Education) language
subjects, namely Hindi, Punjabi and Vietnamese 2nd Language, and “VET Delivered to Secondary Students” (VDSS) for Languages
to update the other existing Virtual Year 11 VCE languages. As a Registered Training Organization the VSL has been auspicing
vocational education courses in Languages since 2014. The VDSS
Currently, VCE Hindi Units 1-4, Punjabi Units 1-2, and Vietnamese
support (formerly known as VETinSchools) is offered to schools to
SL Units 1-2 are available for study. Updates have focussed on five
deliver Certificates II and III in Applied Languages to students ranging
teaching practice areas: Student collaboration, Student feedback,
from Year 9 to Year 12. The current languages include Chinese,
Student readiness and Parent engagement. Furthermore, Chinese
Indonesian, Greek, Spanish and Japanese. Other languages may be
SL/SLA is in development in a new online format.
added by arrangement.
Teaching “English as an Additional Language” (EAL) to students
in regional Victoria. The certificate courses are available to students who would like to
formally complete Language studies at the senior secondary level,
The EAL program is part of the Government’s ”Virtual New Arrivals
but do not wish to compete with native speakers at the VCE. This
Program” aimed at teaching English to small numbers of students in
alternative pathway however still contributes towards the student’s
regional/country Victoria who cannot access an English Language
VCE score. The 2021 Firth Review into vocational education found
Centre. This visionary program began in 2015 and is still the only
that a significant number of VET enrolments in both Year 9 and Year
one in Australia, greatly appreciated by the families of the newly-
10 were in Languages.
arrived settlers. There are currently 39 participating schools. The
current VNAP students come from Iraq, Iran, Philippines, Thailand, New Curriculum Publications
Cambodia, China, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Malaysia, While there is an abundance of Language curriculum publications for
France, Italy and Nepal. established languages like French and Japanese, there is a shortage
of materials for newly established languages or emerging languages
Early Years
with an Australian context. Recent publications, for example, are
Project:
Delivery of for the languages of Punjabi, Malayalam, Sinhala and Chin Hakha
languages in (Burma/Myanmar). The VSL has a significant course development
Kindergarten section for both face-to-face and Distance Education teaching
settings programs. In particular, the school works with talented teachers of
This ongoing the emerging languages to write, review and publish new textbooks.
DET project The school also has a commercial level print room that is able to
commenced in print books with high production values. The VSL makes many of its
2019. The VSL more than 150 publications available to all schools, both primary and
developed an secondary. Orders are placed via the VSL website or by contacting
Schools we have worked with in 2021 Early Childhood the VSL head office.
Language Proficiency Assessment Tool (EC-LPAT) now used
“Languages Online” – VSL to update the website for schools
to assess the language and cultural competency of educators
in kindergarten settings. Furthermore, the VSL continues to On 17 June the Department tasked the VSL to upgrade and enhance
provide assessors for 12 languages identified as part of the Languages Online which the VSL has hosted for many years.
program and to provide quality assessor training. The website is a resource for F-10 learners of languages, initially
developed by the DET Languages Unit and then handed over to the
Extending Distance education courses in the Primary Years VSL to manage. The website covers the main Languages taught in
This pilot program began in 2019 and involved course scoping, Victorian schools, namely French, German, Indonesian, Italian, and
writing and delivery of a two-year upper primary in four languages: Japanese.
French, German, Indonesian and Italian. Teachers used a blended Over the years, the VSL has added units in other languages out of
teaching approach to deliver the program and modified it to its own local funds. Between January 2010 and December 2020 the
accommodate the students and their settings. Further Languages Languages Online website attracted 29,000,438 users!
may be developed next year. The first task of the project team will be to replace the current
platform with one that meets the new Department web standards
A second aspect is to deliver teaching to whole classes in those
and ensures compatibility with contemporary browsers.
regional primary schools that cannot access qualified language
N.4, 4 October 2021 | Page 3
Glimpses from Term 3 of 2021
Term 3 of 2021 will go down as a most difficult Term as our classes transitioned from remote teaching to onsite
teaching and back to remote teaching. Yet life went on as our students, teachers and parents transitioned from one
arrangement to another even at short notice. Yes, there were challenges but also lots of successes. The following
reports give a brief view of some of the school activities that took place during Term 3.
Preparing for Term 3 music, the dancing and the food. At the stall there was a display of
First Aid Training –Tuesday 22 June student work and a panel of three had the difficult task of judging the
student work.
“On 22 June Maurice organised First Aid training for Teachers,
Education Support Staff and Area Managers in the seminar rooms on
the ground floor. There were three separate sessions. The first one was
a refresher course starting at 8.30am and involved 11 participants, the
second was also a refresher course and commenced at 9.45am and
involved 12 participants. The third one was a full course that started at
8.30am and involved 10 participants.”
Enjoying lunch VSL stall
Five-day school lockdown –– Frank Merlino - Bulletin 19 July
“It has certainly been hot in the kitchen since the announcement of the
five-day school lockdown announced last Thursday evening at around
5.00pm. This didn’t give schools, teachers and students much time
Training during social distancing to put plans in place for the following morning. DET tried very hard
to communicate arrangements with schools and organised a Webex
Return to face-to-face teaching – Antonella Cicero –19 June
meeting for school principals at 5.30pm on the same Thursday
“All ran smoothly on Saturday 19 June at both Shepparton and evening.
Croydon. Teachers and students were happy to be in the classroom
The pressure was on our Area Managers who had the time-consuming
again. There was much laughter and fun activities in the junior classes
task of informing their VCE teachers and students that classes would
while the VCE classes were quite busy with their SACS. Visitors and
be held remotely on 17 July. One of the side effects of the lockdown is
parents who entered the school grounds were happy to scan in.
that the VCE Provisional SACs will be deferred to 24 July and affected
In relation to the use of the QR code, the process was effortless and
students will receive their reports on the following week.
made it so much easier for the supervisors to monitor.”
Area Managers also had to inform all F-10 students and teachers and
Last session for Term 3, University High parents that all Centre classes were cancelled on Saturday 17 July but
would be rescheduled later in the year. Given the short notice it was
“Extremely busy as QR Codes were implemented,
not practical to have the F-10 classes taught remotely last Saturday.
reports were distributed, and much more.
We had a couple of parents complaining.
However the most memorable incident was We are living in difficult times but I am sure that we will all adjust well.”
that of a Japanese teacher who, on the way to
the Centre, had a crash on the freeway. Luckily Online Teaching Report, Area Manager Sadik Cagdas –19 July
she wasn’t injured but her car was written off.
“Although I have had positive feedback so far in regards to attendance
Instead of going home or calling for a tow truck
and running of the remote teaching sessions for the VCE classes on
she made her way to the Centre and taught her class. After the class
Saturday 17/7/2021, I am still concerned that the negative impact on
her colleagues helped her to take out her personal items from the car,
students in particular and no doubt on teachers and parents outweigh
called the tow truck and a teacher drove her home.
the positives for these constant shifts from classroom teaching to
They don’t make teachers as tough as this anymore!” remote learning. As much as I understand the health requirements and
need for the lockdowns at times, as I have expressed in my previous
Portuguese Festival at Victoria Market – Bulletin 12 July report earlier this year, the necessity for direct human interaction and
The first big function of the year took place on Sunday 21 June at the connection, the stability in the teaching and learning environment and
Victoria Market. This was the annual celebration of arts, culture and the need to create a social and emotional wellbeing context for our
food as part of Portugal’s National Day. students cannot be replaced by any form of remote learning.”
The Victorian School of Languages is the major provider of Portuguese Year 11 Chinese Student Arya Baner - Taylors Lakes Centre –
classes in Victoria and we had a stall with volunteers displaying our Bulletin 19 July
VSL language flyers. Our Portuguese teachers are working hard
to promote the language. Luckily the predicted showers did not “In the words of Tony Robbins, lockdown continues to “challenge our
eventuate and instead we had a sunny day with people enjoying the limits,” yet again, confining our classrooms to the four walls of our
home. Though we have now adapted to it, the debate on whether
Page 4 | N.4, 4 October 2021
Microsoft Teams and Zoom can compensate for our desks and
chairs rages on, again. Perhaps the greatest challenge of learning
a language in lockdown, that also as a non-Chinese-background
student, is not having the opportunity to immerse myself in its culture.
Feeling disheartened when I cannot participate in those discussions
with my classmates, the green-eyed monster of envy is let loose. But,
like always, my teachers continue to play the hero, and provide me an
escape from reality through literature and language. They continue to
be the fuel empowering both my class and myself through this difficult
period.” South East area, - Heather Rae – 24 July
“There were several highlights for individual classes, as remote
learning offers the opportunity to invite guests to lessons who would
not normally be able to attend in person.
• The Hindi classes at Dandenong were able to join one large group,
and enjoyed a visit from an Australian/Indian Olympian international
wrestler, Sandeep Kumar
• Sinhala 3-6 at Berwick had a guest speaker, Chamani Sharma from
the Casey Cardinia Libraries, who read aloud a story in Sinhala and
explained about the range of books available to students in the Casey-
VSL South 2 area – Venetia Kefalianos – 17 July
Cardinina Libraries in languages other than English.
“It has been very hectic this morning with the usual frantic phone calls
• Punjabi 5 (Hampton Park) enjoyed a guest speaker, Daljit Kaur, who
from VCE students.
is living in India, but was able to join the class and speak about schools
Luckily all our VCE teachers had sent their zoom link to me so I was and life in India.
able to send out the link.
• Classes were also encouraged to include a story and reading aloud
• A number of VCE student inboxes were full so students did not books in their classes, as this week starts the VSL South East Reading
receive their email - this was soon sorted out. Challenge for Term 3.”
• The other main issue was the new Unit 2 VCE students who were West 1 – Pashalia Eglezos - 24 July
contacted and informed about the online VCE language provision
“Today I welcomed the inaugural Dutch F-10 class at VSL Altona
• We are currently preparing for F-10 online provision next week. North. Despite this being held online, students were enthusiastic and
Teachers will be provided with the following to make the online participated in the work set by their teacher, Joyce Diebels.
transition easier and effective VSL data collection:
I also visited other classes from the following faculties: Chin Hakha,
Word generic lesson plan
Greek, Hindi, Japanese, Spanish and Vietnamese. In particular, a
Word document rolls – this needs preparation as they need to Japanese class was studying the Tokyo Olympic Games and the
be individually converted from PDF to word. This will then allow the Greek class was discussing the Olympic Games within the Ancient
teachers to quickly enter attendance clearly on the word document, Greek framework. Students presented drawings of the Olympic rings
and cuts out the taking of photos and messy rolls. and various sports.
A set of class emails (just copied and pasted It’s great to see our students engaging in the world around them.”
individually from SIP) these will be individually
sent to staff who then will copy and paste on
their Zoom invitation.
A class contact list which allows staff to
communicate with students.”
“Never-ending Story”, Area Manager Kerry Law – 19 July
“Delta variant COVID hits us faster than a tornado, doesn’t it?! I am
so glad the quick and sharp decision made by our Leadership team
for cancelling the Foundation to Year 10 classes and having remote
learning for VCE classes. Model UN conference in German- Annette Buchholz and Nicole
Parents, guardians, and International Student Coordinators were very Butcher – 26 July
appreciative of our efforts to keep them informed and he fact that we “Seven of our Year 11 students participated in a virtual UN model
continue running the VCE classes. Even though our VCE students conference with the topic: Planet Ocean: Protecting the World’s
had their class remotely today, the attendance was very high. This Oceans, Seas and Marine Resources.
is another thing I am happy about and I have certainly praised our
They had to familiarise themselves with the general idea of the UN
students’ positive work ethic and attitudes.
and the General Assembly, then they had to read the draft resolution
I hope we will be able to have face to face classes next week.” and undertake research about the two countries they were going to
N.4, 4 October 2021 | Page 5
Glimpses from Term 3 of 2021
represent, Mexico and Costa Rica. We met on Microsoft Teams a
couple of times and we shared ideas on a Google Drive file.
By the last day of Term 2 we completed our pre-recorded videos and
after the holidays, the students had three days to watch the other
videos and get an idea about their ‘foes and friends’. UN Model conference team Nicole and Annette
On the day of the conference, we all met at the Multicultural Hub. The the crisis in Afghanistan, while also keeping them grounded in their
students participated actively and passionately during the conference education here in Melbourne. It was very pleasing to see excellent
and negotiated with others to find supporters for their amendments. attendance in each of these classes this week, and I was able to visit
There was a moderated and unmoderated caucus, and at the end, some of the classes and talk with them – even though it feels like there
the students voted on the final resolution.” is so little we can do for them.
Last Thursday we received an invitation from the Department for
relevant school staff to participate in an online briefing on how schools
can support students from an Afghan background. Following the
briefing we sent out a message to our Afghan families:
“! ایروتکیو تلایا اهنابز بتکم طوبرم اهناغفا هعماج هب
To our Victorian School of Languages community
We would like to take this opportunity to express our solidarity with
and care for, our students and families of Afghan background and to
Revised “Framework for Improving Student Outcomes 2.0”
their loved ones still in Afghanistan.
(FISO) – Dr David Howes, 3 August
We want you all to know that we are here, we see what you are going
At a DET online principals’ conference on 3 August, the Department’s through. We are so glad that you are here in out community and we
Deputy Secretary, Dr David Howes, announced that, as as a result of want to offer our support to you and your families. We will be reaching
the remote teaching experience, the Framework for Improved Student out to families and please contact us if we can help.
Learning (FISO) would be reduced from 7 to 5 elements and this de-
cluttering is driven by
Central 1 - Vanda – Students with a Disability - Bulletin 23 August
(i) a lifting of the focus on wellbeing; and
(ii) a concentration on what matters most. “Students with disabilities are generally not coping with remote
learning. Parents and staff have reported that the students are in
The new 5 FISO elements are: Leadership, Assessment, Support,
danger of becoming disconnected, their attendance can be sporadic,
Engagement, Teaching & Learning
and little can be achieved if we don’t provide support. Some students
“FISO 2.0 sets out the core elements that realise the goals of have behavioural challenges that are difficult for our teachers to
excellence and equity through developing the learning and wellbeing address when teaching in the classroom, let alone remotely. I have a
of every student.” few that have dropped out. I encourage my teachers to differentiate
between the different types of students. These students thrive on the
relationships they have with their teachers which is not the same in
the virtual classroom. They miss out on that personal connection that
happens face to face.
The following is an email from a parent to her child’s teacher:
“Hi (Name of teacher),
Thanks for the email. (Student Name) has level 1 ASD (VSL should
have his paperwork on file) and he does well with the structure of
school in person but it’s extremely difficult for me to keep him online
“These core elements together build a positive environment through
for any kind of video call and his behaviour can be very challenging. He
strong relationships that enable every student to thrive. This enables
keeps running away! His primary school only does one video roll call in
all students to become happy, healthy, and resilient; successful lifelong
the morning and posts daily tasks to do, but it is still a big challenge.
learners; and active, informed members of just and sustainable
I will do my best to go over the worksheets that you send through to
communities …There should be a sense of optimism as we go forward
keep him ‘in the loop’. We have actually been flying his kite this week,
with our shared leadership involving 1,540 schools across Victoria.”
as it happens!
Supporting our Afghani Community – Heather Rae - 23 August Kind regards,”
“This week has been very challenging for some of the teachers at
South 2 area online classes - Venetia - Saturday 21st August
South East, as we have many students with Afghan background at
the Dandenong centre, learning Dari and Persian. The teachers have “South 2 classes ran smoothly this week. We had no intruders, all staff
been outstanding in supporting their students, helping them deal with sent their zoom link to me and parents were generally armed with the
Page 6 | N.4, 4 October 2021
correct information needed to assist me with providing a zoom link. • Problems experienced by some international students
All our VCE staff are currently preparing for their online SACs and there • Students’ experiences before coming to Australia
is a flurry of parents emailing me concerning camera issues.
• Students’ experiences after coming to Australia
Although the F-10 classes are working well with some classes • Understanding of students’ problematic behaviours
completing online cooking lessons and story reading sessions, there
• Recommendations for working with international students and their
are a notable number of weary parents who inform us that they wish
parents
to withdraw until next year.
Distance Education Parent-Teacher interviews – 31 August
We also have a number of weary teary teachers who are finding the
going a little challenging. The Distance Education Parent–Teacher interviews were held last
I am finding that compared to 2020 I am spending more time providing Tuesday 31 August. Teachers were asked to put in Chat in Teams any
encouragement to staff.” feedback from parents from during the day. Here are a small number
of the many positive comments we received from parents:
West 1 – Saturday 28 August – Lisa Eglezos
• Katja – All going well so far. Parents are very pleased about the way
“As a result of working with teachers and encouraging them to adopt we communicate with them regularly.
various strategies, I received this positive response from a mother • Namasté – I’ve been starting the PTI by asking parents how their
whose children were about to withdraw from classes: child is going? I had one parent: “no how are you going? not easy
“Wonderful classes on Saturday. teaching and managing things at home. I appreciate what you do”.
For Spanish at Footscray, Alejandra Maspolli split the class in half. • Louise – In a chat I had with a Year 8 student she commented “But,
She presented such an engaging class! She incorporated, colouring Louise how are you doing right now?”. It was really sweet coming
activities, singing, video clips combined with her very clear Spanish from a kid too!
communication and encouraged the children to communicate what • Rosa – I had one parent thank me for being an ‘old school teacher’
they had drawn. Very impressive. and not ‘a rabid leftie’.
Also, the Albanian teacher, Ms Hoxhallari, provided work to do while • Nathalie – I just had a parent tell me that their child is always very
off-line, then parts requiring my son to be back on-line. Combining this happy and feels re-motivated after his oral lessons, she was very
with some very engaging language games had my son so attentive appreciative of the extra work I have given him to extend his French
and soaking up the learning. (he is a native speaker)
Some great positive changes from them both. • Lidia – It is going well. I also had parents thanking me for my
Great work.” dedication, patience and being supportive. Very rewarding.
• Adel – My night ended, with a parent from Saudi Arabia praising
RU OK? Day – Vanda Matruglio – 6 September
distance education and what a great job we all do. She was very
“Some staff that work in day schools along with the VSL are struggling pleased with how our students are treated and how we are attentive
with remote learning. to detail. It’s comments like this that confirm how rewarding our job is
Sept 9th is national RU OK? Day. It is important to reach out to our • Nicole Butcher – A parent I spoke to told me lockdown has helped
dedicated staff and check on their wellbeing. I intend to organize a her appreciate how hard teachers work, and she thinks teaching
voluntary, informal, fun meeting on 11 September commencing at should be the highest-paid profession!
12.45pm whereby we do not talk about school issues. The session
will run for an hour centred around self-care, resilience and sharing of Ehiopian New Year – Footscray Centre - Bulletin 13 September
enjoyable lockdown activities. “On Saturday 11 September one of the classes I joined in was an
Some ideas that can be incorporated include: Amharic class at the VSL Footscray centre as it celebrated the
Ethiopian New Year.
• Share how you balance your personal and work life during
lockdowns. Despite the Covid lock down, the teacher, Ms Tenenet Taye,
• Share your lockdown hobby. encouraged students to participate in various class activities, such as
• Share a book you have read or are reading. singing, storytelling and card making.
• Share a new album or podcast you are listening to. After class, students celebrated the New Year with their families and
• Share your local walking trail. friends, connecting with each other through online platforms such as
• Share a TV series, YouTube or documentary you are watching. Zoom.
(The above are the first 6 of 14 suggestions.) The VSL wishes the Ethiopian community a Happy New Year, and
hopefully we will be able to see our students back at school soon!”
Enhancing the Wellbeing of International Students – 31 August
“The number of international students in Victoria has obviously
decreased in the last two years. While most are proving to be resilient
there are a number that are facing health issues. On 31 August
senior VSL staff received a briefing from Joanna Zhu who is a clinical
psychologist with over 18 years of experience working with Chinese
clients across all age groups.
Ms Zhu presented the following topics:
N.4, 4 October 2021 | Page 7
Increasing VCE Language choices to students in Regional areas
As part of the “VCE Expansion Inititative”, Monash University undertook a review of online teaching practices
and ran a course for teachers delivering the online languages.
In 2019, the Minister for Education, the Hon James Merlino MP, • designing static online content,
decided that all students in regional Victoria should access ALL • privacy and copyright,
of the VCE subjects. The Department’s VCE Expansion Initiative is • communication and collaboration,
therefore aimed at increasing the range of VCE offerings through • social media policy and practice,
Distance Education and to enhance online teaching as a whole. • assessment and feedback, including via online delivery
Twenty nine members of staff have completed the course to date.
The following reflections were made by three of our teachers:
(i) Michael Boss
“It was good to see how different types of students responded
to online learning as necessitated by lockdowns. It was also
enlightening to see how a balance and variety of feedback
techniques is more beneficial for student engagement and progress,
for example, using video as well as written or audio feedback.”
(ii) Namasté Gadbois
“I enjoyed the opportunity for further study. A lot of the content
was really stimulating, especially on feedback, that was really
Lunchtime break in the Treasury Gardens interesting for me and I am trying to adopt some of the concepts
in my teaching”
As part of this initiative, the Victorian School of Languages was
funded to develop new VCE courses for Hindi, Punjabi and (iii) Mike Atkinson
Vietnamese and to make enhancements to other distance “The Leading Virtual Learning course has been a fantastic way
education courses. to identify areas of improvement for our practice. Having the
opportunity to place what we do against the background of up to
The Department also commissioned Monash University to date theory and develop new ways of thinking has been inspiring
undertake a review of online teaching practice at the three DET and enjoyable - and of course of great benefit to our students.”
distance education providers and virtual school clusters, and to
design and run a ‘Leading Virtual Learning’ course for teachers
working in online delivery.
Our school established a Teaching Practice Team to analyse current
practice, research some options, make recommendations that
inform course development, respond formally to the Monash/DET
report, and position our staff to best deliver online. The Team met
through 2020 and 2021 and worked on a number of the report’s
priorities, namely student preparedness, feedback, student
collaboration, student interaction and parental involvement.
The course was designed and taught by highly credentialed experts
in the field from Monash University, Professor Michael Henderson
and Associate Professor Mike Phillips, and it has been a unique Professor Michael Henderson presenting
opportunity for us to gain the most current knowledge about online
teaching. The key aim of the course was to equip teachers with The consensus by our staff is that it has been a demanding and
knowledge, skills and experiences to effectively design, facilitate rigorous course to undertake on top of full time work, but our staff
and assess with online educational technologies in virtual teaching have managed admirably and have got a lot out of it. Participants
and learning. have been doing follow up PD with the rest of the staff to acquaint
them with some of the key developments. The course has inspired
The main topics covered were: and informed our teaching staff as they continue to improve and
• flexible learning, adapt courses to the demands of the digital age.
• learning theory and student motivation,
• cognitive load theory and multimedia,
Page 8 | N.4, 4 October 2021
Digital Distractions and its (Negative) Impact on Students
One of the consequences of the dramatic increase in the use of technology is the impact it is having on
students’ ability to concentrate.
The Gonski Institute at the University of NSW, amongst other
educational institutions, has warned that digital technology has
become a growing distraction on students’ learning capacities.
One of its spokesmen, Professor Pasi Sahlberg, warns that “What is
happening now with our kids is the biggest educational experiment
in history.” We need to understand children’s habits and the benefits
and pitfalls of screen-based technology. The systematic transition
from face-to-face teaching to remote teaching has accelerated the
problem.
Digital devices put the world at our students’ fingertips, whether
with their own mobile phones or with school-provided computers effective – instead we are engaging in continuous task switching
and tablets, but with this comes the risks of added distraction. and this has cognitive costs.
· Technology lends itself to multi-tasking. We can have multiple
Children and young adults live in a ‘digital smorgasbord’, according
browsers simultaneously open and dip in and out of apps and
to Dr Kristy Gordon, where they are “drooling over screens for
watch television, whilst performing a myriad of other things with
increasing periods of time each day.” And this digital bombardment
our gadgets.
is changing their attention span and their ability to retain and
process information. In today’s digital world it’s so much harder for · They are having inadequate sleep. We are sleeping a lot less
individuals to manage their attention without getting side-tracked than we did generations ago – it’s much harder to manage our
by SMSs, emails, Facebook, etc. And if it’s hard for adults, one can attention when we are fatigued after a poor night’s sleep.
only imagine how difficult it must be for school-aged students.
· The part of the brain responsible for attention is not yet fully
Information overload developed. in adults between the early to late 20s. So children are
being literally ‘dunked in a digital stream’ when their brains are not
One of the reasons that we’re finding it more challenging to manage
yet able to control their impulses and manage their attention.
our attention in a digital world is because we are suffering from
‘infobesity’ - we’re literally drowning in information and the rate is What can teachers and parents do?
speeding up. The pace has accelerated by the phenomenal growth
· Teach children whenever possible to monotask - finish one task
in emails which can be sent at all hours of the day and night, with
properly before starting a new one.
pressure on the recipients to open them regularly.
· Encourage children to take regular breaks – so they can sustain
Clearly teachers are concerned that new technologies are creating their attention – go outside, play with a pet, climb a tree, ride a
an easily distracted generation with short attention spans. One bicycle, engage in green time for ‘mind wandering’.
researcher who studied senior students’ technology habits at home
found that some students averaged less than six minutes on a task · Minimise distractions – use one app on a tablet device at a time,
before succumbing to other digital distractions. turn off unnecessary alerts.
· Insist that children get a good night’s sleep – thus also minimising
Today’s digital learners are distracted by technology in two ways:
the risk of anxiety and depression.
Externally - sounds, flashes and notifications can distract students
· Establish tech-free zones at home and in the classroom, remove
from what they are doing and redirect their attention to another task.
television and technology devices from the bedroom.
Internally - many students are thinking about technology, even
· Revert to using pen/pencil and paper.
when not using it - out of sight is not necessarily out of mind.
· Encourage them to be more self-reliant – do they really have
Continuous task-switching can interrupt the consolidation of to ask “Hey Siri, what time is it?”; Have they tried reading a map
information from short to long-term memory. instead of using a GPS?; Do they know what 9 x 9 is without using
a calculator?; Can they recite a good poem which is longer than
Why are children’s attention spans changing?
six lines?
Quite simply because they are using technology for increasing
amounts of time. Some tweens (aged 8-12 years), for example, are Technology is a fact of life in the 21st century and cannot be banned
spending 6 hours a day with media and this doesn’t include time or avoided. The task, according to Professor Adrian Piccoli of the
spent using media for school work or homework. According to Dr Gorski Institute, “is to make sure that children are exposed to the
Gordon, students’ attention span are changing because right technology for the right amount of time at the right time – not
six or 10 hours a day or at 3.00am.” This points to a joint role of
· They are suffering from infobesity. The onslaught is causing parents and teachers working together with children to manage
cognitive overload. technology usage and minimise digital distraction.
· They are multi-tasking. Despite the myth, multi-taking is not
Source: Gonski Institute report, and Dr Kristy Gordon
N.4, 4 October 2021 | Page 9
Completing the 2021 Tutor Learning Initiative
The Tutor Learning Initiative was announced by the Minister for Education on 13 October 2020 to ensure that
students would not be left behind in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Victorian School of Languages became part of the TLI program According to Dr Siddell, “In their feedback on the project, tutors
which is on track to be completed this Term. have observed an overall improvement in students’ key language
skills. While the move away from face-to-face tutorials interrupted
The tutors were to work with small groups of students from Monday continuity to some extent, there has been a gradual increase in
to Friday concentrating on literacy and numeracy. An allowance student motivation. Tutors working with Year 12 students have
was made to the VSL to have the tutoring lessons to be held at the noted that one of the greatest challenges facing them is time
end of each class for one hour and to use our current Language management; the set time and conversational activities of the
staff. TLI tutorial have helped these students maintain commitment
and momentum. The small group setting has permitted students
to participate in shorter more focused, tasks which keep them
engaged, facilitate rapid progress and provide opportunities to
reflect on their learning.”
The 2021 TLI program will conclude with some simple assessments,
including a student self-assessment survey, to track the learning
progress of the participants. With the attendance records, these
results will provide insights into the success of the project and how
it might set a precedent for similar work in the future.
Ms Sukhbir Kaur, Hindi, pre-lockdown
Mr Lakhvir Singh, Punjabi, pre-lockdown
… and during lockdown
Area Manager Felix Siddell was given the task of managing the roll
out across the State.
It was the original intention that the selected students would have
face-to-face tuition however the tutorials, like our Centre classes,
had to move to remote delivery. The rollout of the scheme in the
VSL was also shaped by the availability of staff and the number of
students opting in. Among the language groups that participated
were Chinese, Chin Hakha, Dutch, German, Italian, Japanese,
Mr Lian Ding Hmung, Chin Hakha, during lockdown
Karen, Portuguese, Punjabi, Sinhala, Spanish and Vietnamese.
The school decided that priority would be given to senior students, “Over the course of 2021,” according to Dr Siddell, “the Tutoring
namely Year 10 to Year 12. For VCE students the development Initiative has had to make a number of adaptations to changing
of oral skills and preparation for oral examinations emerged as circumstances, a reminder that in education, nothing can be
a real area of need in the current COVID-19 context which has assumed or taken for granted. In its focus on individual student
significantly reduced opportunities for oral practice. needs, the TLI Project also reminds us that the mainstay of
education is optimism, the belief that with patience, hard work and
The TLI groups have completed their initial assessments and resilience, our students can continue to make progress and often
introductory activities and are responding to the individual needs of surprise themselves with excellent learning outcomes.”
the participating students. The requirement to deliver the tutorials
remotely has also assisted those students who did not initially
relate to this learning style, by helping them work confidently in the
more manageable small group setting.
Page 10 | N.4, 4 October 2021Expansion in Teaching of Indian languages
It is a reflection of the growth of the Indian community in Victoria and of India’s growing economy, that our
government is keen to promote the study of Indian languages. The Victorian School of Languages continues
to lead the nation in the teaching of Indian languages to school-aged students.
While it is true that many people in India speak English there are
millions that do not. The Indian constitution, in fact, recognises 22
regional languages and most of them have over 40 million speakers!
The VSL introduced Hindi in 1987 at its Brunswick Centre under the
encouragement of Dr Dinesh Srivastava. The school then worked
together with a group of teachers to have the language accredited
as a VCE subject. Hindi is now taught at the following Centres
around Victoria: Berwick, Blackburn, Caroline Springs, Dandenong,
Epping, Glen Waverley, Melton, Sunshine, Shepparton, Werribee, Hindi Niketan performance
Wodonga. Hindi has now also been introduced in the VSL’s
• Cultural organisations like Hindi Niketan, Tamilar Inc and the
distance education section, thus making it accessible to senior
Punjabi teachers’ network do a great job in promoting the study
students in regional/rural Victoria.
of Indian languages.
The school has also introduced • The Australia India Institute is an effective academic and research
a whole range of other Indian organisation. It has recently appointed Ms Lisa Singh (photo left) as
languages, namely Bengali, its new Director, a person who is a strong advocate.
Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, • The number of Indian students will most likely increase once the
Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu international travel restrictions are lifted.
(also a language of Pakistan).
We have supported Malayalam
accredited as a VCE subject but
the process is on hold, instead
Ms Lisa Singh
a Certificate course is being
prepared.
The greatest challenge that we face is to make our Indian
community aware that our classes are available and that, as well as
the satisfaction that students obtain from speaking their preferred
language, the students’ VCE results contribute to their ATAR
score and contribute to all university entrance faculties from law to
medicine, from accounting to engineering.
“Indian Voice”, September 2021 New Year 11 Punjabi textbook
Despite the school transitioning to remote teaching last Term, our
teachers of Indian languages have shown remarkable creativity in
involving their students. Here are three examples:
• On 29 August at the VSL Berwick and Hampton Park Centres,
five classes combined to celebrate the Malayalam festival of
Onam, and they were able to include a guest speaker from India, a
community representative, a young Malayalam girl who is currently
performing on “The Voice” on television, and performances from all
Student performer at online Hindi Diwas Mr Raj Kumar Consul-General
the classes, individuals and groups.
There is a sound basis for Hindi and other Indian Languages to be
more widely taught: • On August 14, Hindi and Kannada communities celebrated Indian
Independence – and again were able to combine several classes to
• ACARA several years ago included Hindi as one of the languages
celebrate in remote settings but together in their learning.
to be taught in Australian schools.
• La Trobe University and the Australian National University teach • On 15 September students from various Centres participated in
it at the tertiary level. the Hindi Diwali Zoom celebration hosted by Consul-General Mr
Raj Kumar.
• The number of Indian festivals and events celebrated in Victoria
(prior to the Covid-19 restrictions) have expanded significantly (eg The VSL continues to organise creative teachers to write textbooks
Indian Film Festival, Diwali Festival) and other curriculum materials that have an Australian setting.
N.4,
N.4,44October
October2021
2021| |Page
Page11
3School Updates
Key Dates Term 4 Distance Education: In development for 2022
18 September Last session Term 3 New Interactive courses:
9 October First session Term 4 • Year 10 French
4 Oct - 31 Oct VCE Oral examinations • Year 10 German
11 October 2022 enrolments open for current Centre students • Year 10 Indonesian
16 October Final Day Centre VCE CCAFL, Arabic • Year 10 Japanese
and Korean FL/SL students • Year 10 Spanish
19 October VCE Written examinations – • Chinese Units 3 & 4
CCAFL Languages (plus Arabic & Korean FL & SL)
• Chinese SLA Units 3 & 4
25 October 2022 enrolments open for new students
and distance education students • Vietnamese Units 3 & 4
27 Oct -17 Nov VCE written exams
VCE new Study Designs:
6 November Final Day (Centres) VCE students
• Chinese (First Languages)
27 November Final Day (Centres) F-10 students
• Indonesian (First Languages)
16 December VCE results released by VCAA
• Japanese (First Languages)
17 December Term 4 ends for Government schools
• Latin
29 January 2022 Centre Staff PD
28 January 2022 Government school teachers resume
5 February 2022 First Centre Session 2022 (Sat)
Hungarian Teacher – Agnes Korlaki is an ancient culture that has withstood so much. Be proud and go
learn Hungarian, you won’t regret it.”
Why would the Hungarian Teaching at the VSL in Dandenong, she says her students have
community in Melbourne many levels of Hungarian knowledge and ability. The drive to learn
want their children to learn the usually comes from a parent, but students quickly enjoy the chance
Hungarian language? Most to socialise with a new group of friends, often forming strong
children are born in Australia friendships lasting long past their school days. Victorian students
and already learn a language also know the value of studying a language to gain a good VCE
at their regular school. VSL score and enhance their university entrance ranking (ATAR).
Hungarian teacher, Ms Agnes
Korlaki, recognises Hungarian Describing her lessons, Ms Korlaki explains, “Over the years, there
families’ desire to maintain their have been lots of tears and laughter, and certainly lots of socialising.”
national heritage and learn about Nevertheless, under her skilled guidance, most students put their
their home country and culture best effort into studying the language and culture, with top scores in
alongside their Australian life. Students, however, simply enjoy the VCE in most years.
chance to socialise with other young people with similar background.
Ms Korlaki taught the teaching the 2021 Victorian Premier’s Award
Agnes Korlaki started teaching Hungarian at Kindergarten level winner for Hungarian, Borbala Szalo, and describes a student
almost 40 years ago and worked her way up the education ladder. who set her sights high. “Borbala is a quiet determined girl who
2021 is Agnes’s 15th year teaching VCE Hungarian. In 2017, she completed every task and lots of extra work. She asked questions
received one of Hungary’s highest awards, the “Gold Merit Cross” about every mistake, how to answer questions successfully, and
for her work educating children in the Hungarian language in a how to respond.”
distant diaspora.
2020 and 2021 have seen extended periods of remote learning,
Ms Korlaki came to Australia as a young child in the post-war when Ms Korlaki needed to run lessons via Zoom. The technology
European migration wave. As a teacher, she believes learning about challenges of remote teaching have brought many teachers and
your culture and language is a privilege. She explains, “It opens students close to breaking point and Ms Korlaki describes how most
up doors, possibilities and connections. Learning their parents’ students started off well but eventually weaker students would miss
language gives children pride in themselves, knowing they are not lessons and submit less work for correction and advice.
one dimensional in this multicultural world.”
Looking back on a rich teaching career, Ms Korlaki says her biggest
Ms Korlaki hopes Hungarian lessons spark students’ interest in their reward has been seeing friendships develop and good results
country of origin. The cultural interest might not happen immediately achieved in students’ mother tongue. “A teacher needs to value and
but certainly builds as young people travel through to adulthood. respect every student and I always try to respond to the best of my
“Hungary may now be a small country, but the Hungarian culture ability.”
Page 12 | N.4, 4 October 2021You can also read
