GREAT
ADVISER READING
Shepparton ACE College Special Wrap Around Relocation Feature
WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2021
www.sheppadviser.com.au | ADVERTISING HOTLINE: 5832 8900
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Welcome to the new and exciting Shepparton ACE Secondary College, now located in the centre of town at 123-129 Maude Street, Shepparton.
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Success focussed learning environment
STUDENTS REACH FULL POTENTIAL IN SMALL GROUPS... The teachers at ACE College maintain students’ attention to engage in the learning process. Photos: Nicole Peters
SHEPPARTON ACE Secondary College continues to enhance its reputation as a place where students can achieve to their potential as learners and citizens. It continues to successfully provide a safe, supportive small class environment with relevant, progressive curriculum and extra curricular activities. The 2021 school year sees the their personal life. Their experience, College move into new state of the combined with the varied approaches art buildings at 123 –129 Maude Street, of new staff are invaluable, not only in Shepparton (on the corner of Nixon curriculum experience but in creating a steady, positive, success focused Street). The College focus is on small class school environment. The College takes students on size (15 max) that offers students greater interaction with their teachers a journey from year 7 through to and the ability to engage in a learning Certificate and Diploma levels placing process that gives students an them on a pathway to be career ready understanding of why they need to at completion. At Shepparton ACE Secondary learn. From taking classes into the field, College student learning cannot be to working with the latest teaching separated from welfare. Students aids give students an appreciation of develop best when teaching and what is achievable and why education learning occur in a context of student welfare. Student welfare is enhanced should be pursued. The majority of staff have many when all members of the school decades of experience working with community participate in the learning young people who have experienced programs and the life of the school. a few hiccups in their education or in
Ph: 03 5831 4029
123-129 Maude Street, Shepparton EMAIL: shepace@iinet.net.au
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Bronwyn Rose
CAPTURING THE IMAGINATION... Year 12 student, Nathaniel Morley, taking his chances with the wildlife. Photo: Supplied.
Small school with a big heart SHEPPARTON ACE Secondary College is a small secondary school, which is an important reason why many young people choose this school for their education. This is also a reason why the long-term staff at the school are so committed.
Being a small school makes it easier to foster connections between students, teachers and the community and it can be easier for students to develop friendships in a small school. Smaller schools also increase the likelihood of teachers knowing the students and their learning styles well. When asked what some of the benefits of working at a small school were, VCAL teacher and IT manager, Damien Neil gave several examples. “Working at a small school with small classes means we really get to know each and every student. We can spend
more time with each student, creating stronger relationships and a more comfortable, trusting environment for students to learn in.” Damien said, before continuing. “I just love how it’s like a small community here. You see students grow and learn throughout the years and it ’s very rewarding working so closely beside them to achieve whatever it is they want.” For more information, contact Shepparton ACE College on 5831 4029 or visit the campus at 123-129 Maude Street, Shepparton.
Bronwyn Rose, principal at ACE College thoroughly enjoys seeing young people being the first in their family to pass Year 12. “They are always so proud and so are their parents and extended family members. It is also very rewarding to see students who have been school refusers gradually reconnect with their learning and What stands the college apart is make friends,” said Bronwyn. that it was established and grown Bronwyn believes one of the very through a community development best things about this school is the approach that focused on listening supportive staff relationships that to our students’ needs and have been built over time. their feedback. “The way everyone pulls They also have a everything together when very firm approach things get tough, such “The way to bullying because as during the move everyone pulls they know that to our new premises everything together in Maude Street, is when things get tough children cannot learn in an a testament to how is a testament to how wonderful the staff wonderful the staff and environment where they do not feel and students are students are here,” safe. Due to the here,” said Bronwyn. Bronwyn Rose, principal small classes and “Packing up an entire only one class at each school is so complex, year level, students and with many hidden challenges teachers get to know each other but I’m very proud of the manner well. This makes a huge difference in which the staff tackled this,” to the learning environment. “A couple of years ago a student Bronwyn is described as commented on way the staff get perseverant, enthusiastic and along. He said one thing he liked curious, she can’t wait to see what about the school was hearing the ACE College achieves next. staff laughing together on breaks.”
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Rosemary Hocking
Desiree Winnell
Irene Price
Rosemary Hocking, assistant principal at ACE College, likes the willingness of other staff to share teaching strategies, ideas, and resources with each other to provide the best possible outcomes for students. Rosemary finds it rewarding to interact with young people and watch them develop and build on their skills and knowledge. She believes ACE College is a unique learning environment that has a calm and relaxed atmosphere, with a strong emphasis on learning, where students take responsibility for their own learning. Rosemary is described as having a positive outlook on life, is compassionate and has a great sense of humour.
Desiree Winnell, business and accounts manager at ACE College, enjoys the positive interaction between the staff and students and how it is such a supportive and understanding environment. She enjoys seeing the students grow in confidence, selfworth and understand that they are able to succeed. Desiree says that being a smaller school, staff get to know the individual students and are able to cater to their needs. Desiree is described as being funny, dedicated and kind.
Irene Price, compliance administrator at ACE College, enjoys how well the staff work as a team and how much fun they have together. Her friendships with her colleagues have meant she feels as though they are like family. Irene loves a challenge and feels very rewarded when she completes each new task that has never completed before. She says ACE is a small school with a big heart where they foster a very friendly environment and get to know every student by their name. Irene is described as calm, organised and easy going, so much so that she received a ‘Cool Cucumber’ award once at a Christmas party for ACE.
Flexibility when you need it MELINDA Kelly is one of ACE College’s success stories. An environment that nurtures its students and strives to support them in every way possible is key to how students who need that extra help or chance are able to succeed and achieve their dreams. Melinda is passionate about helping people and her community and now works in a suicide prevention program as a support worker. ACE College is where Melinda completed her senior VCAL in 2012, then her certificate 4 in Liberal Arts and then, a few years later, where she completed her Diploma of Community Services. “ACE College gave me many opportunities and the final chance I needed to be able to succeed academically,” said Melinda. “They are just so adaptable and flexible and when your circumstances mean you need that understanding, the support they provide is invaluable.”
Melinda says the down-to-earth nature of the teaching staff and their compassion is what helps keep the culture at the school so positive. “I can’t thank everyone at ACE enough for their wonderful support over the years. Bronwyn and Joel in particular have been amazing. Their ability to pick up on it when something is amiss and identify if you’re having a rough patch without you saying so is amazing.” Melinda has recently applied to become a part of the school council at ACE, a testament to her own personal success and that of the school which granted her the ability to
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COMPASSION KEEPS THE CULTURE OF THE SCHOOL SO POSITIVE... ACE College alumni, Melinda Kelly is now making the community a better place. Photo: Stephanie Holliday
complete her studies in a comfortable, safe and understanding setting.
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Kylie Richards
Kylie Richards is an attendance and administration officer at ACE College. While she has only been with ACE a short time, she loves how each student is treated individually, how supportive the team is of each other and how they like to share a laugh together. She finds the students’ friendly greetings every morning are a great way to start the day. The fact that many staff members have been there for a number of years indicates to her what a positive and enjoyable environment ACE College is. She is described as friendly, positive and easy-going.
Sile Coleman
Sile Coleman is a careers/ diploma teacher and also a year 10 teacher at ACE College. Sile says that the students and her work colleagues make her role exciting, interesting and fun. She enjoys seeing young people grow in confidence and believe in their abilities to achieve anything they aspire to. She believes ACE is a tight knit community, where teachers and staff all know each other by name and nature and there is a genuine care and respect for each other. Sile is described as enthusiastic, dedicated and versatile.
Michelle Donders
Michelle Donders OH&S/First Aid Officer/Teacher at ACE College says that the staff at ACE are supportive and professional and are able to help one another when needed due to the small nature of the school. The most rewarding part of teaching at ACE for her is watching students achieve their goals and getting to know them as individuals. Smaller class sizes allow staff to get to know students better and the school embodies a great sense of belonging and community spirit. Michelle is described as patient, caring and efficient.
A hop, skip and a jump to Turkey IT’S not often the circus visits your school and gives you the opportunity to travel overseas, but for a group of lucky students in 2019, this was a reality. 17-year-old Shepparton ACE Secondary College student, Brayden Miller, joined the group of other young people in the chance of a lifetime trip to Turkey alongside Westside Circus.
After the program ran through the school, showing students fun activities, games and skills involved with the circus, students were encouraged to apply for a 10-day trip with flights and accommodation all paid for. Brayden was one of few students to be given this incredible opportunity, and was pretty excited about it. Brayden said at the time, “I’ve actually never been overseas before, or even on an aeroplane! I’m really excited and extremely grateful for the opportunity. “I love the acrobatics. Doing flips on the trampoline is probably my favourite circus activity.” Each student told us they now have plans to travel overseas or even go back to Turkey again, with Zac
ROLLING ALONG… Shepparton ACE Secondary College student, Brayden Miller went to Turkey with Westside Circus in January last year. Photo: Katelyn Morse.
Donaldson, another student to travel to Turkey saying, “You just don’t realise how different some parts of the world are and don’t know what you’re missing out on if you don’t travel. It was such an amazing experience. We’ve all made some really close friends and learned some valuable skills that we never would’ve learned in a classroom.” Brayden, Zac and other Shepparton ACE Secondary College students were trained in circus by Westside Circus as part of their Certificate III in Community Dance, Theatre and Events. Visit the Shepparton ACE Secondary College campus at 123- 129 Maude Street (cnr Nixon Street), Shepparton, or give them a call at 5831 4029.
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Frank Adams
Frank Adams, teacher at ACE College, says the school provides educators with the opportunity to broaden the scope of their practice across multiple learning domains. In the context of classroom learning, students can more easily build positive relationships with their peers and educators due to the limited class sizes. “As an educator, it is rewarding to know your students can easily receive the support they need in class, enabling them to exceed throughout their learning journey in secondary education,” said Frank. “There are some really great differences at ACE including providing for differentiated learning styles throughout the classroom, easier access to educator support in learning and a school-wide focus on literacy.” Frank is described as engaged, motivated and animated by his colleagues.
Andree Wilson
Andree Wilson, teacher at ACE college, loves the team she works with due to them being a very supportive and nurturing group of teachers and support staff. She is relatively new to the team and remarks how it has made her feel very welcome and supported. The most rewarding part of her job is when the students get that look of understanding and focus that they know they have done well. “ACE definitely has a family “ACE feel our small class sizes allow definitely has us to be very proactive with a family feel our our students,” said Andree. small class sizes Three words to describe allow us to be very Andree are enthusiastic, proactive with caring and focused.
our students” Andree Wilson, teacher
From troubled youth to youth worker AS a self-professed, ‘difficult teenager’, Sarah Dunkley had issues with rules at high school before she was enrolled at ACE College as one of their youngest students at the time. Her mother was a social worker in the area and had heard good things about ACE College. The move was transformative. Two years later, Sarah had completed a Liberal Arts course and enrolled at Victoria University in Melbourne on a path to completing a degree in Youth Work. Sarah now works with Save the Children in Shepparton as a youth worker assisting a group of children traversing through youth justice or
disengaged from their education or with psychological or social needs. “I cannot speak highly enough of ACE College,” said Sarah. “Since finishing my degree, I have continued to be involved and now sit on the school council. They have such a commitment to the community.” Sarah is one of the many success stories to come out of ACE College, turning her life around through the dedicated and applied learning the college provides.
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HELPING OTHERS THROUGH THEIR DIFFICULTIES... ACE College alumni, Sarah Dunkley went on to a degree. Photo: Steve Hutcheson
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Adam Kitungano Ad a m K itun g a n o, teacher at ACE college, loves the sense of community and belonging the school e m b o die s . Th e m os t rewarding part of what he does is to make a difference by e d u c a ti n g yo u n g p e o p l e who will be our future leaders. He is passionate about how they are educating young people who may be facing adversities but are working towards achieving their dreams and educational goals. He is described as friendly, trustworthy and reliable.
A FULLY EQUIPED KITCHEN OFFERS AN AVENUE TO HOSPITALITY... The new building includes a number of new features to stimulate students minds. Photo: Nicole Peters.
Karren Pollerd
Karren Pollerd is a VCAL/ Visual Arts Teacher at ACE College. She loves the intimacy of working in a small school and being able to know all of the staff, as well as the students. She finds watching the students grow into beautiful young adults incredibly rewarding a n d s ay s AC E h a s t h e freedom and flexibility to offer their students opportunities that they might not necessarily have otherwise, which allows them to thrive. Karren is described as creative, passionate and kind.
Joel Hoffman
Joel Hof fman is a Child Safety Officer/ Diploma Teacher at ACE College. He loves the commitment to education and the passion of the staff to see young people achieve their goals. He finds both teaching and also practicing social work in a fluid and individual way extremely rewarding. “ACE is a small school so we get to know each other well. That includes the staff, the students and their families which makes for a kinder and more welcoming school community,” said Joel. He is known for being funny, determined and confident.
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