Welcome back Yarra and Warran Houses
In 2021 the College will introduce two new Houses – joining Birt, Cheong, Nelson and Wicklow are Warran and Yarra.
From its inception, Luther College students have been placed into Houses. So much of the College culture flows through the lens of the House system. In fact, the attachment to Houses is so significant that past students, upon meeting one another, frequently ask, what House were you in?
The new structure will have one Head of House caring for about 200 students. Six Houses, each with up to nine Home Groups making it simpler for parents, enhancing communication, achieving consistency and clarity and deepening relationships between students, Home Group Mentors, Heads of House and parents.
When the College opened in 1964, there were two foundation Houses – Warran and Yarra. Two years later, enrolment growth saw the introduction of two further Houses and a renaming exercise to reflect local landscapes. However, in a nice connection with the past, current students voted this year to bring back House names Warran and Yarra as we move to six Houses.
Throughout this process, increasing student voice and choice was a focus. It is pleasing to see that honoring history and tradition is important to our current student cohort.
The introduction of two additional Houses came about as a result of a Pastoral Care Review. Continuous improvement is important at Luther, always seeking to build on our successes and improve the support and care we give our students. Key to the review was consultation with students, staff and parents who told us the most positive aspects of the current system were the vertical structure, the continuity of care and the family environment. Six Houses will continue to deliver these important aspects while proving additional opportunities to deepen relationships and increase participation.
We look forward to introducing Yarra and Warran Houses in 2021 and continuing the creation of stronger bonds and connections and playing a significant role in the history of Luther College, while putting student care front and centre.
Pop-Up Museum goes Virtual
Students in Year 7 spent Term 3 exploring the world of Ancient Egypt. It was impressive to see the way they coped in a very different learning context. Our teachers did a wonderful job using the available technology to make the topic engaging through Genius Sessions, Zoom and video content. The assessment for this unit lead students in groups through an inquiry process to ask and answer questions focused on one aspect of the Ancient Egyptian civilization. In previous years, after researching, groups would usually prepare and present an exhibit for a Pop-Up museum.
This year, students presented their exhibits in our first ever ‘virtual’ Pop-Up. It was a great opportunity to gather students and parents (via Zoom) as a whole cohort and within ‘class galleries’. Anita Morton – Humanities 7-8 Learning Leader
Student Reflections:
“I was really happy to show my parents the gallery page on the Pop-Up Museum launch night. We had spent a long time making our presentations together, so it felt amazing to finally show everyone the final product.” Elena
“I learnt that I can work well together with my friends without getting extremely sidetracked! I also learnt that I can have fun doing a topic that at first doesn’t interest me. I felt proud of myself and the group and what we have produced. I felt nervous speaking on the night, and I wanted to get it over quickly but I also wanted to speak with passion because we have invested so much time over the term into this project.” Ryder
Lisa Trent – Director of Marketing and Community Engagement
