Edition 4, 12 November 2009
 From the PrincipalInternationalising EducationThe Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (International Division) of the Victorian Government has embarked upon an ambitious project relating to the internationalising of education throughout Victorian Schools both Government and non Government. This initiative “Internationalising Education Project” has great support from within the Government and aims to see Victoria as providing the lead throughout Australia for ensuring that children attending School will be provided with an education that is relevant and helpful in equipping them with the skills, context and background to enable them to fully participate in an increasingly globalised and inter-connected world. The initiative has a fertile context within the Australian scene given the national statements on education relating to a study of Asian languages and Asian literacy as a critical skill for future generations of young Australians. The initiative has support from the Business Alliance for Asia Literacy, which represents over 400,000 Australian industries either directly or through peak industry associations, which has called for Governments to ensure that adequate funding and professional development is available to Schools and Teachers, to provide for studies in Asian languages and culture to ensure that they develop skills which will be of use to them and to the Australian workforce in the years ahead.
Ivanhoe Grammar School has been developing an international perspective for its educational offering over more than a decade. Our Membership of the Round Square Organisation, our International Baccalaureate Diploma offering for Senior Students (and now our candidacy to become an IB Middle Years Program School), the internationalisation of the curriculum across the continuum following the audit conducted by the Director of World Studies, Mr Tim Bush, our ethnically diverse Student population including a number of Students from overseas (it is interesting to note that Ivanhoe Grammar School’s history of enrolling overseas Students goes back to 1941!), our Nationally Accredited English Language Centre, our Cambodian Service Project, our involvement in the IB’s Teacher Training Program in Cambodia and many more initiatives both local and overseas all point to this development. This consistent and well developed approach has been recognised by the key Education Department personnel pushing forward with this internationalising education initiative. Recently the Department of Education commissioned a film crew to produce a DVD to promote, throughout the State of Victoria within all Schools, the value of ‘internationalising education’. Ivanhoe Grammar School was chosen as one of eight Schools, and the only independent School, to be involved where filming was conducted. Furthermore the School was one of only three Schools to present at the same International Education Symposium for educational Leaders in Victoria held in late October. As well as launching the DVD the Symposium was designed to create a stimulus for Schools wishing to undertake further development of an international approach to education. For the Department of Education to ask the School to participate in the DVD, in the Symposium and to provide a profile for this initiative is a clear endorsement of our standing with regards to what we had been attempting to provide in regards to a genuine international curriculum experience, supported by co-curricular activities such as those embodied in Round Square, over the past decade. Ivanhoe Grammar School has been identified as a School that has transformed itself into an institution that now offers such an experience to all its Students, both within the classroom and beyond. Perhaps the value of what we are doing can best be summed up by two comments: one by a Student and one by a member of Staff. The Valete entry of Year 12 Student/Prefect Safinah Hambali, who was the inaugural winner of the Michael Gorton ‘One World’ award presented at the Gala Evening in August, (presented to the student who has done the most to further ‘intercultural understanding’ in the School). Safinah wrote that her most memorable moment at Ivanhoe was - “Receiving the Michael Gorton ‘One World’ award at the 2009 Gala. It was one of the most humbling awards I had ever received and further motivated me to reach my goals and give back to my community” and From staff member and Head of Year 9 on the Ivanhoe Campus, Mark Horsford, who wrote “This is what I love about Ivanhoe I was coaching a tennis team yesterday morning. We had 9 girls playing, all of them from different ethnic backgrounds. Ankha Mongolian Retno Indonesian Melissa Sri Lankan Grace British Citizen, Australian Mother, Welsh Father Jessica South African Misa Japanese born, Vietnamese parents Shaarnu Malaysian born, Indian parents Chloe Chinese Ellen Greek And the thing I really love; they thought my fascination with this United Nations playing list was quaint but a little eccentric. The thought had not even occurred to them!" Roderick D Fraser Important Changes to the Victorian Road RulesI would ask that all drivers and learner drivers familiarise themselves with the changes to Victorian Road Rules. Please find information about the changes in the links below. Fact sheets |
