We were recently contacted by the Berry Street School regarding their commitment to building a CRT workforce for their Shepparton campus in 2013.
About the Berry Street School:
Too many of the young people with whom we work are either excluded from, or have dropped out of, school. We run an independent school with a number of campuses and an extensive range of other education support and training programs.
We strive to:- maintain the participation of those who are at risk of disengaging from mainstream school; re-engage young people who are excluded from education or training; and promote pathways for young people into employment.
Through a mixture of small class sizes and a modified curriculum the Berry Street school's Shepparton campus targets students from the ages of 12 to 16 who just aren't fitting into mainstream education. In collaboration with mainstream schools they work to re-engage their students with their education, to motivate them in a way that a purely mainstream approach has failed to achieve.
This promises to be a valuable opportunity for CRTs interested in alternative education. The Berry Street School uses a specially designed model of education incorporating the best practices for trauma-informed alternative education and will provide invaluable experience in this sort of alternative education.
Please note that I am not just passing on an opportunity for work. The first things I did was check out the Berry Street School website and telephone Marcus Cook, the Shepparton Campus principal. It is interesting to note that the Model of Education includes specific mention to the supporting of staff to ensure staff quality for their students. Marcus was enthusiastic and emphatic on this point, assuring that this ethic extends to all of their staff, including their CRTs. This will involve an initial mentoring period and classroom support when needed. They are committed to ensuring that their CRTs are the high quality staff their curriculum requires.
Inductions have been organized;
If this sounds like something you would be interested in but aren't sure, we have arranged inductions to take place on Wednesday 17 April, 2013:
- Session 1: 10.00am
- Session 2: 4.00pm
These inductions will be approximately 1 hour in length and involve a walk through the school and a discussion on the school curriculum and classroom setup to provide you with the basic knowledge that you will need to decide whether this is an opportunity you would like to take advantage of. The induction will be led by Marcus Cook, the school's principal, and there will also be time to ask questions and have them answered.
These will take place at their campus on Reedy Swamp Road, Shepparton.
There is on-site parking available.
Each session is limited to 20 places.
Please email sheppartoncrt@vit.vic.edu.au to express your interest and book your place in an induction. Please do not forget to include whether you wish a place in the 10.00am or 4.00pm session!
Please Note: We are not taking any part in the CRT selection process or the ongoing fulfilment of open positions. This is entirely up to the arrangements made by the school. We are not an employment agency and as such are simply facilitating the connections required for the school to build their CRT workforce. We believe this is a win-win situation for both the Network and the School. We are able to assist our members to gain additional employment while at the same time providing a connection to CRTs who have been obtaining up-to-date Professional Development through the PD workshops the Network has offered in the past.
Regards,
Melinda Lichnovsky-Klock
Shepparton CRT Support Network Co-ordinator
