Community Engagement
Overview of community engagement at SCHS
As part of our vertical home group time, students work in mixed year level teams to develop a sustained project that engages with their local community. This gives students an opportunity to pursue their own interests with social issues that they are passionate about.
As part of this project, students work with their home groups to identify a theme through which each individual engages in some voluntary community connection outside of school. Students may choose a huge plethora of ways that they engage in their community, such as letter writing with residents at a residential aged care, collecting donations for the Welcome West Wagon, helping at their local op shops or any other way that they can give back to others and embody our school value of Contribution.
Students who successfully complete this project receive a certificate to recognise their work. Students also build valuable interpersonal skills with working with a team and gaining experience in other domains beyond the classroom.
Examples of Community Engagement
Gifted Outreach Program
The Gifted Outreach Program supports the needs of highly able Year 5 and 6 students who might not usually have access to enrichment or extension programs and facilities. Primary school students and SCHS student mentors work collaboratively on a challenging inquiry project, providing the opportunity for students to access specialist expertise and facilities, form connections to like minded peers and access high-quality and targeted highly able learning experiences.
The Gifted Outreach Program is supported by High Ability Practice Leaders and Victorian High-Ability Program (VHAP) Coordinators. Please contact your child’s primary school to register your interest.
Daycare co-curricular
Since 2023, Suzanne Cory High School has worked with Nido Werribee Early Childhood Centre as part of our co-curricular program. Every fortnight, a class of our students visit the centre and have the opportunity to build connections with the young children in the kinder program. Our students are responsible for teaching the children at Nido about imaginative play, cultural events, music and sport. This program is a highlight for our students, with many of our students enjoying engaging young children in enriching activities whilst having lots of fun.
Westsider FM and Podcast
Suzanne Cory High School works closely with the Westsider Newspaper, an independent community newspaper that comes out every month to serve the western suburbs of Melbourne. Our students write articles for the E-Gen section of the paper, contributing student focused pieces that champion the voices of western suburbs youth. Our Local Newspaper Club is open to any interested students who want an opportunity to be published whilst working with like minded students that wish to expand their skills in writing.
In 2024, the Westsider has started Westsider FM, a digital radio station that our school works with to provide radio airplay of original music and in 2025, an afternoon podcast from high school students of the west. Our co-curricular Podcasting class gives students the chance to develop and record their own podcasts for broadcast and our School of Rock co-curricular allows budding musicians to write and perform original music to be played on the radio. There are many opportunities for our students to pursue their creative endeavours and passions.
