I am hoping by now you would have heard the buzz about our new Secondary Arts centre that the Year 7 and 8 students have been using. Heathdale is committed to honouring the past efforts of the community and have worked to recreate the building in its original form but to also enhance it with 21st Century learning. Our aim is to develop vibrant and purposeful spaces that aim to inspire, facilitate, complement and nurture deep and rich learning. As we grow we need bigger spaces that are flexible and that meet the needs of our growing student and staff population. The new arts space features three classroom environments, a ceramics firing kiln, an industrial lino printer, pottery wheels and a student work gallery in a beautiful light-filled atrium. This means students have the space to work on pieces as big as they can imagine.
Mrs Rossouw is our vibrant art teacher. She has emigrated from South Africa and has a passion for developing our students’ art abilities. Mrs Rossouw’s husband also works at the College in IT and she has a little baby girl. Her own talent in art is astounding, particularly in fine arts and painting. Her love for God shines through in her work. All teachers at Heathdale have a faith in Jesus which helps us all to have a strong core in our values of Believe, Belong, Become. I asked Mrs Rossouw how she was finding the new space, and she said, “We are blessed and excited to start Term 2 in the new Secondary Arts Building. The modern facilities and spacious classrooms allow for a rich and diverse art curriculum that gives all the students the opportunity to explore and develop their creative potential.”
Mrs Rossouw runs an art club and is additionally developing those students who have a particular talent and creating murals around the college that express our own individuality and our love of God. Currently she is creating a wonderful piece with the children that explores God’s creation and celebrates the beauty that surrounds us. Mrs Rossouw works with the primary and secondary art teachers at the Werribee campus in a close-knit team where they develop cross-campus curriculum that empowers students to develop their God-given potential.
Here is some of the feedback from students on the new space:
The size of the Secondary Arts Building, as well as the colours used, astounded me when I first saw it. But it was the printing press that shocked me the most; I was so excited for it to be used. - Tina D, 7A
I really like the amount of space we have which allows us to do multiple activities during our lessons. I also liked the variety of tools and equipment that we can use for different purposes. – Juan M, 8A
The new art building is very new and modern, I like how we have the room for the secondary art only and new equipment. I am very excited to use the pottery room as well! – Jasmine P, 8A
The new art building is amazing! There are three rooms used for different things. There is a painting room, a lino print room, and a pottery room. I am most excited for using the pottery room to make pots! — Natasha L, 8A
Before I even entered the new art rooms, the building from the outside was incredible and beautiful. When I entered it was very spacious and big with plenty of room. I can’t wait to do sculpture as we have the clay spinning tables nice and ready to go. – Ady, 7B
As soon as I heard that we were opening a new art centre for secondary, I got so excited. I was even more excited when I got to see it. With spacious rooms for different types of art, there is so much more that we can do compared to the old art centre. – Rachel D, 7B
Recently, we conducted three tours on a Saturday with over 30 people who have had involvement in the Heritage overlay on the campus and many who used to teach at the College prior to Heathdale. Two previous art teachers talked about the culture and how the arts were advanced compared to a lot of schools. We received a hugely positive response from everyone who participated in the tours. Many people had not been on site for a very long time and they were so pleased to see the new chapter that is unfolding on the campus under Heathdale. It is with this in mind we wish to thank those in the past who began such a wonderful work at the College to enable us to be what we are today and what we will become.
With the future in mind in 2022 we will continue to work towards being a two-stream school. This means two classes at every year level. By 2025 we will be at Year 12. Therefore in 2022 we will add on an extra class at Year 4. The two Year 7 classes will move up to Year 8 and we will have one class at Year 9. Places at Heathdale Melton are becoming highly sought after and many from the local community and even as far as Essendon are wishing to enrol. If you have friends or family members that are keen to join the Heathdale community please do encourage them to contact our enrolments office.
We are keen to partner with you and serve as always. Please can I encourage you if there is anything at all you wish to discuss at the College please contact your child’s homeroom teacher.