Genazzano receives 2021 ‘Excellence’ Australian Education Award

Genazzano FCJ College has received an Excellence Award for Best Use of Technology in 2021.

The Australian Education Awards bring together hundreds of education leaders, recognising star performers in the K-12 sector. Across 25 categories, the Awards recognise schools, principals, department heads and teachers for their achievements.

These awards demonstrate Genazzano’s commitment to providing transformational learning experiences for students and its high performing culture which promotes independence, self-belief and professional practice across the entire school.

The 2020 year was challenging for all schools across the country and for Melbourne in particular. There was an immediate requirement to provide remote learning for students; and Genazzano’s learning and teaching teams were quick to respond, as the College embarked on its Learning at a Distance Program.

The focus was on enabling simple workflows to support the program, as shared by Brett Bastian, Director of Information and Communication Technology.

“We achieved this using Blogs, Online Submission, Zoom and Screencastify videos”, said Brett.

“It was essential to keep students connected and to monitor their wellbeing through homeroom check-ins and feedback forms”.

The College was also able to continue with its music and sports programs through the use of technology and engage students with online events, including special days such as the House Athletics Carnival and Gen Day.

The technologies applied during learning at a distance also shifted the perception of change within the Genazzano community.

“It was great to see staff embrace some of the new opportunities to use technology to engage with students, parents and each other”, shared Brett.

“And to fully leverage the capabilities of the College learning management system, GenConnect”.

Things like Learning Conversations with parents were also conducted online and have continued in 2021 based on parent feedback and the option for participants to be involved from multiple locations.

Congratulations to everyone in the Genazzano community, this is formal recognition of the additional effort that went into making 2020 a success; and the courage and confidence our community continues to exhibit every day.

The Australian Education Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of the country’s top performing schools, principals, department heads and teachers.

Genazzano FCJ College is a Catholic Day and Boarding School in Kew offering a co-educational Early Learning Centre and all-girls’ environment from Prep to Year 12. It offers students a rounded education that prepares them to become resilient, adaptable and confident women.