The foundation year of Bemin Secondary College
January 2024 in Events & Local Area
Management consultant-turned-high school teacher, Ignatius Zanetidis, was inspired to take up a foundation year gig at Bemin Secondary College after speaking with other teachers who’d previously joined a brand new school.
“As a member of foundation staff, you're in the position where you work in a school that's been built specifically for the community it serves,” Ignatius said.
“I am really motivated by the prospect of working with staff, students, and in the broader community to build a college culture that really reflects the community's identity.”
He’s coming to Bemin Secondary College in Truganina after teaching at Edgars Creek Secondary College in Wollert, just north of Epping near the Craigieburn Bypass.
Families already living in or moving to Westbrook estate in Truganina will be within walking distance of the new school.
It’s one of many community-building infrastructure projects delivered by the State and Local Governments as the area’s population grows.
Also nearby are shopping centres at Tarneit Park Hub and Tarneit Central, built and operated by Westbook’s developer, the Dennis Family Corporation.
From Term 1, 2024, the new school in a fast-growing suburb of Melbourne’s West will begin with around 115 students in year 7 and 228 in year 10.
Ignatius lives in Melbourne’s North and studied business and law at La Trobe University in Bundoora.
For him, working with students from a multicultural and fast-growing area is an exciting prospect.
“I went to school in Gladstone Park, so it was a very multicultural area, Edgars Creek (previous school of employment) is very multicultural and I really enjoy the diversity,” Ignatius said.
“I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of different students and learning about their backgrounds and interests. I’ll be really trying to embed that into my teaching.”
The biggest challenges once the first school term starts at Bemin Secondary College?
“Particularly for the Year 10s, they're coming from a lot of prep to 9 schools where they are the oldest students in the school, they will be coming together at Bemin to build one new school culture,” Ignatius said.
“We're in a very new environment, we're all learning together, even just things like finding which classroom we need to go to and learning the students' names.”
Sources
https://www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/Bemin-Secondary-College