The Lakes College will celebrate 20 years of education in 2024.
The Lakes College (TLC) first opened in 2004-2005 with an enrolment of 88 students and two classroom blocks. Today, the college enrolment stands at over 1100 students who study on a campus filled with outstanding facilities that enhance academic learning and sporting and cultural programs, surrounded by 15 hectares of green space. As each year has passed, TLC students and staff have been presented with the opportunity to learn and grow in a vibrant, engaging and safe environment.
The Lakes College 20-year anniversary celebration will be a time to reflect on the past and thank the community who have helped to shape TLC’s community. Even more importantly, it will provide an opportunity for the college to refine its approach to teaching and learning. This will be achieved through a formal revision of its Master Plan. The revision of TLC’s Master Plan will be crucial to a cycle of continuous improvement and will allow the college to better meet the needs of future graduates.
In partnership with staff, students, parents and carers, The Lakes College will hold a whole school community consultation that will provide profound insights and inform and assist the college with discerning future learning spaces that are befitting of a growing school, preparing their students to make a rich contribution to the world they are inheriting. The combination of these many perspectives will contribute to providing programs, places and spaces to develop whole, ethical, resilient and capable young people with agency, who are ready to help shape a shared and prosperous future.
Imagining the future
To practice thinking about the future, some of the Year 3 students have already contributed their ideas on what they envision TLC looking like when they graduate in 2032:
– Instead of a playground there will be a gaming arena on the school campus
– TLC will have robots that help with maths and the robots will also deliver our tuck shop orders
– TLC will have a roller coaster, ice cream shop and a huge trampoline
– TLC classrooms will have elevators, mazes and holograms
– The principal will be a high-tech robot
In addition to inspiring ideas from the school community, the college’s motto that will be the foundation for a successful, functional and sustainable revised Master Plan: ‘To your Faith add Knowledge.’ This motto has now been broadened to include ‘Curiosity, Character and Connection’ as these learner attributes are inextricably intertwined to support the growth of a TLC student from their first year of Prep – through to their completion of ATAR in Year 12.
So, what is a Lakes Learner?
Sparking curiosity
A Lakes Learner holds a curious mind that ignites with wonder as they are given opportunities to stretch and extend their learning. They are divergent thinkers who use the inquiry process to hypothesise, identify problems, prototype solutions, test and evaluate outcomes and collaborate with others. A Lakes Learner is a future-focused thinker, with an internal drive that enables them to ideate and create innovative solutions.
Forging character
A Lakes Learner is a person of character who shows resilience and leadership in times of change. They value relationships and community, and through passion and respect, they seek to make the world a better place. A Lakes Learner knows that risk-taking is okay because it enables and encourages innovation. Failure, they know, can shape a person, and lead to lifelong growth. They are motivated, self-directed and self-aware individuals who are unafraid to be vulnerable.
Promoting connection
Inclusivity and acceptance are important values for the Lakes Learner. Through compassion and empathy, they exhibit personal and social capabilities that allow them to build authentic connections within the school community and beyond. Not only are they connected with other people, but also with the environment and the world around them.
Environmental stewardship
A Lakes Learner connects with others to become a responsible steward of the local, regional, and global environments and cultures. They seek to connect with First Nations Peoples, to learn more about ‘truth telling’ and extend their understanding of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities today.
Students at The Lakes College are being educated to take responsibility for themselves, each other, and their environment. In essence, they are encouraged to be good stewards of resources – both natural and human made. There is much to celebrate about The Lakes College and much to look forward to in the next 20 years.
