My name is Victor Zhang, I run 1.5 hour support classes for EAL students here at Cheltenham Secondary College Currently. My classes are usually structured around the students’ needs, with a focus on graded tasks and assignments which contribute to the students’ overall study score and ATAR. My teaching method is based around clarity and efficiency—to boost students’ grades by helping them understand exactly what they need to do, and how to achieve it. Although I believe it is important for EAL classes to be taught in English, I will often switch to Chinese in order to clarify certain details. This is particularly useful for weaker students, who struggle to understand the English content in their daily school classes.  I know how frustrating it is to be a newly-arrived international student, to sit in a classroom surrounded by local students, and to try and pay attention in a class you can’t really understand. My goal is to bridge the gap—to help non-English speaking students comprehend their English-speaking teachers, keep up with their more fluent classmates, and stay on top of their EAL studies.
— Victor Zhang - Tutor

Hi everyone!  My name is Silvia Fan and currently I am an international student counsellor at Cheltenham Secondary College. I’d still remember 7 years ago when I first came to Australia for my Master of Counselling at Monash University, I was absolutely terrified because it was a brand new environment and I had never gone abroad before! However, with a determination and the right guidance plus a bit of luck, I was lucky enough to land my counselling role with the amazing International Student Department at Cheltenham Secondary College teamed with Mrs. Lily Lawton since 2018. Here at Cheltenham I met so many interesting and memorable international students from all corners of the world and I loved every single interaction with each student I worked with. Each one had so many stories to tell and they were amazing in their own rights. With that said, they all had their struggles at first integrating in a brand new academic and social environment. To some, they were eager to tackle these hurdles head-on and to others, they just needed a little help and guidance along the way; and it is my job to make sure all international students feel as much inclusive and welcoming as possible. I’d also love to show the amazing sides of living in Melbourne to all the new-comers so that students can achieve study-life balance while living up to their full potential. 
— Silvia Fan - International Student Counsellor