Wow! I can’t believe that Term 2 has been and gone. It has been a joy to become part of this community during the Term and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the students, the staff and the wider community. It is my privilege that I have been asked to continue in the Acting Principal role for Term 3, and I will endeavour to make sure that we continue our work to get the best outcomes for every single student at Tarneit Senior College.

Term 2 has had some great highlights with our staff and students, including the Athletics Day back in my first week (Week 2) of the term. This really showcased our students house pride and their strong collegiality within their houses and as a student body. Our Year 12s explored their futures and careers at the Victorian Careers Show at the Melbourne Showgrounds and came back buzzing with ideas of future endeavours and pathways. I was delighted to see our School Captain, Kiara Huynh, reach the final of the WynSpeak competition. She did herself and the school proud with her speech, outlining a range of issues and barriers through race and culture. The past 2 weeks have seen our Year 10 and 11 students undertake their mid-year exams, and I have been proud to see students studying hard and making the effort to get the best possible results. We are currently finalising results and looking forward to sharing all of their hard work throughout the Semester in our reports, which will be available on Compass.

Annual Report

The College’s Annual Report to the community has now been finalised and approved by the Department of Education. This report showcases the work the College undertook in 2022 and how it progressed against its goals as set out in the School Strategic Plan and the Annual Implementation Plan. I would encourage our parents to follow the link below and read our Annual Report to get an understanding of the work the school does to try and make the environment and outcomes the best they can be for every single student. The Annual Report, School Strategic Plan, and Annual Implementation Plan can all be found at https://www.tarneitsc.vic.edu.au/our-school/documentation-policies

Stage 3 Build

Our building has progressed well in the past month, and as you probably noticed when visiting the school, we now have the completed slab poured and set for our extension to the Chirnside Building. Things are progressing well, and we are now just waiting for steel deliveries to begin the framework for the extension. You may be aware, but there is a wide-reaching commercial steel shortage all around Australia, and it will be a couple of weeks before these get delivered and work can continue. Our technology building is progressing very well, and this week we are finalising the machinery that will be installed to run both woodwork and metalwork classes. This will all be installed as part of the build, meaning when the room opens, it will have everything it needs ready for classes to start. The room also has all of the cabling for its electricity, heating, and dust extraction installed. We might even get some classes in this year, which would be exciting!

Dylan Wight MP Visit

On Thursday 8th June, our College was proud to host a visit from our State Parliament Member, Dylan Wight. He was greeted by our two school captains, Kiara and Flynn, and taken on a tour of our new build sites. He spent time understanding the school’s need to further expand and the growth that our school, like many others in the area, are currently experiencing. The visit culminated in our captains escorting Dylan around the school looking at the various facilities and events that take place during our school day. We also presented a range of future plans to the MP with hopes of financial support. Our biggest plan is being able to put use into our current paddock and provide even more open space for our students to use for exercise and sport.

Formal

Our formal for Year 12 was held on Wednesday, June 21st, at Grand Star Receptions. It was an amazing sight seeing our Year 12s all dressed up and exchanging their school uniforms for suits, tuxedos, gowns, and luxurious evening wear. The students seemed to enjoy themselves immensely, dancing the night away thanks to the DJ. It was pleasing to see the students in a completely different light and to have a chance to see them away from the formal school setting. The students must be commended for their behaviour and the way they represented the College throughout the event.

Term 3

Next term provides us with an array of opportunities to welcome our parents, families, and wider community to the College. The first is our Year 10 into Year 11 Information Evening (for current Year 10 students) on Wednesday, July 26th. This will culminate with Course Counselling for our Year 10 students on Friday, July 28th, where they will have an opportunity with their families to discuss careers and pathways and decide on the VCE program of their choice. A reminder that this is a class-free day for Year 10s, and they will only need to attend their scheduled Course Counselling time with their families.

We also have our Year 10 2024 (current Year 9 students) Information Evening on Wednesday, August 23rd, where we will be welcoming our new cohort of Year 10s for 2024. This will be a mix of new families to our College as well as welcoming siblings for a lot of our current cohort.

Finally, our 3rd main event to connect with our community is the Meet & Connect Days on Thursday, August 31 (2.30pm - 6.30pm) and Friday, September 1 (9.30am - 1.00pm). These are a great opportunity for our students and families to gain valuable feedback as we move into the final part of the academic year and ensure that students have the information they need to finish the year strong and get the best results for themselves.

All of these events are outlined in our Compass system, and if parents are yet to login, we implore you to please begin logging in and accessing all of the valuable information in Compass, such as notices, attendance, permission forms, and staff communications. If you do not know how to login to Compass, please contact the school at 03 9749 0246 or come to our front office, and we will help you.

We wish all of our students, staff, and families a restful break during the holiday period. Enjoy time with your family and friends, rest up, and take care of yourselves.

-Shane Cole-Hayhow

Acting College Principal

Game Changers