60th Anniversary Celebrations

This is the 60th year that Lalor Secondary College has been open, and we intend to celebrate with a number of events throughout the year. For those parents and community members interested in joining a planning committee to assist in coordinating the celebrations please send me an email via corey.jewell@education.vic.gov.au

I will be arranging a planning meeting in the coming weeks with students, staff, parents and community members. I look forward to celebrating another wonderful year at our college.

Year 7 Parent / Teacher Conferences with Meet the Teacher

We again welcomed our families into the college on Monday the 20th of February for the ‘Meet the Teacher’ / Parent Teacher conferences evening. It was a wonderful turn out with many families taking the opportunity to meet the teachers of their children both formally and informally at the arranged BBQ. This included sharing the personal circumstances of the family as well as outlining the curriculum content being taught in Semester 1 as well as what would be assessed and when for each individual subject. A big thank you to all of the Lalor Secondary staff who were able to attend and make it a wonderful community event, as well as around 50% of our new 7 families who attended.

School Council Elections

The school received 8 parent nominations for school council which means an election is taking place to select who the 5 successful parent representatives will be. I encourage all parents to take part in the election process by returning their ballot. The election closes next week on Wednesday the 27th of February with the successful nominees announced in the following newsletter.

I would like to say thank you to the outgoing school council members, who have served for a variety of terms. The work that has been achieved, especially over our lockdown years has left the school in a terrific position and one in which the whole school community can be proud of. A huge thank you to Julie Pronesti the outgoing School Council President. Julie has been on a school council for around 10 years and her contributions to this school is greatly appreciated.

The two DET representatives for school council are Julie Ryan and Josh Simpson who are experienced school council representatives with a wealth of knowledge that the council is lucky to have access to. I thank them for their ongoing commitment to the college and the council and again look forward to working with them over the next two years.

The student representative process continues this week with an election required. The successful candidate will be announced in the coming week. Again, I encourage all students to cast a ballot in this election.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN testing for Year 7 and 9 students will commence on Wednesday the 15th of March. I have placed more information about the NAPLAN process in this newsletter on a separate page and encourage all Year 7 and 9 parents to read it. The NAPLAN is snapshot of where students are in their learning at a particular stage of their development. The results assist the school in discussions around targeted assistance for some students and analysis of our literacy and numeracy programs. We understand that this is only one type of data. However, it adds to the other data we collect to increase the information available to assess our programs. I encourage all parents to contact me if you have any concerns with this program.

Discovery Evening

The schools open day known as ‘Discovery Evening’ will run on Tuesday the 14th of March. The event will run from 5pm to 8pm and will showcase the schools' extra-curricular programs, student culture, as well as the Teaching and Learning priorities outlined in our new strategic plan. Please encourage any prospective families that are currently looking for a great secondary college to attend. All are welcome.

Year 7 Camp

The Year 7 camp will run this Wednesday the 1st of March. The students who are attending will be involved in many activities including the high ropes and other various team building activities. The Year 7 students who are not attending will be required to attend school with an alternate program running over the week. I look forward to seeing all of the students when I attend the camp on Friday the 3rd of March.

Student Free Days

This week we will have our first Curriculum Day of the year on Tuesday the 28th of March. This is a student free day, and no care is provided for students on site. The next student free day is the Labour Day public holiday scheduled for Monday the 13th of March.

International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day is scheduled for Wednesday the 8th of March with the theme of #EmbraceEquity.

Equity isn't just a nice-to-have, it's a must-have. A focus on gender equity needs to be part of every society's DNA. And it's critical to understand the difference between equity and equality. IWD 2023's campaign theme gets the world talking about why equal opportunities aren't enough.

So, give equity a huge embrace.

We can all truly embrace equity. It's not just something we say. It's not just something we write about. It's something we need to think about, know, and embrace. It's what we believe in, unconditionally. Equity means creating an inclusive world.

And we can all play a part.

Each one of us can actively support and embrace equity within our own sphere of influence. We can all challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to bias, and seek out inclusion. Collective activism is what drives change. From grassroots action to wide-scale momentum, we can all embrace equity. Forging gender equity isn't limited to women solely fighting the good fight. Allies are incredibly important for the social, economic, cultural, and political advancement of women.

Being included, and a sense of belonging, feels right.

When we embrace equity, we embrace diversity, and we embrace inclusion. We embrace equity to forge harmony and unity, and to help drive success for all. Equality is the goal, and equity is the means to get there. Through the process of equity, we can reach equality.

Don't just say it. Think it. Be it. Do it. Value it. Truly embrace it. Embrace equity in all its forms.

To find out more about this important event and the associated actions please visit - https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

If you have any queries or questions that you would like answered about the school or the information listed above, then please contact me at your earliest convenience on 9463 7300.

Best regards,

Corey Jewell

College Principal

Science