Principal's News

It has been another term marked by long lockdowns and periods of remote learning. This was not welcome news as we were all hoping that at the very least, we would have all VCE students back onsite this term to ensure a seamless transition into the revision period for the final VCAA examinations.

Lockdowns certainly take a toll on the health and wellbeing of both students and staff. I am sincerely appreciative of our teaching and support staff for their tremendous work over term 3 as we continue to navigate the Remote Learning space. Our staff have been incredibly resourceful in keeping students engaged in learning and maintaining connections with the school. 

Students have also risen to the challenges and are doing well. Our new and updated ‘Synchro – less’ model for Remote Learning has been implemented after rigorous consultation with both staff and students. The model has proven to be effective in reducing screen time and providing more opportunities for independent study offline.

Our wellbeing team of counsellors as well as Year level coordinators and learning support team have been very busy ensuring that there are regular check ins with students and that students have the support that they need during this difficult time.

I congratulate all students on their active participation in online classes as well as their involvement in a range of virtual term 3 events such as Book Week, Wellness Wednesday and R U OK Day. We have celebrated across Teams and Compass newsfeed. Unfortunately, and disappointingly, major term 3 events have been cancelled or postponed as we navigate the uncertainty of lockdowns and restrictions.

I have been impressed by the resilience and stoicism demonstrated by students and staff; rather than looking at what we have missed out on, they have continued to create opportunities to collaborate, participate and celebrate successes and support our peers and colleagues. 

Parent Teacher Interviews

It was great to have so many families participate in these interviews this term - we set aside 2 days this term to be able to accommodate more parents as well as provide some buffer time for staff and parents to get from one online interview to another, without undue stress or delays. 

Feedback from staff, student and parents has been very positive - it was lovely to have that time to connect with our school community given that these opportunities have been rare in the past 18 months.

Enrolments 2022

Our total enrollments projected for 2022 are 1385, which includes 14 International students. This number will change as we do receive many new enrolment enquiries in Term 4 and this trend continues throughout the following year. We often enrol between 25-30 new students during the course of a year.  We do follow all DET guidelines in relation to enrolment, only enrolling students who reside within the school zone. Siblings can be accommodated at Year 7, if enrolled concurrently with older siblings.

New Family Members

Congratulations to the following staff who have recently welcomed new babies to their families:

Grace De Blasio welcomed her son Gilbert Corben De Blasio, born on the 1st of July, 2021.

     Lisa Pearson welcomed twins Coby May and Hartley Denes.

     Isuru Herath welcomed baby Shachin.

     Quinn Arnold welcomed Caspian James Arnold.

We wish each of them all the best in this exciting new chapter.

Parent Payment Arrangements

All families will receive parent payment arrangement information in Term 4 for 2022.  

We are grateful to all families who support the school by making these contributions each year. It means that we can offer high quality curriculum materials and activities which are not resourced through DET funding. It is worth noting that DET funding covers employee salaries, basic utilities and maintenance of the school. The school does have arrangements in place for those families who are experiencing financial hardship. We also use a large proportion of our international student fees for improvement projects around the school. 

2022 Subject Selection

The process of Subject Selection for 2022 took place early in Term 3. The choices that the students make at this point in their secondary education can have a great influence on their future education. Students consider many factors in making their choices such as career aspirations, aptitude and interest, and tertiary course prerequisites. Thank you to all parents and guardians for providing much needed support through this process.

2022 School Planning

Once our comprehensive subject selection process is completed, the executive team meet to determine class numbers, staffing requirements and timetable construction for the following year. All of these decisions are made within the context of the school budget and the availability of qualified and expert staff. This might mean that some subjects may not run if qualified staff are not available or if the student numbers are low. Students in the senior years also have the option of choosing from a broader range of VET subjects or taking up a second or third choice from the course selection. We make every effort to ensure that students can access as many of their primary course choices as possible.

Thanks to all members of our community

Finally, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to all parents, students, School Council members and other well-wishers as we navigate the challenges of restrictions, lockdowns and remote learning.  We are proud of the efforts of all staff and students and so thankful for the support of our parents and broader community.

The work of all staff and students exemplifies our school motto as “we strive for higher things”. Their perseverance and resilience has been truly inspiring.

We wish you all a well-deserved rest during the term break.