From the Principal

Menzies Foundation School Leader Scholarship

I am pleased and honoured to announce that in 2021 I was awarded the Menzies School Leader Fellowship.  My scholarship was the Collier School Leader Fellowship for women in government schools.  The Menzies School Leader Fellowship Program is a two-year, leadership development program that seeks to harness cross-sector expertise to improve schools.  I am part of a team of six principals across government, independent and catholic schools, sharing knowledge and practices on leading schools through increasingly challenging and complex situations.  In particular, the focus of the Menzies project will be on building collective efficacy with our teachers and staff and promoting a culture conducive to learning and development.  I am very excited to be leading this work in our school as it will build on our school’s focus on teamwork, collaboration and collective efficacy.  I will keep the school community updated on the progress of the Menzies project, which aims to improve outcomes for our students.

Swimming Carnival and Year 12 Camp

I was so pleased that we were able to run our Year 12 Study Camp and hold our annual school swimming carnival over the past two weeks.  The Year 12 camp was held at Phillip Island and the weather was perfect for the three days.  Students and staff had an amazing time and really enjoyed the venue.  Our Year 12 students had not attended a camp in two years due to the pandemic lockdowns and were so grateful for this opportunity.

The swimming sports were held at Prahran Aquatic Centre, where staff and students dressed in their House colours, with great student participation in the events.  The House spirit was very strong, and the House Captains did a marvellous job in assisting with the running of the day.  It was a lovely atmosphere, with all swimmers who took part in the events, including novelty events, collecting points for their House.  A big thank you to Angelina Wong and staff who organised the Year 12 camp and to Ashley Lanfranchi - Sports Coordinator, Ella Price – Leading Teacher Student Engagement, and all staff for their time in assisting with these events.

Peer support

Our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders are doing a great job with the Peer Support sessions, showing initiative and leadership with the Year 7s.  The Peer Support program runs during Term 1 with a focus on developing a sense of community and connection with older students and our school.  The Year 10 students are learning and growing through this program and modelling our school DARE values.  The Year 7 students are enjoying having a buddy and interacting with older students in a fun and inclusive manner.  Thank you to our Year 10 Peer Support leaders and to Jesse Weymouth, our Transition Coordinator, for organising the program.

Exhibition of student work

Congratulations to Bella Loke of Year 12 for exhibiting her photographic work at Honey Bones Gallery in Brunswick last week.  Bella is a photographer and creative director.  She runs a successful business servicing the creative industry outside school hours, specialising in fashion photography, sports-inspired photography and creative concepts.  Her exhibition is the culmination of a personal project, “1 in 11”, which unpacks the concept of the importance of being an ‘Individual in a Community’.  Pre-event activities have raised $2500 for HeadSpace, a national youth mental health foundation.  All proceeds from the ticket sales of Bella’s “1 in 11” event will be donated to HeadSpace.  Donations are still open.  To donate, please go to https://linktr.ee/1_in_11  Congratulations Bella, I am confident you will have a stellar career ahead of you in the creative industry.