Welcome back to parents and students after the Term 2 vacation. We hope that you enjoyed the winter break and return suitably refreshed and re-energised, ready to embrace the challenges and opportunities of what will be a busy, yet potentially productive and rewarding, Term 3.

I have returned to the College after 18 months Carer’s Leave, and I note with optimism the positive social and academic development of our students, the ongoing commitment and dedication of our talented staff, and the exciting progress of the Building Program. I would also like to thank students and staff for their support and best wishes on my return.

Our collective focus in Term 3 is twofold: on the one hand it signals the beginning of Semester Two, on the other hand, it introduces a range of programs and events centred upon planning for the 2018 School Year.

Therefore, the immediate study focus for students is to set achievable goals for the second half of the year. This should be based on their reading of, and reflection on, their Semester One Report, as well as ongoing conversations with parents and teachers. These first weeks also provide an opportunity to introduce – or consolidate – positive study habits: work consistently and productively in class and at home, develop and follow a realistic homework timetable, prioritise tasks to ensure that classwork is completed on time.

Our planning for next year is an ongoing focus throughout the term. On Wednesday afternoon our Year 10 students attended the Subject Expo, an event where students could visit interactive display stalls and discuss subject choices and programs with teachers. From 5:30 to 6:30 the subject expo stalls were opened to parents. The Subject Expo culminated in a series of Information Sessions targeted at particular year levels: the transition from Year 8 into Year 9, from Year 9 into Year 10, and from Year 10 into the VCE, VCAL and VET Programs and Pathways. Our College Staff were impressed and buoyed by the excellent turnout and the infectious buzz among parents and students who, in large numbers, attended their respective Information Sessions and then returned to the Subject Expo to ask supplementary questions. The Expo event has been devised to further engage students and parents in the subject and program selection process, to inform their decision-making and, via these conversations, to strength family partnerships with the school. We applaud parents and their students for their commitment to schooling.

Coinciding with the Expo is the staged process of subject selection across Years 8-11. Please be advised that students in Years 8-9 will receive a Preference Sheet early next week. For Year 10, the Online Subject Selection Platform has already opened and students should have received their paper work. If this is not the case, then parents and/or students should contact Sharyn Niclasen, the Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Leader. The Year 10 Student Counselling Program will occur on Monday, July 31. For Year 11 students, the Online Subject Selection Platform is also open. They have received the appropriate paperwork and have attended counselling. These processes contain important deliberations and decisions for students and parents. If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact a Subschool Leader or the College, on 9433-2666.

Yesterday morning, our Year 9 cohort provided a well-behaved and attentive audience for the annual Speak Up (Year 9 Speaking) Competition. This year nine speakers entertained and stretched our thinking over a variety of challenging topics. Grace Teagle was awarded first prize for her speech on “Social Expectations”; Jeremiah Semaan was runner-up with the topical “Children under the age of 13 should not have a mobile device”. Equal third were Callum Downes and Prawal Kafle. The Competition was also supported by a guest appearance from Amy Bahoric of Year 12, whose topic of interest was “Should We Tax Sugar?” Well done to all the competitors.

As can been seen from the above, parents, students and teachers are forming productive partnerships to support effective schooling. Keep up the good work.

Finally, we are in the second week of the new Relocation Process which is part of the new Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour. As in our previous process (Silent Room), students will be given a series of warnings prior to being withdrawn from their class. They will then report to B4 and be relocated to another class.

If students has been relocated, they must attend a 20 minute classroom detention and have a restorative conversation with their teacher. This is an important part of the process as it provides both the teacher and the student an opportunity to discuss strategies that will ensure better classroom behaviour. As with the previous process (Silent Room), students who have been relocated a number of times will receive further consequences.

Mr Graeme Scott

Assistant Principal