From the Principal

On Monday 29th April we were very pleased to have the Minister for Education, James Merlino, the federal candidate for McNamara, Josh Burns, and the federal candidate for Scullin, Andrew Giles, commit to providing $100,000 to finish the landscaping at the back of the school, adjacent to the car park. Our school captains took them on a tour of the school and they were very impressed with our student body and the appearance of the college.

Open Day / Night

We were again delighted with our Open Days and Night. The contribution by our students in every single area of the college was outstanding.  It will come as no surprise to you that the feedback from our visitors in regards to our students was glowing. It was a wonderful team effort - our staff, students and parents were passionate and committed in showing the community what a wonderful school we have here at Glen Eira College. 

Our Languages tour the day before allowed parents particularly interested in our Language programs an opportunity to see these classes in action. 

On Open Day we ran three very well attended tours during the day and had a packed PAC in the evening.  Special thanks to Year 7 students Jasmine Terceiro and Rocco Casamento and school captains Sean Kelly and Sierra Danon who spoke so beautifully at the formal presentation. 

Subject areas really were on show with lots of opportunities for our visitors to participate in a wide range of learning activities. Our staff worked incredibly hard to ensure parents were well informed and that there were plenty of activities for the primary students to get involved in.  I am very proud of the vast number of students who participated in the evening, talking to prospective parents and students – fantastic ambassadors each and every one.  Our parents were on hand all over the college to share their experiences with prospective families.

The day before we held our annual ‘Share Our Success’ event, where Year 7 students invited a teacher from their primary school to show them around the college and to share in their success. The Year 7 students presenting spoke eloquently about their experiences at the college. Thank you to our Junior School Leader, Ry Mathieson, and our Year 7 Coordinators, Sue Rio and Daniel Lake, for organising this event.

On Monday 6th May we held our SEAL and Language Immersion information evening. This was also very well attended by prospective families. We had a range of students from different classes represented who were able to provide relevant information to parents and give some insights into life as a SEAL or Immersion student. Thank you to Cedric Chamontin, Head of Languages, and Aaron Petersen, Assistant Principal, for organising the evening.

Thank you to all staff, students and parents for being a part of these events – greatly appreciated.

New Attendance Requirements from the Department of Education & Training

If your child is sick or absent, you are required to notify the school as soon as possible on the day of absence, by calling the student absence line on 9571 4178, calling the college on 9571 7838 or emailing glen.eira.co@edumail.vic.gov.au

Notifying the school of your child’s absence either prior to, or on the day that they will be away, helps ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and will fulfil your legal responsibility.

It is a requirement that all Victorian government schools contact parents/carers as soon as practicable on the same day of an unexplained student absence. If your child is absent on a particular day and you have not contacted the school to explain why, the absence will be marked as unexplained.

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education, they learn new things every day – missing school puts them behind.

The Glen Eira College Attendance Policy which outlines the school’s processes and procedures for monitoring, recording and following-up of student absences is available on the college website: www.gec.vic.edu.au         

Finally

The ANZAC Day Commemorations at Glen Eira College were truly fitting. Thank you to John Tserkezidis and Aaron Petersen for coordinating the assembly. Our two speakers were wonderful. Mr Phillip Spence was deployed in service as a member of the federal police and served in a number of countries around the world. He was a student at our college in the 1970s when it was Caulfield High School. He travelled from Canberra for the day especially to speak to our students. Colonel Jason Cooke also served abroad and at home in the infantry. Both men were able to impart some of their experiences and wisdom to our students on this memorable occasion.

Rehearsals are well underway for this year’s production, The Wizard of Oz.  Over 100 students are involved on stage and back stage / off stage, ensuring there is a role for everyone who wants to take part.  Make sure you save the dates – performances are on the 30th and 31st July and the 1st August 2019.      

Nick Hamer-Smith

Acting Principal