Assistant Principals' Reports 

DREW KING

Assistant Principal | Junior School

Term 2 was another busy time in the Junior School at Dromana College. Our year 7 cohort started with a trip to the Melbourne Zoo as part of their science studies in the world of biology. Students were required to research an animal of their choice, finding out information on the type of environment, ecosystem, classification and human impacts on the species. It was a great day for everyone involved. Our year 7 sporting teams were packed with enthusiastic students heading out to play football, soccer, netball and badminton.  All teams showed great skill and persistence and we congratulate those teams who have made it through to the next stage. 

Year 8 was also full steam ahead.  It began with a visit from the Police Protective Unit, which helped make the students aware of their rights and responsibilities as members of the wider community. This message was supported through the Pastoral program as the students discussed how they could contribute to their school environment. One of the initiatives that came from the discussion was a whole school clean-up, where Year 8 students helped pick up rubbish across the school. It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm with which the students went about their task. In the second half of the term, focus shifted to picking subjects for 2024. The students were very excited about having so much agency in their education, and the positive and mature conversations facilitated by the process have been very rewarding. The coordinating teams continued to reward forms and individual students for high achievement in Progress Report effort, in order to increase recognition for students who embody the school values. 

The year nine focus for term two has been all about careers and future pathways. The students participated in their year nine careers day, which included talks from people in different industries and conversations about their subject selection for year 10. The students also participated in an incursion from Monash Multiverse, where the Access Monash team introduced the students to the expectations of university pathways. Our year 9 students have also now returned from the Gnurad-Gundidj Campus – School for Leadership, who were provided with many challenges and experiences.

Wishing everyone a wonderful and safe winter break.     

SIMON JONES 

Assistant Principal | Senior School 

As we inch closer to the end of term it is time to reflect on a very busy and productive term, albeit a relatively short one. Our senior students have completed mid-year practice exams and are to be commended on their application and effort. These exams provide valuable and authentic experience for the final year 12 VCE exams and incremental improvements will help students to do their best when these exams arrive. We have also completed the VCAA GAT on the 15th June which involved all year 12 students and about 150 year 11’s who are studying a year 12 subject. The exams overall were a massive logistical exercise and the senior team did an amazing job to ensure that the exams were conducted in optimal conditions, ensuring that students were able to do their personal best. 

Students have also been completing the annual Attitudes to School Survey which is an important facet of student voice and provides us as a school with valuable student feed back in terms of what we are doing well and areas in which we can improve. 

We are also moving into course selection for 2023 and students have undergone thorough preparation ready for their counselling interviews. The recent information evenings in relation to this for current year 9 and 10 students and families were well supported so thanks to all those who attended. These presentations can be found on Compass if required and parents can contact pathways or student managers if they require any further information.

On a lighter note and reflecting upon the term that nearly was, the two year 11 Presentation Balls were definite highlights. They are always great community events were thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance. Our year 10’s have had an interesting and varied end to the term with visits to the Holocaust Centre complementing their English studies of Night and in the last week of term will either be undertaking work experience or going on the Central Australia trip. 

I wish all students a safe and enjoyable Winter break and hope to see everyone back in term 3 refreshed and recharged. Stay warm!

STEPHANIE PEARCE

Assistant Principal | Teaching and Learning

As part of year 9 Journalism students interviewed Miss Pearce about her role as an Assistant Principal, please find their article below. 

Stephanie Pearce is one of our youngest leaders and the only female Assistant Principal in the school. In our interview on May 22nd, we asked her about her experiences at Dromana College as an Assistant Principal.

Ms Pearce became an Assistant Principal at Dromana College in 2019. She didn’t expect to spend her first two years in the job in remote learning, but that was what happened.  It was a big challenge but an interesting learning experience.

A past Dromana College student, Ms Pearce graduated in 2008 and went on to Monash University to study teaching.  Teaching has always been her passion, and originally she wanted to stay a classroom teacher.  She thought being an Assistant Principal was too far from the classroom.  This changed, however, and Ms Pearce became a school leader much more quickly than she had expected.

She became an Assistant Principal when an opportunity became available.  She was working as the Head of Curriculum and the Assistant Principal she reported to took leave to work at another school.  This created an opening, and after considering it, she applied for the position, at the time thinking it would only be for Term 3.  When the previous Assistant Principal decided to stay and continue his work at the other school, the position at Dromana College became available ongoing.  As the experience working as Assistant Principal for Term 3 was so enjoyable and challenging, she made the decision to re-apply for the position and was appointed. Though it was never a part of her original plan, a great opportunity presented itself and she couldn’t let it pass her by! 

In her role as Assistant Principal Ms Pearce has had highlights and challenges.  One of her biggest achievements was taking part in a Nationwide Leadership Course. As part of this course she developed a project investigating what could be done to keep students engaged in language subjects for longer and to encourage language retention.

On an average day, Ms Pearce spends time looking after both the school curriculum and running meetings, as well as responding to concerns from teachers, students and parents.  Her favorite part of the job is speaking with the students at school and being part of their journey through Year 7 to Year 12.  She also likes to be involved with important school events, such as the Debutante Ball that was held recently.

Ms Pearce is happy in her position as Assistant Principal and is glad she took the opportunity to do something new.  She is currently working on and enjoying working with the team to create a strategic plan for the next four years for the school that will allow the school to progress further.  She is excited for more leadership courses and will look for more opportunities in the future.  In particular, she would like to see even greater improvement in literacy and numeracy data, and more connections established with the community. 

Ms Pearce believes that the students are Dromana College’s greatest assets.  She considers the culture of the school to be a very strong and positive one, with everyone having the space to talk about and explore their own interests, so it’s a great institution to be part of.

Mia and Ava.

MATTHEW MCLAREN

Assistant Principal | Wellbeing and Transition

As part of year 9 Journalism students interviewed Mr McLaren about his role as an Assistant Principal, please find their article below. 

A Discussion with Matthew McLaren

Recently we talked to Mr McLaren, our newest Assistant Principal and English and Pastoral teacher. He gave us insight into what he does in his job and for Dromana Secondary College.  This is what we discovered.

Why did you become an Assistant Principal?

I think every student has a right to a quality education, and that schools should support that through quality teaching, learning opportunities in the classroom, and proactive support of students.  My aim in my role is to support every student to complete Year 12 at the school, or to help them have a successful early exit.  Being able to encourage and support this is a key reason why I wanted to be an Assistant Principal.

What responsibilities do you have as an Assistant Principal across the school?

Across the school I have a number of responsibilities.  I lead groups and work with others to help promote student wellbeing.  On an individual level, I might be involved in conversations about supporting students, or working with Careers and Pathways to find options for students.  We all have events in life that can be challenging for us at various points, and I work to help people deal with those challenges.  My job also involves contributing more broadly to school operations around proactive and positive psychology.

I am still a classroom and pastoral teacher.  I think it is really important to lead by example, to teach students and work with students.  I also work with the staff, helping them out in meetings and running professional development sessions throughout the year to build skills.

What do you love about Dromana College?

I am really proud of the culture of high achievement in the school, and the opportunities for students to find what they enjoy and work out where they want to go.  The fact that we live by our school values is really positive. I think the school values set up every single person here, whether they are staff or students, to make good decisions every day.

What is the best part of your job?

It is helping people achieve their goals.  Whether that is a student we are working with who has classroom goals for their work, or bigger goals about university courses or apprenticeships, it is a really worthwhile experience.  Working with staff to help them achieve their goals in the classroom or in further learning is also really rewarding.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

The most challenging part of the wellbeing job is that people sometimes have really unfortunate events in their life and they need help to deal with these challenges.  It’s amazing to be able to support people in these situations, but sometimes the circumstances they find themselves in are really tough.  We aim to connect with people on that human level, and provide empathy for what they are going through.

What do you want to see happen over the next few years?

We are currently in the process of completing a review of the school, which happens every four years. Then we design a strategic plan for the next four years, based on that review and on our school goals.  The AIP, the Annual Implementation Plan, is worked out from that strategic plan.  This plan is going to guide those big decisions we make over the next few years to make our school even better.

Mitchell Weir and Callum Greenan