LEADERSHIP TEAM

From the Principal

Dear families,

As we head towards the end of the year, I'd like to share a few updates and reminders with you.

First, thank you.  Between the recent water supply interruptions in Red Cliffs and today's Microsoft outage, we have asked a lot of our families and students lately.  Changes like these are never convenient, and your patience and flexibility have made a real difference.  We appreciate it.

Our VCE exams are almost finished for another year.  Our students have handled the pressure well, even with a few IT interruptions along the way, and I'm pleased to say no students were disadvantaged as a result.  Staff have worked closely with our senior students through exam preparation programs, revision sessions and individual support, while keeping a close eye on their wellbeing.  A number of students have already received early offers for further study, which is wonderful news.  We are proud of them all.

We were excited to recently announce our 2027 School Captains, Matilda Wilson and Lilly Saunders, along with our School Ambassadors.  These students play an important role in the leadership of our school, and you'll see plenty of them over the rest of this year and next.

Planning for 2027 is well underway.  We have secured a Mental Health Practitioner and a Science teacher, and are finalising our Education Support and Health and PE positions.  Interest in working at our school has been strong, which is great to see.  Our staff leadership roles for next year are also confirmed, and we will introduce these staff to you in coming weeks.  These roles are for two years, giving our students and families continuity and stability.

The 2027 timetable is taking shape as we finalise electives and our VCE and VCE VM programs.  As part of this, we have been working on a clear outline of the VCE subjects we can offer, so that families know our strengths as well as the limits that come with a school of our size.  We have also mapped out our staff professional learning for next year, and will let you know the student-free days early so you can plan ahead.

A few reminders as the term winds down:

• Uniform:  Please make sure your child is in full school uniform each day, right through to the end of term.  Wearing it shows pride in our school and helps us keep students safe, as we can easily tell who belongs on site.
• Walking to and from school:  Please talk with your child about using footpaths and designated crossings on the way to and from school, and about staying aware of traffic.
• Pick up and drop off:  Please use Fitzroy Avenue when dropping off and collecting students.  This keeps traffic predictable around the school and our students safe.

I look forward to celebrating our students' achievements with you at our upcoming swards night.  It has been a busy but fulfilling first year for me at Red Cliffs Secondary College, and I thank you for the welcome and support you have shown throughout the year.

Ben Nicholson

Principal