Principal's Reflection

Spring has sprung!

As we work towards the end of term 4, it is exciting to see our community coming out of the winter hibernation. So many of our students have shared their stories of success and disappointment as local sports head into finals season. Although we always welcome the longer days and warmer weather, this year we have had a much different experience. Wild winds, unseasonably warm weather and rain have added significant workload around the school. To keep our environment safe and orderly we have:

1. Upgraded and repaired roof anchor systems to improve access and safety for maintenance teams
2. Fixed roof plumbing and drainage to avoid water damage
3. Covered lockers to protect them from the weather
4. Serviced heating and cooling systems to ensure filters are optimal heading into spring
5. Serviced and inspected fire and emergency service systems
6. Arborists have inspected and pruned and trees of concern
7. Topped up mulch in playgrounds
8. Started installing our Gaga Pit (thankyou Mr Villani and our hardworking Vocational Major students)
9. Approved construction of a new bike shelter (thankyou School Council)

In classrooms, we have also celebrated NAIDOC week, Book week, Maths, Science, English and Humanities weeks! With so much celebration there are too many events to mention, but highlights have included the Book Week parade, our Deadly Doors competition and an abundance of trivia and activities across the school for the various faculty weeks that have been celebrated.

In the secondary school, careers events have been a major focus and our new elective program for Year 9 students has brought our year 8 cohort to life! Thankyou to Mr McGee who has worked tirelessly to prepare course information sessions, resources and 1:1 planning sessions with students.

On a personal note, I had the pleasure of attending the recent snow trip to Mt Buller. Although Victoria has experienced one of the shortest snow seasons in 40 years, our students still had an incredible time. I have also enjoyed helping with bus trips to primary swimming, some lunchtime down ball and even a running race with Ms Byers class (I couldn’t keep up with most of our students!).

I have also continued to represent our college as a member of the Hobsons Bay Network Executive, ensuring we remain abreast of the latest improvement initiatives across the state. We also hosted the entire principal network for professional learning at our College.

In the coming weeks, we will increase focus on workforce planning for 2025, ensuring we are fully staffed. If you know some great teachers that want to join our team, please encourage them to contact me for further discussion. Finally, our school review will kick off very early next term, enabling the development of new strategic plan! We can’t wait to reflect, celebrate and then plan for more improvement. The job is never done!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday break and look forward to an exciting term 4 which is fast approaching.

Warmest regards,

Nathan Guthridge

Principal