SCHOOL LEADERSHIP MESSAGE

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

School Review and Annual Implementation Plan

Every four years our school has the opportunity through a School Review to gather feedback and reflect on current achievements and plan its future direction. Our School Review will take place on Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 September. The purpose of the Review is to provide an important opportunity for the whole school community to reflect on our school’s performance, identify our strengths, areas for improvement, and establish clear priorities for our next phase of school improvement.

I strongly value the knowledge, experience and perspective that our School Council, parents, students and staff bring to this work. Your input helps ensure that our priorities reflect not only the educational needs of our students, but also the aspirations and experiences of our broader school community.

A key opportunity for this voice will be the Parent and School Council Focus Group at 2:45 pm on Monday 7 September. I greatly value your involvement and encourage Council members to contribute openly to the discussion and to help represent the perspectives of our parents, carers and wider community.

Parent and Carer Voice

It is important that parents and carers have a direct voice in our school improvement journey through the ORIMA Parent/Carer Survey, which closes on Friday 18 September. As of Tuesday 1 September, we have received 50 responses, from our parent/carer community and I sincerely thank all the parents who have taken the time to complete the survey so far.

I encourage all parents and carers to participate. A strong response rate will provide us with a more representative understanding of our community’s views and will help inform our planning and priorities moving forward.

Student, Family and Community Safety

Our school is now classified as a BARR Category 4 area for catastrophic fire day procedures. This classification has implications for our planning and response arrangements, and we will continue to ensure that our students, staff and families understand the procedures that apply to our school. Further communication will occur as required as we embed these arrangements. But essentially it means that to ensure the safety of students and staff, on catastrophic fire days, our school will close and parents will need to make alternative arrangements for their children.

Raising Aspirations and Year 12 Completion

This time of the year is a stressful and anxious time for many of our Year 12 students as they complete their final year of secondary school. It is a significant transition, and I am very proud of the way they are being supported by their families and teachers.

One of my key priorities as educator is to raise the aspirations of our whole community around the completion of Year 12 and the pathway opportunities that this creates for young people.

We recognise that some students do not immediately see the value of completing Year 12. For some young people, the immediate opportunity to earn money, contribute to their family or achieve greater stability can feel more important and relevant than completing secondary education.

Our challenge is not to dismiss these very real circumstances, but to help students understand that completing their secondary education can provide greater security, stronger employment and further education opportunities, broader pathway choices and better long-term life outcomes. Research and data consistently demonstrate the value of educational attainment in shaping future opportunities.

Our focus, therefore, will be on building a culture in which every student can see a meaningful future for themselves and understands that Year 12 completion is not simply an endpoint—it is a pathway to more choices.

This will require a shared commitment from students, families, staff, School Council and our broader community. Raising aspirations is not about expecting every young person to follow the same pathway; it is about ensuring every student has the knowledge, confidence and support to make informed choices about their future.

I look forward to working with School Council, students, staff and the whole community as we advocate these aspirations and continue to improve outcomes and opportunities for every student at Korumburra Secondary College.

Warm regards,

Emmanuel Skoutas

Principal