Principal's Report

Term 4 is always an incredibly busy time at Epping Secondary College and, as we move through the second half of the term, there has already been plenty to celebrate across our College community. 

One of the most significant moments of the term has been farewelling our Year 12 students as they completed their formal classes at Epping Secondary College. Our Year 12 Celebration Day was a fantastic morning, with student-led awards and videos, an assembly and the traditional parade providing an opportunity for students and staff to celebrate their time together at the College. Our VCE students are now well into their final examinations, while our Vocational Major students have also completed their senior program. We wish all of our graduating students every success as they complete this final stage of their secondary education and prepare for the pathways ahead. 

Our Year 10 students also celebrated an important milestone with their Formal at Grand Neret Receptions. It was a wonderful evening and a great opportunity for students and staff to come together and celebrate the friendships and experiences that have been an important part of their secondary schooling. 

Across other year levels, students have continued to participate in a wide range of learning experiences beyond the classroom. Year 8 students stepped back in time for a very successful Medieval Day, while Year 7 Italian students have participated in cultural experiences at Casa D'Abruzzo. Year 9 students have continued their Full STEAM Ahead program with a final workshop at Whittlesea Tech School, and students in Years 9 and 10 participated in the intergenerational Beyond Age program with the Macedonian Women's Senior Club in Lalor. 

Our Korri Crew also visited the Ngarara Willim Centre to explore future study pathways, while other activities have included the Year 9 City Experience, VET Beauty students working with clients in our salon, Vocational Major community programs, futsal competitions and our SRC end-of-year excursion to ArtVo. 

It has also been pleasing to see our continued focus on recognising the positive contributions students make each day. Already this term, staff have recorded almost 1,900 positive recognition chronicles acknowledging students who are demonstrating our College expectations and values. These small acknowledgements are an important part of building a positive school culture and ensuring students know when they are making good choices and contributing positively to our community.

We also celebrated World Teachers Day as an opportunity to thank our teachers for all the work that they do to support our students in the classroom and extracurricular opportunities. Thank you to all the students and parents who acknowledged and thanked teachers through the positive recognition form.

This week, our College also marked Remembrance Day. Our student leaders played an important role in the commemorations, supported by staff who organised speeches, photography and a display and activities in our Library. It is important that our students have opportunities to understand the significance of occasions such as this and to reflect on the service and sacrifice of others.

Of course, one of the biggest events on our calendar is now very close. On Sunday 22 November, Epping Secondary College will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. This will be a wonderful opportunity to welcome current and former students, staff and families back to the College and celebrate 50 years of education in the Epping community. Considerable work has been taking place behind the scenes, including the preparation of historical photographs and displays that will help tell the story of the College from 1976 through to today. I am very much looking forward to seeing many members of our current and past College community at this special event. 

The remainder of Term 4 will continue to be busy. Year 11 examinations are now underway, followed shortly by Year 10 examinations and our Early Commencement Programs, which allow students to begin their 2027 learning programs. We also look forward to our Year 12 Valedictory, Art and Technology Exhibition, Grade 6 Orientation and Awards Night before the school year concludes. 

As always, I would like to thank our students for the enthusiasm they bring to college life, our staff for the enormous amount of work that goes into providing these opportunities, and our families for their ongoing support of Epping Secondary College.