Principal's Report

Welcome Back to Term 3

Dear Truganina College Families,

I hope every family enjoyed a restful and rejuvenating term break and had the opportunity to spend some quality time together.

As I reflect on the first semester, I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together.  There is something very special about belonging to a school community that celebrates diversity, values inclusion and shares a collective commitment and high expectations that ensures every child in our College can learn, belong and thrive.

I hope you have had the opportunity to read through your child's Semester One Report Card. Every child has something to celebrate, and every report tells an important story about every child’s learning journey. While there will be an opportunity to formally meet with your child's teacher during Parent-Teacher Interviews later this term, we encourage families not to wait if they have questions or concerns regarding their child's learning or wellbeing. Our staff are always happy to arrange a mutually convenient time to meet because we know that the strongest outcomes for students are achieved when schools and families work together in partnership.

One of the highlights early this term will be our NAIDOC Week celebrations. We are proud to officially launch our Truganina College Reconciliation Action Plan and unveil the beautiful murals created by our First Nations students in partnership with Indigenous artist Alex Kerr. These important milestones reflect our ongoing commitment to reconciliation and ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and perspectives are embedded within the life of our College. We warmly invite all families to join us for this special occasion.

As we begin Term 3, we are also excited to welcome back the Stand Up Project. Following specialised training, our Year 9 Stand Up Champions will deliver lessons to our Year 5 and 6 students, leading important conversations about standing up to bullying, racism and unkind behaviour. We know these messages are particularly powerful when they come from student leaders who model empathy, courage and inclusion.

We are also delighted to welcome Dr Tebeje Molla from Deakin University to our College this term. Dr Molla is a highly respected researcher in educational equity, inclusion and racial justice. During his visit he will spend time with our Anti-Racism Working Party, sharing his expertise and supporting our ongoing commitment to building a College where every student feels safe, respected and valued. Accompanying this visit will also be the Senior Project Manager from the Victorian African Communities Action PLan Ms Ladan Ahmed. It is exciting for our students to have some guest visitors and speakers to support our important work in this area and to strengthen our work around belonging and inclusion.

Another date to mark in your calendar is our Fia Fia Night. This promises to be a wonderful celebration of our Pasifika community as we officially launch the ie lava lava and ie faitaga as new optional uniform items for our Pasifika students. This initiative, developed through our student-led "Say NO! To Racism" Working Party, is much more than a new uniform option. It is a symbol of cultural pride, belonging and inclusion, and reflects our commitment to strengthening partnerships with the many communities that make Truganina College such a rich and vibrant place to learn.

Throughout the term we look forward to sharing the many learning experiences, achievements and celebrations taking place across the College. From classroom learning and student leadership to sporting success, camps, excursions and community events, there will be many opportunities to celebrate our students. We are particularly proud that several of our sporting teams continue to achieve success at regional and state level, demonstrating not only talent but also teamwork, resilience and determination.

I look forward to another exciting term of learning, growth and celebration with our students, staff and families.

Warm regards,

Amanda Williams

College Principal