Principal Team Report

 Principal Team Report 

Dear Parents and Carers

As we end Term Two, 2026, I would like to thank you for your continued support of our school. We know that we live in complex times and navigating the world of education and the competing forces that impact on our young people is not easy. I also know that as a school, we do not always get it right, that we are not always timely and that on many occasions we can’t solve the issues that impact our students.  However, I hold to be true, without reservation, that we try. I feel so fortunate, that overwhelmingly staff work beyond the hours of work to provide the educational opportunities that we want and expect. We genuinely care about helping and always want to find a solution, and respectful communication makes that much easier for everyone involved.

Our End of Semester Reports will be ready to download on the 26th of June. We ask that you do take time to download this document and discuss it with your student:

• Have Learning Behaviours improved from Term One?

• Has Attendance improved, remained constant, or declined?

• Have all assessment tasks and learning activities been submitted.

• Do they feel they have made progress this semester? Why? Why Not?

Our Learning and Wellbeing Conferences will be on site again in August and we will try to have time slots for remote as well. We will keep you informed.

The start of Term Three is going to be huge. Not only do have our College Production, ‘School of Rock’ but we have our four-year Strategic Plan Review. This involves a panel established by an independent Reviewer, whose task is to measure us against our Strategic Goals, analyse the supporting data and navigate with support of focus groups, observations; and discussions about our goals and actions for the next four years.  Our Strategic Plan and Annual Implementation Plan can both be found on the College website.

Our College Council met on June 17, and I would like to share some of the outcomes. School Council unanimously supported our current Student Dress Code. This means that students can wear PE uniform only on the days they have PE or Sport. Academic uniform is expected otherwise. This does not include black hoodies; black or blue tracksuit pants and any outer layers not are not part of dress attire. Given that we have limited students undertaking VCE PE, Senior School should be in academic uniform for the rest of time. Grey trousers or College shorts, dresses, skirts or tailored blue or grey pants. We have numerous combinations to keep students warm during Winter. We also have heated spaces for every student during recess and lunch, if they choose to use them. Please check our website for the full-dress code. Council has taken the step to support a local policy focused on student health and wellbeing. 

Over recent years we have all noticed an explosion in the consumption of energy drinks with high caffeine and or sugar content. We have, as a school, observed with alarm, the number of students consuming these drinks every day and more than one. They are replacing breakfast and often lunch with such drinks, and they are not being sold at the canteen, they are bringing them from home or purchasing them on the way to school. There is profound evidence from abroad and within Australia on what these drinks are doing to our children: accelerated heart rates, dysregulated behaviours, dependence, and poor nutrition. These drinks from the start of Term 3 will be prohibited items. Students will only be allowed to bring water to class. Energy drinks will be confiscated if unopened for students to collect at the end of the day. If open, they will be requested to bin them. We value broader community feedback and please contact the College if you have any thoughts to share.

To our students who have represented the College through Leadership, Sport, Music, the Monash Tech School, Excursions, Work Experience and Community Projects and Events, we value and appreciate your contribution to our school. To every student who has done their best to learn and make progress, we are enormously proud of you.

I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome David Gill to an Acting Assistant Principal Role while Jeremy Wood takes some leave.

We hope that all staff, students and families do have some time for a restful break.

 That is it from the Wheelers Leadership team and we will welcome all students back on Monday, July 13.

Fern Brisbane 

Principal