All the best Year 12, forthcoming building works on site 

Our class of 2025 have today celebrated their last day of school ever! We have an enviable reputation for finishing Year 12 with great positivity, enthusiasm and good spirits. With plenty of experience elsewhere where it hasn't gone well at times, I was optimistic and excited about the celebrations. There was dressing up, some crazy antics and some sadness as they wrapped things up, culminating with a BBQ breakfast cooked by staff this morning. 

Beyond today, it is heads down as they prepare for their exam in the coming weeks. Our annual Graduation Dinner is always a well-attended and wonderful event - set this year for Friday, 21st November.

Our planned capital works are well on track for commencement later this, with the tender for the works about to close. All going well, we expect to have the appointed contractor on site in late November. The first piece of work will be the complete renovation and redesign of the interior of our Flexible Learning Centre (FLC) - see images below. This part of the project will continue over the summer and take most of Term 1, so the building will be completely out of action. We are fortunate to have a number of spaces available for the redistribution of classes, so expect no impact on our teaching program. Notwithstanding, there will be changes in location, on-campus movement, and different protocols that will be somewhat disruptive, as would be expected in all building projects. We will ensure that students are well informed about all changes. After the FLC is completed, the Senior Building will have a similarly complex redesign and renovation, but we will have regained access to an upgraded FLC. The end product of all the work will be a significant and lasting improvement to our whole school.

Share your views to help make our school safer 

The Department of Education is inviting parents and carers to take part in an online survey.

The survey seeks views on how the department can best protect school communities from harmful behaviour by parents and carers, and other adults:

• on school grounds and other places school activities happen
• online including social media.

Harmful behaviours can include abusive, aggressive and disruptive behaviours, including on social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp.

The survey will help the department:

• better understand community attitudes around this issue
• seek input on whether stronger protections are needed for school communities.

The survey closes at 11:59 pm on Monday 10 November 2025.

At [insert your school name], we are committed to creating a safe and supportive environment for the entire school community. We support ongoing efforts to address harmful behaviour by adult members of our school community, including online.

I encourage you to share your views by taking part in the survey. To access the survey, refer to Keeping school staff safe onsite and online on the Engage Victoria website.

School Community Safety Order Scheme: statutory review

A report and recommendations from the statutory review of the School Community Safety Order Scheme are now available.

While the majority of parents and carers work well with schools to resolve concerns, sometimes there is harmful behaviour affecting our school staff and students. The scheme allows principals and other authorised persons in Victorian schools to make School Community Safety Orders to stop or limit parents, carers and other adults who behave in harmful, threatening or abusive ways towards people in the school community. For more information on the review, refer to Independent statutory review into the School Community Safety Order Scheme. For more information on the scheme, refer to the School Community Safety Orders webpage.

Leveraging AI to practice questions 

[from previous newsletter]

Research into the study habits of thousands of VCE students highlights a simple yet highly effective strategy: completing large numbers of practice questions. Repetition strengthens memory and recall, reduces stress on exam day, and helps students identify areas that require further attention. In fact, students who engaged heavily in practice questions showed a strong correlation with higher study scores.

The key message is clear: while notes and summaries have their place, genuine progress comes from active practice. Past exam papers, sample questions, and school-provided resources are freely available and provide excellent preparation. As one leading educator put it, “practice, practice and more practice” is the proven pathway to success.

I encourage students to approach artificial intelligence as a tool to support and extend their learning. Used thoughtfully, AI can strengthen revision, assist in checking for understanding, and deepen comprehension.

One powerful example is Gemini Guided Learning(see side-by-side comparison in video below). This platform supports students by:

• guiding them step by step through challenging concepts and questions, rather than just the answer
• helping identify misunderstandings and strengthen weak areas
• providing interactive explanations, diagrams and quizzes that make learning active and engaging.

For our Year 12 students, pairing Gemini Guided Learning with practice questions can transform preparation for the VCE. For all learners across the school, it provides an additional way to check understanding and build confidence.

When combined with deliberate practice and sustained effort, AI has the potential to open powerful opportunities for growth and achievement.

Dave Armstrong

Executive Principal