Principal's Report

Dear Families,

We would like to extend a warm welcome to all families as we begin Term 2. We are looking forward to a smooth and productive term ahead, with many opportunities for learning, connection and growth across our school.

Collingwood College - MYP World School

I am delighted to share some significant news with our community.

Collingwood College is now officially an authorised International Baccalaureate World School for the Middle Years Programme (MYP). This is a major milestone for our school and reflects many years of dedicated work by our staff and broader community.

This achievement has been led by Lori Micheal, who has guided this initiative since her return to Collingwood College as a Leading Teacher. Her leadership, expertise and commitment have been instrumental in bringing this vision to life.

Our journey toward the MYP began in 2017, making this a significant milestone in a long-term commitment to strengthening learning at our school. It reflects years of thoughtful planning and collaboration with School Council, staff, our community and the Department of Education.

We extend our sincere thanks to all teachers and community members who have contributed to this work over time. This collective effort has enabled us to build a rich, challenging and globally minded learning programme for our students.

We are incredibly proud of what this means for our young people. The MYP strengthens our focus on inquiry, critical thinking and real-world learning, while supporting students to develop as confident, compassionate and internationally minded learners.

Staffing Update

We are pleased to welcome Desley back from long service leave. Our sincere thanks to Annie for her support during this time.

We also extend a warm welcome to new members of our community who you may or may not have met yet.

Simon Gooding, who joins us as our 7–12 Science Learning Area Leader and Year 9 Coordinator
Asha Clarke, who joins our front office team as Receptionist and First Aid Officer
David Motamed, joins us as our new Year 11 & 12 EAL teacher

We are continuing interviews for a few positions and will share further updates with our community as appointments are finalised.

Three-Way Conferences

Thank you to our families for your strong engagement in our recent Three-Way Conferences. Both our Secondary and Primary conferences were well attended, and it was wonderful to connect with families about student learning and progress.

Athletics Day

A huge thank you to all staff and students for their support in making our recent Athletics Day such a fantastic success. It was a significant event—our first combined Years 7–12 Athletics Carnival with Fitzroy High School—and a wonderful example of what we can achieve together as a broader learning community.

It was fantastic to see such high levels of student participation across running, jumping, throwing and novelty events, along with strong house spirit throughout the day. Congratulations to Red House for taking out the overall win.

We were also fortunate with perfect weather, which added to the energy and enjoyment of the day. And, of course, it was great to see staff once again claim victory over students in the 4 x 100m relay!!

Help Us Share Our Steiner Celebration Day

Our Steiner Celebration Day is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our learning community, and we would love your support in spreading the word.

If you know families who may be interested in Steiner education at Collingwood College, we warmly encourage you to share this event with them. Personal recommendations from our community are one of the most powerful ways prospective families come to understand what makes our school so special.

We are offering two sessions -

Morning Session

Families are invited to step into the rhythm of the school day, with opportunities to visit classrooms in action. You will experience elements of the Steiner program including Main Lesson, Orchestra and Eurythmy.

Evening Session

Join us for a guided tour of our Steiner classrooms, followed by a panel discussion featuring Andrew Hill alongside our teachers, parents and students.

We encourage all families to attend and share in this celebration of learning.

Twilight Tours

Our Twilight Tours have returned and continue to run at 3:00pm on selected Sundays.

We’re excited to share that this Sunday’s tour has already sold out, reflecting the strong and growing interest in our school. We look forward to welcoming more prospective families across the term.

Twilight Working Bee

Our Twilight Working Bee will take place on Wednesday 13 May from 3:30pm, in the lead-up to our Steiner Celebration Day. We warmly welcome families to join us—many hands make light work, and it’s a wonderful way to connect as a community.

Building Works Update

Thanks to the advocacy of our school community, led by our school council, the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) has been working closely with the school over the holiday period.

A new Science relocatable building is scheduled for installation early this term, pending final council approval.
Structural investigations on the ground floor and Level 1 have returned positive results.
Further testing will take place on Level 2 in the coming weeks.
A plumbing investigation has been approved to address water ingress issues, supported through School Council advocacy.

We are meeting regularly with the VSBA and will continue to keep our community informed. Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we work to get our building repaired.

Theatre Works

The redevelopment of our theatre has commenced.

We are working toward a projected completion date of January 2027 and look forward to delivering an improved facility for our students and community.

International Engagement

We’re pleased to share that Chris Millard will be travelling to Japan and South Korea in May to represent Collingwood College as part of our international student recruitment initiative.

This work strengthens our global connections and supports opportunities for students and families to engage with our school community.

Market Returns Term 2

Our school market will return on Wednesday 6th May, under the mezzanine at 3:15pm. Looking forward to seeing many of you there.

Adult French Classes

Our much-loved Parent French Classes are back for the Winter term, and all parents and carers are warmly invited to join.

Whether you’re looking to refresh your high school French, start from the very beginning, or simply build confidence to support your child’s learning, these sessions are a relaxed and welcoming way to get involved.

Classes are open to all levels—no prior experience needed.

Join us after school, feel free to visit the market, and then make your way to Room 225 from 3:45pm.

À bientôt

Madame Coeur

Planned Action - AEU - 20th May

We have been informed that there is planned action by the AEU in the morning of the 20th May. We have no further details at this time and will inform the community of the impact this may have on school operations on this day.

Thank you for your continued support, partnership and commitment to our school.

At Collingwood College, we are proud of the way our community shows up for one another—whether through learning, events or simply the everyday acts of kindness that shape our culture.

Kind Regards,

Angela Watters and Chris Millard

Principals