Principal's Report

Welcome back to Lilydale Heights College for 2024! W e have had an amazing start to the year and have been excited to welcome back our students, staff and families. To our Year 7 students, as well as new students and their families, we extend a warm welcome to our incredible school. You are joining a wonderful learning community and we look forward to working with you as you embark on your journey of learning and growth with us.

This year, we are excited to welcome both new and returning staff members to Lilydale Heights College. As our school continues to evolve and thrive, the addition of talented individuals to our team further enriches the education and opportunities that we provide to our students.

New & Returning Staff

Kacey Buller - Humanities  

Matthew Di Fabrizio – Maths/Science

Salena Johnson - Inclusion  

Seira Kubota – Japanese/Humanities        

Tania Lim – Science/Humanities

Erin Rackham – Hands on Learning         

Daisy Lovett – Inclusion

Lily McQueen - Inclusion

Kirsten Smith – Inclusion

Claire Vance – PE/Health

Grace Ward - Tutor

Darren Wills – Facilities

Cindy Xu - Maths   

Maximising learning growth to ensure all students can thrive

It has been a great start to the year, with the school feeling calm and orderly. From day one, we have focused on establishing the ‘Lilydale Heights Way’ and continued to build upon our incredible teaching and learning program, Strategic Plan (attached) and School Vision. To support this great work, we have narrowed our School Vision down to a single statement:  Maximising learning growth to ensure all students can thrive, and have placed this at the centre of everything we do.

So, what is learning growth? And how do we maximise it?    

Like any type of growth, learning growth is about beginning at certain point. You then learn and develop your knowledge and your skills in a particular area and then at the next point, you measure and assess what you now know and can do. Your learning growth is the amount of progress that you have made over that period of time – from the beginning point to the end point. 

So what does that look like at school?

Perhaps in Maths when you are starting a unit on measurement, the teacher and the student will look at the student’s starting point – what do they already know about measurement? They then build upon this starting point by developing the students’ knowledge and skills of measurement. This could include the teacher explicitly teaching the student some new knowledge and/or skills. Perhaps the students are completing individual and group learning activities. Students would be asking questions and seeking assistance. All these activities and strategies will continue to build the students understanding of measurement.   

At the end of the unit, the teacher will then assess what the student now knows. By looking at where the student began and then where they ended, the student and teacher can see the students learning growth. 

So the next question is, how do we maximise our learning growth? 

A great way to maximise our learning growth is to continually live our College Values – Excellence, Respect and Responsibility. 

Excellence – Challenging yourself to achieve your best

The value of Excellence and challenging yourself to achieve your personal best applies to our whole school community. We all need to approach this year with a mindset on continuous improvement, on maximising learning growth. Ask yourself, how can you always strive to do that little bit better each day? Don’t focus on what other people can or cannot do. Focus on your own personal excellence. Challenge yourself to make the most of every opportunity so that you can achieve your personal best in everything that you do.

Respect – Holding yourself, others and our environment in high regard

Being respectful is a precondition for maximising your learning growth. Respect starts with yourself. It starts with you creating the right conditions for you to learn the best way that you can. Respecting yourself is about ensuring that you are prepared for every class, you are turning up in your full uniform, on time, you are proactive and engaged in your learning, and you are making the most of every opportunity. 

Respecting others and the environment is focused on ensuring that you are contributing to a positive learning environment that allows others the opportunity to optimise their learning so that they too can maximise their learning growth. 

Responsibility – being accountable for your actions

You are responsible for the choices, the decisions and the actions that you make. We all need to take responsibility for our learning and behaviour so that we all have every opportunity to be successful. 

Consider this – teachers and ES staff are not responsible for the students' own learning. Teachers and ES Staff are responsible for creating the opportunity for students to learn. Students have to do the learning. Teachers will teach students what they need to know and do. Our Education Support Staff will support students so that they can learn. All staff will provide an inclusive learning environment so that students can be successful. However, each student is responsible for their own learning. 

Learning Growth begins with the desire to be better and to improve. For 2024, I encourage all students and staff to understand that your own personal growth is up to you – and on that basis, take action and be responsible for your own learning. 

I am extremely excited for what 2024 will bring for Lilydale Heights College and am thrilled to go on this journey with all of you. 

College Contacts

Below you will find a list of key contacts at the College that may be able to assist you regarding your child. For all classroom based questions, we would encourage families to first make contact with their child’s classroom teacher via phone or email. As all teachers have classes during the day, please be mindful that staff will endeavour to respond to you as soon as possible around their teaching commitments. 

Year 7 Team

Troy McGown – Year 7 Learning Leader

Meg Milner – Year 7 Liaison

Chris Edwards – Year 7 Liaison

Year 8 Team

Jacob de Kunder – Year 8 Learning Leader

James Rippingale – Year 8 Liaison

Fariba Riazati – Year 8 Liaison

Year 9 Team

Ashlea Gell – Year 9 Learning Leader

Lauren Cuzens – Year 9 Liaison

Julia Dowse - Year 9 Liaison

Year 10 Team

Daniella Gentile – Year 10 Learning Leader

Jane Scobie – Year 10 Liaison

Senior School Team (Y11/12)

Emma Steeper – Senior School Learning Leader

Julie White – Year 11 Liaison

Jordann West – Year 12 Liaison

Teaching & Learning

Michelle Gaudion – Leader of Teaching & Learning

Wellbeing & Engagement 

Emily Gerson – Leader of Student Engagement & Wellbeing

Tom Murphy – Student Wellbeing Coordinator

Kristine Veerhuis – Mental Health Practitioner

Jo Stolfa – Counsellor

Courtney Croxford – Adolescent Health Nurse

Ros Cox – Occupational Therapist

Inclusion

Louise Martin – Leader of Inclusion

Jenny Clarke – Inclusion Coordinator

First Nations

Taylah Moschetti – First Nations Advocate/Murrung Lead

Assistant Principals

Tim Wright – Assistant Principal: Student Learning Growth

Isabella Phillips – Assistant Principal: Empowering Students

I hope that you enjoy our first newsletter for 2024! Our newsletter is published each month, and we invite you to take some time to explore and read about all the wonderful things that are taking place at Lilydale Heights College. 

Shane Kruger - Principal.