Principal Team News

Adam Rompel & Megan Retallick

Term 3 has been short but absolutely jam-packed! Students and staff have been busy with a wide range of events and learning experiences both within the school and in the wider community.

We began the term with a Curriculum Day focused on reviewing the significant work undertaken over the past 18 months through the Berry Street Education Model, our collaboration with the Inclusion Outreach Coach, and most recently our Professional Learning Series with Rebecca Harris from Embedding Wellbeing. The day highlighted the impact of this professional learning on students’ experiences in the classroom, particularly around the Ready to Learn Scales and Plans (Berry Street), the use of predictable and consistent routines, and strategies to support neurodiverse students. We also continued work on revising the Wellbeing Response Flowchart and mapping regulation supports across the school. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many noting that they feel safe and empowered within our community. This important work will continue as we move towards the school review in Term 4.

The 3rd Annual Creative Writing Competition was another highlight of the term. We received an incredible range of imaginative submissions—including short stories, poetry, and songs—which made selecting winners from Years 7–12 no easy task! Winning students enjoyed a celebratory lunch at Local Folk, where they shared insights into their creative processes.

Book Week in Week 5 brought colour and energy to the school, with a whole-school dress-up day and community BBQ. Students and staff once again impressed with their creativity, while gold coin donations supported the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Some students also attended a Writing Workshop at Story Studio in Carlton, where they developed fictional texts in an inspiring setting—an experience that was a huge success.

In Week 6, our Year 12 students headed to Anglesea for their final school camp. Despite some chilly weather, spirits were high and everyone embraced the activities, making it a memorable way to mark their final year.

Year 7 and 8 students also took part in two Melbourne City Mission programs—Art with Heart and Bounce—which complemented the health curriculum. These programs provided opportunities to collaborate with community experts while strengthening social and emotional skills through art, sport, and teamwork.

Throughout the term, a variety of incursions and excursions attracted strong student participation, including:

• Wear it Purple Day

• Werribee Zoo (Years 7–9)

• Sovereign Hill (Years 7–9)

• Hijinx Hotel (Years 10–12)

• Parliament (Years 7–9)

• R U OK? Day

• Year 7 Art Mural Project with our Student Art Therapist

• Work Experience (Years 10–12)

   

Two standout student-led events were the Teddy Bear Picnic and the School Dance. Despite wet weather forcing a last-minute change, the Teddy Bear Picnic was quickly reimagined indoors, showcasing the resilience and creativity of our Senior School students. The School Dance was another wonderful success, with a fantastic turnout from both students and staff—an event that truly brought our community together and marked the beginning of end-of-year celebrations.

Looking ahead, Term 4 promises to be just as exciting as we move towards the conclusion of the 2025 school year. 

As you may be aware, we are undertaking a school review during term four. We will have our review panel on-site for three days during term four. Essentially, the review is broken down into two parts. 

1. Pre-review: where the school meets with all stakeholders (staff, students and the wider school community), reviews data and evidence from the last four years to help shape our vision and mission. 

    

2. Review days: where the review panel considers the pre-review information, undertake classroom activities and focus groups. Finally, the review concludes with a report that includes the recommended goals, targets and key improvement strategies for the school’s next School Strategic Plan (SSP) 

Please see the below table for term four key dates. Please note. further information regarding the end of year activities week, transition day, junior school awards and clean-up will be sent out during term four. 

Rhys should be back from parental leave during week three, if you have any questions please contact myself or Megan. 

Wishing everyone a safe, restful, and well-deserved break. We look forward to welcoming you back in two weeks.

Warm regards,

Adam Rompel and Megan Retallick