Principal's Message-
Laura Spence
Dear Families,
We are now halfway through Term 1, with students well settled and working hard in their studies and activities. I hope your teenagers are coming home with positive stories about their day — even if those stories only start flowing after some food and a bit of rest!
Our quadrennial College Review begins on Monday. A panel of DET reviewers will be at the College over four days (March 2, 3, 13 and 16) to observe the school in action. Their recommendations, to be provided later in the year, will form the foundation for our next four-year Strategic Plan (SSP) and Annual Implementation Plan (AIP). As a result, our new SSP and AIP will not be published until later in the year.
Students will notice reviewers visiting classrooms, and some will participate in focus groups to share their experiences at McClelland. We have already completed the Child Safety component of the review, with reviewers praising the high standards of child safety practices at McClelland. They were particularly impressed with our consistent classroom routines — including Entry, Exit and Lateness Routines, our toilet pass process, and our strong staff professional learning program, which includes frequent classroom observations by College leaders. These were identified as unique strengths and protective factors for a safe learning environment.
The panel also commended the expanded Health and Wellbeing curriculum across all year levels, enabling the Respectful Relationships (RR) curriculum to be delivered meaningfully. RR supports students in developing healthy, safe, and respectful relationships while building resilience, confidence, decision-making skills, and appropriate help-seeking strategies.
Continuing on the topic of child safety, I would like to remind families, particularly those new to the College, of key aspects of our Visitor’s Policy. We warmly welcome families to attend the front office during school hours to request meetings or seek information, and we encourage participation in school events such as information evenings, parent–teacher interviews, awards ceremonies, and community events like the Cornershop Carnival later in the year.
Our Visitors Policy helps ensure that students and staff remain safe and secure by requiring all adult visitors to report directly to the front office upon arrival during school hours. If you are collecting your child after school each day, please wait on Belar Avenue or Alexander Avenue rather than inside the College grounds. To further ease traffic congestion and improve safety, we encourage students to walk or ride where possible and suggest arranging drop-off and pick-up points a few streets away from Belar or Alexander. This allows students some independence while reducing traffic volume around the school.
For child safety reasons, I would also like to remind you that families are not allowed to use the driveway that runs through the school grounds (connecting Belar Avenue to Alexander Avenue past Ballam Park Primary School). This driveway is strictly for staff use only during school hours, including before and after school (prior to basketball commencing).
Our School Council held its final meeting for the 2025 council this week. We now welcome our 2026 Council members, including new members Emily Berlouis and Kathy Edwards. I would like to sincerely thank our outgoing members — Heidi Panton, Cassandra Southcott, and Joy Heynsberg — for their valued contributions. Mel Cotta and Chris Fathers have reapplied following the conclusion of their tenure and have been appointed to the 2026 Council. We greatly appreciate the time and insight our parents and community representatives contribute, enriching the McClelland community voice. The McClelland College Dress Code Policy is currently under review by Council. If you would like to provide feedback on the current policy, please get in touch with the College. The updated version will incorporate new statewide Dress Code requirements.
Regarding other formal DET requirements, our Annual Report is typically published by the end of Term 1 for the previous year. Unfortunately, it has been delayed due to reconciliation issues in the 2025 financial report, related to a broader DET-targeted funding backlog affecting many schools. Once the 2025 funding is finalised, our financial position will be confirmed, and the Annual Report will be completed. We expect to publish it on our website and in COG by the end of April at the latest.
Back to the more exciting aspects of school life — please enjoy the information in this COG edition, and get involved in upcoming events and opportunities throughout the term.