Editorial
Faith at the Heart of Learning
Plenty Valley Christian College stands as a beacon of Christian education, rooted deeply in the teachings of the Christian Scriptures.
Among the Christian beliefs that are foundational to the College is that the earth belongs to the Lord, as expressed in Psalm 24:1: “the earth is the LORD’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” As we read in Scripture, following Christ is the narrow path (Matthew 7:13-14); it is not something all choose to do. It requires intentionality, especially amid prevailing cultural influences. To help us as educators, a proportion of professional learning is through engagement with like-minded Christian institutions. For example, Mrs Mackinnon and I recently attended a symposium organised by the National Institute for Christian Education, where insights and findings from research in Christian education were shared. Further, this week, staff members from the College are attending a Victorian Christian Schools Learning and Teaching summit, both to present and collaborate with other Christian Education National Schools.
In this same vein of collaboration to see student growth – especially in what has been a very mild autumn - it was a joy to see so many parents attend the recent parent-teacher interviews. One change we are seeking to implement in Secondary interviews is to have them as teacher-student-parent discussions. So, if you did not pick up on this in our communications, please be mindful of this change the next time we come together to discuss learning next term.
As in any term, there is much happening to complement our daily classroom learning. Congratulations to those students who represented the College at the EISM athletics day on May 15. It was also wonderful to see over 75 students showcase their musical talents during the much-anticipated Winter Recital in the MPH on Wednesday night.
We would also like you to be aware that at the end of last term, the state government declared that the ban on mobile phones would be extended to all schools from the commencement of 2027. With respect to this, please be reminded that the current PVCC Mobile Phone policy states:
Students who choose to bring a mobile phone or cellular-connected device to school must have them switched off and securely stored during school hours (from first bell to final bell).
We certainly appreciate your support in implementing this policy.
Finally, as Mrs Kearney wrote in the last newsletter, in addition to the College’s new Senior School building, we also celebrated the opening of a new café earlier this month. Please be aware that the College is continually investing in infrastructure to support student learning. At present, another project to renew existing Secondary learning spaces in the College is underway in the classroom areas previously utilised by Senior School students before they moved into the new VCE building. This project is scheduled to be completed by the start of Term 3. We look forward to seeing how these refreshed spaces further enhance the learning experience for our students.
Chris Prior
Secondary Principal
