Director of Learning and Teaching

 Welcome back to our final term of 2026. I hope you all had a restful break over the school holidays. 

During the break, we held our VCE Revision Week, and students studying Unit 3 & 4 subjects were busy completing practice assessments in readiness for the VCE Examinations. Some of these have already begun, with students already undertaking some language and music exams. I thank all the VCE teachers for their efforts and time in supporting our students towards their final school examinations. A particular thanks goes to Rebekah Bonnet for organising the Revision Week, which went extremely well. 

Students in Years 8 to 11 will receive information about their subjects for 2027 over the coming weeks. As always, we do our best to accommodate all the preferences students have submitted; however, this is not always possible. Some students may have missed out on one or more subjects they indicated in their preferences. In these cases, the staff member who conducted their subject selection interview will contact students to discuss the clash and work through the options available to them. Please be assured that we do our utmost to find the best possible solution for each student, and for students impacted, we will work through all of the options together to find a pathway forward. 

I am very pleased to share that this year we are partnering with Slades Newsagency in Hamilton to prepare our booklist and provide stationery and textbooks for the 2027 academic year. After working with Warrnambool Books and more recently Campion, we are very pleased to once again be working with a wonderful local business. Further information about the booklists, including the Early Booklist, and the ordering process will be shared in the coming weeks, so please keep an eye out for this information. 

I wanted to take this opportunity to reiterate the importance of attendance during our End of Year Examination period and Step Up Program. It is an expectation that students attend during exam week and sit all scheduled exams. Step Up is a vital part of our academic program, designed to set students up for success from the very first day of the new school year. I ask families to please support full attendance during this period, the dates are listed below for your diaries. 

If you anticipate an absence for your child/ren during this time, please contact me via Toddle or email with the details. 

Key Dates

• Year 11 Examinations: Thursday 18 November – Friday 27 November
• Year 7-10 Examinations: Monday 23 November – Friday 27 November
• Exam Feedback Day/Step Up Introduction: Tuesday 1 December
• Step Up Program: Wednesday 2 December – Thursday 7 December

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch arobertson@hamiltoncollege.vic.edu.au.