A Message from our Principal

Dear families and community members,

What a fabulous few weeks we have had since our last edition of Channels.  We have plenty to share and a plethora of photos for you to see.  Thank you to our parents and carers and other volunteers for all their support who were able to participate in our recent Education Week activities.

Education Week

We started the week with chalk drawings, Auslan activities and Buddy Reading with Prep and Year 6 students.  During the week, we had live music and jam sessions as well as an Open Mic session where students could share poetry, music and drama performances.  We also saw some of our Prep to Year 2 students teach their family members. 

Some of the games and competitions included Maths games in the classroom, the Spelling Bee, art competitions, writing competitions, and board game construction.  Our canteen ran a special menu throughout the week to tie in with Education Week.

My favourite day was on the Wednesday where everyone was able to dress up in something that showed their connection to the community.  Many local sporting clubs were represented by our students. On this same day, our Years P-10 all gathered on our front basketball courts for a tunnel ball gala. 

Reconciliation Walk

Some of our First Nations students attended the Reconciliation Walk on Friday 29 May in Echuca.  It was a youth-led event with students from Echuca College working in partnership with Campaspe Shire Council, Njernda Aboriginal Corporation and Victoria Police. 

The focus was on creating space for young people to lead, learn and contribute meaningfully to reconciliation in our community.  An event that saw our First Nations students represent our college proudly.

We will continue to work with our First Nations students to create areas and activities that make them feel welcome, connected and valued at our school.  We fly the three flags proudly at the front of our grounds, those being the Aboriginal flag, the Torres Strait Islander flag, and the Australian flag.  We start our assemblies and our gatherings with an acknowledgement of country.  This is how we operate as an inclusive education setting. 

Inclusion and Diversity Day

On Friday 15 May, our college shone with colour!  Our Inclusion and Diversity Day was a true representation of how our school community shows respect for all.  There was roughly a dozen stalls, ranging from Ganbina and GV Gangarru Parasports to Kyabram District Health Services and Headspace.  Our students and staff enjoyed the event very much.

The Deb

Not only was it a spectacular night, but it was also TWO spectacular nights!  Seeing our young debutantes dressed to the nines and performing several dance sets was marvellous.  The evening started with rehearsals and photos in Yalka building. The students overall looked quietly confident and ready to get the show on the road. 

For our 35 debutants and their partners on Friday and Saturday night, the Deb was a unique experience where memories were created and will stay with these people for a lifetime! 

Prep Information Session

We recently held our 2027 Prep Information Session for interested families to learn about our college, what and how we teach, and how we work closely with families.  The session was held on Tuesday 19 May.  We saw a great deal of interest on the night.  The comments we received from the evening included:

                  I want my child to come to your school.

                  Everything sounds so good here. 

                  Thank you for showing how much you care.

It was another proud moment for me to see members of the community acknowledging the hard work and commitment of our staff that I have always known since I arrived at the college.

Still to come 

There might not be too many weeks to go this term, but we do have plenty of events still to come.  Our college is a busy place and there is lots going on for our school community, especially our students moving into their senior years, Years 9-12.  Is a list of what is still to come.

• Subject Selections for 2027 open soon

Our current Years 8-11 students will be learning about our 2027 subject offerings and will be asked to submit their preferences for subjects.  We have our Senior School Information Session on Wednesday 3 June starting at 5:30 pm.  Families are strongly encouraged to attend the event in our Hall.  Instructions on how to submit subjects online will also be provided on the night.  Please don’t miss out.

• Semester 1 reports 

As recently relayed to families, our Semester 1 released via Compass on Tuesday 23 June.  Due to industrial action taken earlier this term by the Australian Education Union, reports will not include written comments, yet it will include everything else.  We will include work habits, attendance and achievement standards. 

• Parent/ Student/ Teacher Interviews – Wednesday 5 August 

College Council have agreed and approved the new date for our Parent/ Student/ Teacher Interviews, which will be one week earlier than scheduled.  Our Parent/ Student/ Teacher Interviews will be on Wednesday 5 August from 11:00 am to 6:30 pm.  No classes will take place on that day.  We are expecting our students to attend their interviews with their parents and carers.

• Assessment and Reporting

To ensure our Semester 1 reports are developed and ready for release during the last week of this term, I would like to remind families that we have our Assessment and Reporting Day scheduled for Friday 12 June.  This is a student-free day.  Students will have completed their benchmarking tasks and other major assessments before this day for teachers to correct and assess each student’s achievement.

• Semester 2 starts Monday 15 June

For many students, especially at Years P-6, they may not see much of change in who is teaching them, there will be tweaks to the timetable.  Our Years 7 and 8 students will continue their English, Humanities, Maths, Science, and Health and PE classes while their Arts and Technology subjects will change for Semester 2.  Our Years 9 and 10 students will start new subjects as well.  Their timetables will update according to which electives they have chosen.  The only changes our Years 11 and 12 students may see will purely be based on whether they have changed their subjects. 

• Student Led Conferences – Wednesday 24 June

We are excited to share that we are introducing a new concept this year.  Our Year 8 students will participate in student led conferences where they will speak about their learning and their goals in a presentation of 6-8 minutes in length.  We ask parents/ carers to book in for a time on Wednesday 24 June.  The booking can be in person or via an online meeting.

Other News

By now, many would have seen through our socials that we have added to our student uniform list, adding the very warm softshell jacket to the range of clothing items.  Our students who have the jacket are reporting that they are very warm and comfortable.  You can buy the new softshell jacket at Workwear Connect in Allan Street Kyabram.

On another note, our 2025 Annual Report has been reviewed by the Department of Education and available for families to review at their convenience.  To access our report, you can go to our college website or simply click on this link: 2025 Annual Report.

Thank you

Thank you for your ongoing support with our college.  Our staff enjoy working closely with parents and carers to support our students to achieve their best.