From the Principal's Desk

Term two continues to engage all staff and students who have been involved in many different activities related to student learning as well as excursions, sporting events and careers events.

The behaviours of our students during these opportunities are always acknowledged by members of the public and representatives of industry and organisations when they visit the school.  This doesn’t just happen; it is a result of the consistent messaging and approach taken by school staff with the continued support and working in partnership with our parents and carers. 

Year 7 application process – annual placement information packs

The Year 7 application process for 2025 started in term one with our open evening and school tours. Mr Rowe Assistant Principal for year 7 has visited our local primary schools to support students with the process of applying to Wyndham Central College.

We were also able to send along Mr DeLeon to speak about the Spanish Immersion Program, Ms Sue Butcher with our Enrichment in learning program, and Mr Bily Bosevski for our Football Academy. Shortly we will be announcing how families can join the College as part of our new initiative, a Beacon school for the Hindi language. This along with our STEM Academy provides lots of individualised programs that support our students to reach their full potential in areas of interest and talent. 

 Supporting student transitions

A successful transition from primary to secondary school involves a student being able to move as seamlessly as possible to their new setting. To ensure all students are supported in their transition to Wyndham Central College, we are asking our families to help with our primary school friends.  If possible, could families please support by speaking about our practice and programs and how we can support their children in a personal, social and academic way that promotes student engagement and wellbeing.

Otherwise, a referral back to the College to Mr Rowe and the Transition team would be great and we will make contact with the families providing support and transition packs. 

Again, thanking all families for your building of community focus and support. 

Vision, Values and Mantra

Students are regularly reminded of our values and mantra and how important these are in their social interactions, positive relationships, work ethic and taking responsibility for their decisions and actions. 

The Wyndham Central College vision, values, and mantra below are a reminder to the school community of our purpose and the beliefs and attitudes that guide our behaviour and relationships with others.

School vision. Our vision statement has been co-created with, shared, and owned by the whole school community, is appropriate to our school needs and expectations, and is easily understood by everyone through the mantra, Creating a community of high expectations. No Excuses. The school will not accept mediocrity and the excuses that come with it. It is expected that everyone will try their hardest and produce their best work. That timelines are met; rules are followed, and the school values upheld at all times.

Full Vision Statement: Wyndham Central College fosters a love of learning. We respect diversity and Indigenous heritage. We aim for continuous improvement in all our students as they grow into adulthood. Our objective is to nurture empathetic, creative, and confident young people who embrace opportunities and accept the challenges of a complex and globalised world. 

 Wyndham Central College provides the environment that creates the high expectations for all members of our community and inspires each individual to achieve their potential by developing their skills for post-secondary education or to be work–ready. 

The action of ‘creating a community of high expectations’ holds all members of the community accountable to the highest standards, providing both academic and social standards and setting the expectation for strong respectful professional relationships, so that all students emerge as resilient, productive, and cooperative members of a contemporary world.

School Values: Our School values provide a basis for decision-making and actions that shapes the way people work together by creating shared expectations and norms to helps the school community to remain focused on that is important.

Our values of Respect, Cooperation and Excellence established in 2013 through extensive community consultation are lived at school every day. Our values resonate in our school environment. We actively promote, articulate, and display these words in classrooms, meetings, assemblies, and events to ensure they are understood and embedded in our culture. Our values are introduced to all new members of our community from the outset as a part of our induction programs for staff and students and form a large part of our transition programs as well as being reinforced in the curriculum and inclusive school programs.

At Wyndham Central College, we ask that all stakeholders; staff, students, parents/carers, and community hold these key values and guiding principles in our daily interactions and show leadership by taking responsibility and being committed to each other. 

We 'respect each other and our environment'. Respect involves taking responsibility for each other. Respect is speaking to, and interacting with, others in a courteous manner. It is about being honest, reliable, and trustworthy. At WCC, we demonstrate respect and fairness and represent Wyndham Central College with pride. We are polite and considerate towards each other and respect property.

Secondly, we expect Cooperation (partnership/collaboration) as we are 'Sharing and learning together'. Cooperation is working together in a team and as a valued member of a community, contributing and sharing in a helpful way. At WCC, we demonstrate cooperation by taking personal responsibility for all of our actions. When we collaborate, we work in partnership working towards common goals, holding each other to account. 

Our third value is Excellence where we 'Persist and try your best'. Striving to attain personal goals, persisting and giving our best effort, and embracing all opportunities and support to reach our full potential. At WCC, we demonstrate excellence when we take pride in our achievements and strive for academic and personal excellence, taking up opportunities to reach our full potential.

Our Vision and these Values statements underpin our internal motivation and life- long learning as well as the expectations we set in policy and procedures for the College. 

Uniform

With the cold and wet weather here, it is time to remind families of the uniform policy. We expect all students to wear correct uniform. Please refer to student planners for an outline of the college uniform, footwear, and accessory policy etc. Congratulations to the students who wear the correct uniform daily!

Communication

At Wyndham Central College parents/carers are partners in the education of their children. Regular two-way communication between parents/carers and the school is essential in helping young people navigate their way through their secondary schooling and reach their potential. We continue to work hard to promote positive and successful learning environments for students and staff are committed to providing a rigorous and relevant curriculum.

We are pleased that many parents/carers choose to contact the school when they require clarification. These conversations promote the parent/student/ teacher relationship and are critical to the student’s educational journey. Details, policy, processes, and servicing by the appropriate people are key factors in clearing up any uncertainty.

We value these conversations and encourage you to contact our school so that the correct information continues to be a positive aspect in your children’s future and wellbeing. Within this newsletter there are many ways outlined where positive communication can continue to occur. 

School Review

Every Victorian Government school is required to undergo regular reviews to improve learning outcomes, promote excellence across the curriculum and enhance the health and wellbeing of every student.

In term four Wyndham Central College will undertake a School Review to inform a new Strategic Plan that identifies priorities for the next four years. Future Annual Implementation Plans will monitor the goals, targets and key improvement strategies set in the 2025-2028 Strategic Plan.

A review panel comprising of an independent reviewer, the Senior Education Improvement Leader, the Principal, School Council President, challenge partners (school principals, DE personnel), School Improvement Team (staff), students and community members will provide specific feedback on the school’s progress and achievements against the goals and targets of the current Strategic Plan 2021-2024. 

There will be a discussion about and an analysis of issues that may be affecting the performance of WCC. This will complement the school’s self-evaluation and self-review.

The school community will be asked to engage in a process of self-evaluation reflecting on evidence relating to the instructional core of teachers, students and content. From this process of analysis and reflection, future directions will be identified to assist in planning the next steps on our journey to excellence.

School self-evaluation reflects on important questions such as:

1. What outcomes are we trying to achieve for our students?

2. What outcomes have been achieved to date?

3. Why did the school achieve/not achieve the improved student outcomes?

4. How effectively did the school manage its resources to support the achievement of improved student outcomes?

5. What can we do in the future to achieve the outcomes we want to continue to improve student outcomes?

2024 School Review Dates:

Validation Day: Tuesday 22 October

Fieldwork Day: Tuesday 29 October for school tours, class visits and meeting with selected student groups, Monday 4th November (student free day) to meet with staff groups and 6 November to meet with our parent and community groups. 

Final Day: Tuesday 12 November

School Reviewer: Robert Stephens (Educational Consultant)

Senior Education Improvement Leader: Brent Richards

Challenge Partners: To be confirmed shortly. 

Please contact me if you have any questions regarding the review process.

Leanne Gagatsis -  Principal

Creating a Community of High Expectations 

Respect, Cooperation and Excellence