Principal's update
Students in Years 7 and 9 have successfully undertaken NAPLAN over the last week and a half. This is a significant undertaking for our students and our staff, and after an initial hiccup on the first day of testing which you likely read about in the media, we wish to congratulate the students on the manner in which they approached the testing over a number of days, and to the staff who put in significant effort in organising, administering and supervising the tests.
Earlier this week we held our second college tour for prospective families for the term with a strong turnout from families from our local feeder primary schools. It's always a positive experience showcasing our facilities and our teaching and learning program in action to primary school students and their parents/carers. We look forward to further tours in term 2 and our annual Prospective Parent Evening in late April which is aimed at current grade 5 and 6 families.
We've had numerous enriching student experiences over the course of the last couple of weeks with Outdoor Education camps heading out to Mt Bogong and Mt Stirling respectively, Yr 9 RAID incursions and excursions (read more about this later in the edition), performing arts excursions, a trip to the Grand Prix for our VCE-Vocational Major students, a celebration of International Women's Day with a focus on STEM in the ADF at Monegeetta Army Base and many sports excursions including cricket, tennis, and swimming. We wish our intermediate and senior tennis teams and students competing in the swimming the best of luck as they represent the school at the next level of competition.
Our Family Kitchen Workshops have been a true celebration of food, culture, and connection within our school community. Across the week, families came together to share skills, stories, and plenty of laughter in the kitchen. By the end of the workshops, an incredible 1000 dumplings had been handmade, carefully folded, and cooked to perfection, whether steamed or fried.
These evenings were about so much more than cooking. They created a warm and welcoming space for families to connect, collaborate, and learn alongside one another. It was a joy to see students step into leadership roles, guiding their family members, while others embraced the opportunity to try something new.
Thank you to all the families who joined us and made these workshops so special. The sense of community, pride, and shared experience was truly something to celebrate.
We are pleased to share that the trialled system with the school canteen has been a resounding success, with positive feedback from both students and staff. We would like to remind parents and carers that orders can be conveniently pre-purchased using the Flexischools platform. Students are also welcome to make purchases on the day using cash or card. In line with our Mobile Phone Policy, students attempting to pay using a mobile phone will be refused service. We appreciate your support in reinforcing this expectation and helping ensure a smooth and consistent process for everyone.
As communicated earlier this week, the Australian Education Union has a full day planned stop work action on Tuesday 24th March. We expect significant numbers of our teachers will participate, which is likely to mean reduced supervision and significant interruptions to the school program on the day. We are still confirming arrangements and will provide a further update by 2pm Monday 23rd March with more details about supervision and attendance.
Please note that Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled to occur during the last week of term, on Wednesday 1st April. This will be a student-free day in lieu of the conferences with no timetabled classes. Compass will open for bookings next week with separate communication scheduled to be sent to parents and carers on Monday afternoon.
Finally, looking ahead to the end of term, school will finish on Thursday 2nd April, with early dismissal at 2.20pm.
Lauren Anglin and Russell Wigginton
Assistant Principals
Gisborne Secondary College