Principal Team Editorial
Welcome to 2024!
The last two weeks have probably been one of the smoothest and most positive starts to the year that I can remember in recent years, a sentiment that is being echoed by many of our staff including teachers, education support staff and even our substitute teachers are saying the same thing. Each day I’ve been visiting classrooms, talking with students and observing high quality teaching and I can honestly say, I’m loving what I’m seeing! Students, for the most part, are respectful and demonstrating positive behaviours. Most importantly, students are cognitively engaged in their learning!! Anecdotally, staff are telling me that there is a positive ‘vibe’ and we are collectively focussed on the things that matter – student wellbeing and learning.
Last week, I addressed each year level assembly to reintroduce myself to students as I have been absent from Wantirna for the past 6 months taking on an Acting Principal role at a school in Melbourne’s South East and, before that, doing a Principal internship. My experiences at other schools have provided me with a unique perspective to not only learn new skills and ways of doing things but to reflect on the things that make Wantirna College a great school. There are three things that resonated with me in my time away – the facilities we have, the breadth of our programs and curriculum, and most importantly, the people!
As I explained last week to students, our facilities are fantastic. We have extensive grounds that provide plenty of space for students to find their place; our library is a vibrant and safe place that is welcoming to all; rather than a hole in the wall for a canteen (like the other two schools I was at), we have a seated café for 100+ students with sandwich press, microwaves and hot drinking water on hand; we have a large Senior Centre that Yr 9-12s can access at anytime; a Middle School area for Yr 7 and 8s; and an exclusive Year 12 quiet study space. And of course, this year, our construction of our new building will commence with a state-of-the-art double gym alongside a dance studio and rehearsal space, ready for use in 2025.
Experiencing other schools, has made me realise what extensive programs we have, and the breadth of curriculum we offer. Despite the impact of Covid (followed by significant state wide staffing challenges), we maintained our commitment to offering students outstanding extra-curricular opportunities. These include our extensive camp program which, for most students, will be the experiences they talk about well after leaving school; our phenomenal Production and Instrumental Music program, which exceeds expectations every year; our lunchtime clubs and Home Group challenges; and our sporting opportunities, with teams competing most weeks across each year level.
Further to these experiences, is our commitment to offering a breadth of curriculum that caters to all types of students interests and learning needs. With over 70+ subjects to choose from, no other school in Victoria offers the breadth of subjects that we do, from Year 9 onwards, where all students can build a timetable tailored to their interests and needs.
But what I missed most, and what I believe is even more important than facilities and programs, is the people. At the end of the day, as the research says, the single most important factor in improving student outcomes and achievement is the quality of the teacher and I can unequivocally say that at Wantirna College, we have great staff and great students. As a staff, we are committed to improving our teaching practices and being the best we can be. We know the impact that a quality teacher can have on the wellbeing and achievement outcomes for students. Our focus this year continues to be improving our work in the classroom. At assemblies last week, I asked students to do their part in making this important partnership work.
Welcome to our New Staff!
With expanding Inclusion and Instrumental Music programs, we have 35 new staff and we look forward to introducing them to our school community through our Staff in the Spotlight Newsletter page.
Welcome to the following new staff:
Alex Howroyd - Instrumental Music (Brass/Woodwind)
Hannah Phillips - Instrumental Music (Woodwind)
Jon Skovron - Instrumental Music (Accompaniment)
Luke Champion - Instrumental Music (Piano)
Natalie Carolan - Instrumental Music (Voice)
Penny Karahalios - Instrumental Music (Woodwind)
Chayla Ueckert-Smith - Instrumental Music (Double Reed)
Elle Osbourne - Instrumental Music (Strings)
Sally Newstead - Music (Woodwind & Classroom)
Jess Jacobs - Music (Brass & Classroom)
Andrea Daniels - Library Assistant
Jana Lant - Inclusion Learning Assistant
Lisa Jones - Inclusion Learning Assistant
Kijia Cui - Inclusion Learning Assistant
Josephine Wu - Quicksmart Numeracy
Jack Xu - IT Trainee
Chin Huan - Learning Specialist (Maths & Physics)
Ricky Strange - Learning Specialist (Science, Biology & Chemistry)
Molly Smith - Maths & Biology
Nina Fu - History & Chinese
Nicole Beck - Health & PE
Charlie Xe - Maths & Physics
Cassandra Nguyen - Maths & Psychology
Sam Wills - English & Commerce
Shaun Rawson - Health & PE
Wanchun Lin - Accounting & Chinese
Gemma Bristowe - English & History
Hayley Myers - English & Drama
Jake Collings - Health & PE
Charlie Wakeham - English, Health & PE
Veronika Katona - Maths
Chuong Ly - Maths & Chemistry
Bethany Hallet - Psychology, English, History & Drama
As I stated earlier, it has been a great start to the year and I’m confident we will continue the way we have started by focusing on the things that really matter which is the wellbeing and learning growth of every student.
I hope to meet families at our upcoming events this term, including the Parent Forum on Tue 5 March and Open Night on Tue 19 March. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any feedback, concerns or just want a chat – I look forward to building on the great work we are doing at Wantirna College.
Carrie Wallis
Acting Principal