From the Principal's Desk
Dear School Community,
To our Students, Families and extended Wyndham Central College community - Welcome back to the 2026 school year!
I hope that you have all had a restful, safe and enjoyable break. It is wonderful to see our school community come together again with energy and optimism for a successful year ahead.
To our new families and students—welcome. We are delighted that you have joined our community and look forward to partnering with you throughout the year and I look forward to getting to know our new students and families at the many events and opportunities we provide to come together as a community.
To our returning students and families—welcome back. It’s great to see our classrooms, corridors and grounds filled with curious minds ready to engage, grow and succeed. You can feel the buzz of the students as they acquaint themselves with their new classes, teachers and surroundings. I encourage our students to make this year as fulfilling as possible and make the most of every opportunity presented and a reminder to both students and families of the continued support we offer through our various staff teams and programs.
Once again, the college student population has grown as we are a school of choice by many in the Wyndham community due to our vast and bespoke programs and being awarded the AVID National Demonstration School status due to the successful outcomes and learning growth of our students.
In 2026 we welcome back our returning staff, and we warmly welcome our talented leaders, teachers and educational support staff back to school. As we start 2026 we welcome new staff:
Mr Patrick Bur to our Mathematics faculty,
Mr Anthony McLellan to the Humanities faculty,
Ms Shae Rutzou is our new Japanese teacher as Mr Ito is on leave for the year.
Mr Adrian Watts from one of our local primary schools who is working with our Year 7 team
Mr Jack Benson is joining us in the Physical Education faculty whilst Mr Lynch is on leave this term and we welcome Mr Jesse Maskell into our English faculty more formally in 2026.
We are also happy to announce that we have some Alumni that have returned as staff in a program that supports our classrooms. A warm welcome back to Cooper Decker, Zoe Cooney and Jaynaha Decker.
We are also pleased to have return from leave our Inclusion leader Ms Katina Dukellis who will be working closely with Ms Beecher and returning is Ms Pheobe Harrowfield in her role as Leading teacher for English and Literacy.
Our school vision —a community of high expectations—continues to guide everything we do. We strive to create a learning culture where students are encouraged to aim high, supported to achieve their best, and empowered to take responsibility for their learning and wellbeing.
Again, this year, we will embed within our DNA our core values of Respect, Cooperation and Excellence. These values shape how we treat one another, how we engage in learning, and how we contribute to a positive school environment. In 2026, we are also excited to share with you our new school values matrix, which outlines the behaviours and expectations in key areas of school life. This matrix has been developed with input from staff and students to ensure clarity, consistency and shared understanding across our community. We will be rolling it out in classrooms and in assemblies early this term—please look out for information shared by your child’s teachers and leaders.
In 2026, our whole-school focus is Rigour with Support through the AVID framework. As an AVID National Demonstration School, we will challenge students to think deeply, work collaboratively, and persist in their learning—while ensuring they have the encouragement and structures to succeed. AVID strategies will be visible across classrooms and will continue to support our students to build strong academic habits, organisational skills and confidence.
Here are a few reminders as we begin the term to ensure our students are Ready to Learn:
Attendance & punctuality: Consistent attendance and being on time are critical to learning success.
Uniform expectations: Please ensure students are in full school uniform each day, as outlined in our guidelines and updated uniform policy (all policies i.e. Uniform and Mobile phone policy, can be found on Compass or a copy can be provided from the administration office)
Communication: We will continue to share important updates through our Compass posts, weekly parent bulletins, our twice a term newsletter and school website. The parent portal is very important, and I encourage you to please check these regularly.
Wellbeing: Student wellbeing is a priority. If your child needs additional support at any time, please reach out to their tutor teacher, Year Level Coordinator or our wellbeing team located in our student services centre.
Over the coming weeks we will host a range of activities, including parent information sessions, student leadership events and community-building opportunities. I encourage all families to stay connected and involved in school life. We can continue to be and grow the school to be a great school but only if we work together.
In the spirit of working together we hold Student leadership as an important part of school culture, student individual growth, school agency and voice. Therefore, I continue to encourage students to undertake the many leadership roles offered by the college.
Applications are open for our House Captains (sport), Student Representative Council (SRC) and class captains. Our cultural captains, music captains and interact team are starting to plan their impact at school events and shortly, we will be opening the nominations for students to join as student representatives on the Wyndham Central College School Council.
It is with pleasure that we introduce the 2026 School Captains and Vice Captains more formally. They have already led the Awards afternoon (2025) and our first whole sub-school assemblies, and are planning activities and building the spirit for our swimming carnival. These students have demonstrated exceptional qualities and dispositions over many years, and I wish them all the very best in undertaking these leadership roles. I congratulate them all and know they will serve our community with pride.
School Captains: Pam Vichittavong and Raquel Grey
School Vice Captains: Alex Ochi, Manning Bricknell and Tobias Hoy
Again, I thank you, our incredible parents and carers for assisting students to be organised, punctual and in full uniform. Creating strong partnerships between parents and staff is part of the key to success at Wyndham Central College. Knowing that families can be relied upon to attend events such as concerts, drama nights, information evenings as well as keeping up to date with school information such as reading the newsletter, and Compass feeds will ensure you keep informed and up to date with all relevant events.
We value these quality relationships, and I know that students greatly benefit from knowing they are supported. This all contributes to student success and building of strong relationships. As a community of high expectations committed to respect, cooperation and excellence, and guided by Rigour with Support, we are focused on making 2026 a year of continued growth, achievement and joy for every student.
Warm regards,
Leanne Gagatsis - Principal
Creating a Community of High Expectations
Respect, Cooperation and Excellence