College Principal's Report

Welcome

Term two 2020 has started like no other term and no doubt will be referred to as one of the most significant in history as a result of the current global pandemic. The closing of schools and transitioning students and families to remote learning has been both challenging and rewarding. Anticipating that we may not return after the break helped us to ensure that the processes and platforms we required for such a transition were in place. What many of us did not anticipate was the degree of uncertainty and the effects of being isolated in one’s home once it arrived.

The COVID-19 crisis certainly has had a devastating impact on the world’s health systems and economies, as well as our everyday lives. At our College level this has meant that we have had to cancel highly anticipated camps, excursions, learning area activities, production, concerts, sport and competitions. We recognise that many students and families will be disappointed, none more so than the Year 9 students who were selected to participate in the Victorian Camp for Student Leadership. This camp was cancelled in term one as a result of bushfires, and now for a second time this term. Given the importance and benefits of our extra-curricular program, we hope that when students can return to school, we are able to offer some of these activities again.

I want to reassure our students (particularly VCE students), that learning remotely is not a reason to not be able to complete the year successfully. How do I know? When I was a leader in my last school we lost two thirds of the Senior Campus in a fire. Despite the fire forcing students to learn remotely for over a month and returning with teachers who had lost most of their resources, they succeeded, in fact, that year we had the highest Year 12 growth the school had experienced. Remember what I am always saying “Don’t ever say you cant, you can. You might just have to find a different way to get there!” It was the positive mind set and commitment of everyone to take every opportunity and collaboratively work together that led to those results. I am confident that our Year 12 students are being highly supported, as are all students at every year level by staff in their sub school, student services team and their classroom teachers. Today I see many of the students from the year of the fire as leaders in their professions, including our own Mr Ben Phillips who was in Year 9 himself at the school that year.

We will continue to be guided by the Department of Education who is acting upon the advice of the Premier, Victorian Education Minister and Chief Medical Officer about the length of remote learning. Our staff have been working so extraordinarily hard and are committed, ensuring the quality of education continues to be of the highest standard for those learning remotely or onsite. Our learning values of rigour, relevance and responsibility have never been so important.

We know this transition to remote learning presented challenges to our system, staff, students and families. The message has been clear throughout that any students who can learn from home, must learn from home. We have seen the benefits in the low levels of the spread of COVID-19, student resilience and the slowing of the pace at which society was operating.

I would like to thank the staff for their incredible work ethic and families for their support.

ANZAC DAY

Anzac stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The troops in those forces became known as Anzacs, and the pride in the name endures to this day. Each year we honour this event to remember those whose lives were sacrificed to make our country what it is today. Standing out with a candle in my street on Saturday morning as the sun rose was a surreal moment. As I looked at the flames all up and down my street it made me realise how close we have all become in the past few months.

CSEF

Parents may now be eligible for CSEF payments in Term 2 due to a change in circumstances. The applicant must be one of the following:

A parent / carer (of the relevant student) who is:

on the first day of Term 1 or the first day of Term 2 an eligible beneficiary of either a Centrelink Health Care Card or a Pensioner Concession Card;
an eligible beneficiary of a Veterans Affairs Gold Card

A temporary foster carer

The parent / carer of a student who is 16 years or older and who holds a valid concession card (such as a Youth Allowance Health Care Card or Disability Support Pension Card).

The parent/carer must submit an application to the school prior to the end of Term 2. If you would like to apply for 2020 please email the scoresby.sc@edumail.vic.gov.au and we will email you the application form.

The parent / carer must submit an application to the school prior to the end of Term 2. If you would like to apply for 2020 please e,mail scoresby.sc@edumail.vic.gov.au and we will email you the application form.

Open Day

We have uploaded a virtual tour on the Scoresby Secondary College Facebook Page. The page has been up less than 24 hours and already had close to 1000 views. Last night a comment was added by Peter Hitchener from Channel Nine News.

Please follow our Facebook page which continues to provide highlights of many activities and events. Thanks to Mr Ben Phillips, our media teacher, for an amazing presentation of our students and staff.

Mrs Gail Major

Principal