Principal's Report

The First Entire Term in Two Years!

The conclusion of Term 1 provided us with the first term that was not interrupted by remote learning since the end of 2019. 

Throughout the term it was great to see and hear how engaged students were in their learning and how happy they were to be at school. 

Despite significant absences due to COVID related isolation periods, there was only a marginal reduction in our overall attendance, indicating that students are avoiding unnecessary absences. 

Not only was Term 1 the first in two years without remote learning, students were able to engage in a full array of extra curricula activities. I encourage you to take the time to read through the following pages of this newsletter and hear students and staff sharing their experiences about a range of activities that have taken place over the last two months. 

Building Works Progress

Over the last month, we have made significant progress towards the finalisation of Stage 2 of our building works. This included:

• STEM Centre almost complete (move in next week)
• New gender neutral toilet toilet block (school council funded) 
• Demolition of the B Wing

Upcoming works includes:

• Year 8 Centre (completed early Term 3)
• New gymnasium to open  
• Significant landscaping works  

STEM Centre 

The school has purchased a range of state of the art equipment for the new STEM Centre, including:

• 14 3D Printers 
• CNC Router 
• VEX Robots
• Laser Cutter 

B Block Demolition

Open Night

Our annual Open Night will be held on Tuesday 10 May. This is a great opportunity for prospective families to tour our facilities, learn about our programs and speak to staff. Please pass on the details about our Open Night to families who you think might be interested:

Student Leadership Induction

On Thursday 17 March, we held our induction ceremony for 2022 Student Leaders. 

Although I was stuck at home due to being a household COVID contact, I was pleased to be able to join remotely, speak to the students and watch the ceremony. 

I have already been impressed by the impact our 2022 student leaders have had and look forward to working with them throughout the year. 

Anzac Day Commemoration

Day one of this term started with a whole school assembly in which we commemorated ANZAC Day. 

This assembly was a valuable opportunity for our students to learn about the ANZAC legacy and to pay our respect to sacrifices made by Australian service personnel. 

Parent Voluntary Donations

In 2021, our College Council introduced targeted parent voluntary donations that enable parents to select areas that they would like to donate towards. Once again this year, we have received considerable donations from our parents which have helped us to purchase the following equipment and facility upgrades:

• New lightboxes for Art 
• New DNA kits for Science 
• Upgrade VCE Toilet block*

*This toilet block had been closed for several years due to its condition and has now been converted into a gender neutral toilet block that can be accessed from both the oval and the courtyard. 

Attitudes to School Survey

Over the coming weeks, students across all year levels will be participating in Department of Education and Training Surveys. These surveys provide the school with anonymous summaries across a range of areas including student learning, safety and engagement.

Each year the school reviews the results to help inform changes and new initiatives. 

Parents and students are able to opt out of these surveys. To find out more please read the attached information. 

State Champions

Our students have hit the ground running this year, taking out a number of state sporting titles:

• Year 8 Boys State Beach Volleyball Champions
• Year 12 Girls State Beach Volleyball Champions
• Year 8 Boys State & SSV Ultimate Frisbee Champions
• Year 8 Girls State SSV Ultimate Frisbee Champions

Performing Arts

With COVID restrictions preventing a range of performing arts activities taking place over the last two years, it has been wonderful to see students making the most of reduced restrictions. To make sure that students are able to make up for lost experience, we will be running a series of lunchtime concerts (in addition to all of the normal opportunities that students will have). This kicked off with senior stage band late last term and was attended by 100's of students in our canteen courtyard. 

Key Contacts

Our College is structured around Mentor Teachers being the primary point of contact for families, particularly within the junior school. If you are unsure of who is your child's mentor teacher, then you can see this via your child's Compass Schedule (Form Assembly). 

While you can contact your child's mentor teacher to inquire about a range of topics, you can also contact a range of staff about specific topics. 

Mr Daniel Dew 

College Principal