From the Principal
Best Wishes to Year 12, 2019
Our wonderful Year 12 students are about to commence their final exams – how the year has flown. Earlier this week we held our farewell assembly to celebrate the end of compulsory schooling for these outstanding students. At the end of the assembly the Year 12s left the gym to huge cheers and applause from the student body and a guard of honour by the Year 11 students. It was wonderful to have the GEC band playing at this important event. The Year 12s headed off to Funfields the next day to celebrate the end of classes.
Although this is a stressful period of time for students, it can be stressful for families and the people that have supported the students, not just this year but throughout their schooling. I am confident that the preparation and support they have received over the past years will ensure that they are able to achieve the best results possible. Year 12 teachers are available to support students throughout their study period, as is the wellbeing team, the Assistant Principals and myself. If you have any concerns or needs please contact me at the College.
Relay for Life
Congratulations and thank you to our students, Aimee Harris, Freya Matthews, Luisa David and Liam Mischel who have taken the lead in coordinating the GEC team – Getting Even with Cancer. It is a huge job and they are to be commended for their leadership. I hope to see as many families as possible at Duncan Mackinnon this Saturday – you can sign up on the day.
Visual Arts and Technology Exhibition
This week was a truly wonderful showcase of the amazing talent of our students in Arts and Technology. Once again our staff have provided an engaging and challenging program for students in Years 7 – 12. Every year there is something new to see. Thank you to our Arts and Technology Leader, Bernadette McIvor and all the staff involved in supporting students to create this wonderful exhibition of their work.
Parent Survey
Thank you to all parents who completed the parent survey late last term. We value the positive feedback received and take on board the suggestions for further improvements. We have received some data recently in regards to the percentage of respondents who agreed or disagreed with the various statements. School Council and all staff have reviewed the data and discussed strategies to further develop our strengths and improve in areas of need.
The survey is in three sections: Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Positive Climate for Learning and Community Engagement and Learning. We were delighted to see continued improvement in the data with 17 of the 19 subsections scoring improved agreement from parents. Two showed no change or a slight drop.
Particular strengths identified included High Expectations, Respect for Diversity, General Satisfaction, School Support and Physical Environment. We were also pleased with the improved perception related to Student Voice and Agency, which continues to be a key area of our Strategic Plan.
Parents indicated the Experience of Bullying was low. However the perception of how we managed these situations remains stable. This is consistent across our Region. I am particularly interested to hear your thoughts in how we can, at GEC, improve in this area.
I am always willing to hear your feedback so please do not hesitate to give me a call, send an email or contact the office to arrange a time to meet.
Professional Practice Days for Teachers / Monday Before Cup Day
As part of the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2017, teachers will receive one day per term when they are out of the classroom to focus on the improved delivery of high quality teaching and learning. These are not student free days. Casual Replacement Teachers (CRTs) will be employed to cover classes. We are scheduling the days ahead of time and have planned them so that there is minimal impact.
Several staff have opted for the day prior to Cup Day. We believe this will minimise disruption to students. Also, the Year 12 exams will have commenced.
Year 10 and 11
- Students will have supervised private study or an opportunity to work on assessment tasks.
- Year 10 and 11 students to be in regular full school uniform.
Year 7 – 9
- We will run a combination of timetabled classes and alternative activities
- A timetable will be provided to families
Many families choose to go on a holiday over this time. If you intend for your child to be absent on this day please let the office know as soon as possible.
The canteen will be closed on Monday 4th November.
Finally
Lockers: All students are required to have a lock for their lockers. Combination locks are available at the General Office ($15). Any lockers without locks will not be available for student use. I ask for parent support in providing a lock for their son or daughter.
Lost property: We have a growing mountain of unnamed lost property including jumpers, jackets and shoes. I ask parents and carers to ensure all items of clothing and books are named so that they can be returned to students
Sheereen Kindler
Principal