From the Acting College Principal 

Dear Lakes Families, 

In my thirty plus years in education, I have never experienced so much absence due to illness. I hope that you are well and staying positive during this difficult period and are reaching out to people that you trust for support. The combination of Covid-19 and the current influenza have had a significant disruption to teaching and learning in our schools. What I am noticing is the incredible efforts of staff, students and parents/carers to continue with learning programs. I am pleased to report that we are working creatively so that we can still run incursions, excursions and participate in inter-school sports, which are so important for all students when so much has been lost over the last two years. 

This week, I have represented our College community at the Education State Conference. In light of the high number of staff absences, I deliberated on this decision for some time. However, I believe the decision to attend was right because I was able to connect with educational leaders, educational resource providers and Principals from across the state. It is critical that as school leaders we are engaged at this level so that we can identify opportunities for growth, best practice and be able to share this effectively with our learning community. Yes, learning was abundant, but above all I left with real optimism about the current state of education – the likes of which is hardly ever reported in the mainstream media. From this, I want to share some key information with our College community. 

Firstly, beyond the social and emotional impact of remote learning, the key department data infers that the majority of students across the board have only fallen marginally behind in their academic growth. This gap should be eliminated with the ongoing commitment to return to full-time, onsite learning programs. Our parents and carers, together with teachers are to be applauded for their efforts. In fact, parents/carers have developed a better understanding of many school processes and more importantly, improved their relationships with teachers through gaining an insight into the complexities of the role. This is driving a positive shift in school communities to working together in partnership - which at The Lakes we understand to be the key to a successful school.

Secondly, students are becoming more resilient, better prepared and more in tune with their learning needs. This is wonderful data that underpins our school values. Building effective relationships, trust and having positive school experiences remains a challenge that we need to address as a community to support each of our young people. Staff, students and parents/carers are pivotal to creating a positive school environment where education is valued and celebrated. This requires our College community to speak about students and our school in the most positive of ways so that the expectation of learning and excellence becomes the key focus of the narrative. At times, this can and has become lost in the world of social media – enabling sweeping comments to be communicated widely and without scrutiny. As a College community, we need to take responsible action so that we model behaviours that support and nurture our children and their emotional stability and confidence. 

And thirdly, our nation is entering into a sustained period of extremely low unemployment. Some experts are saying this will be a “once in a generation” opportunity for our young people to effectively plan and pursue their careers and dream jobs. This is our chance as adults to create a platform that enables our children with their pathways. By developing a strong and positive community, our students will feel empowered and be confident to research, resource and adapt their skills learnt at school to the myriad of further education, apprenticeships and job opportunities that are coming and quickly. This was highlighted at our first Career Pathway Expo held on the secondary campus last Monday. We need to work effectively and together to support the pathway of every student in our school. 

I am challenging our community to step up and work with our staff who have taken on the responsibility to focus on a solution- based approach, and to highlight achievement at every opportunity with great deal of pride. With that, I would like to congratulate Rob Z for his outstanding contribution and leadership at not just our college but at Greensborough Hockey Club. Rob has played in 5 premiership teams with 3 as captain and he will be playing his 300th game on the weekend. He is a mentor and a wonderful support for young people. Congratulations Rob! We are lucky to have you in our college and as part of our educational and sporting community. 

Bill.