From the Secondary Principal 

Hello Secondary families,

We all knew coming into this short, nine-week term that it was going to be a rollercoaster - what we did not expect was the high levels of illness and absence that have impacted both students and staff. Despite this, our College community has come together to ensure that momentum has been maintained in regard to students achieving their learning goals. We appreciate all efforts families have gone to in keeping young people home when they are unwell, and supporting them to catch up where required.

For those who have not been on site over the last couple of weeks, there have been some exciting changes that have taken place to our grounds. VCAL students in Years 11 and 12 have been working around the clock to transform our outdoor spaces into beautiful, calm, green spaces that will be enjoyed by our College community for years to come. Students have built miniature gardens, succulent spaces, sensory experiences, and native habitats - creating havens for students to unwind, destress and connect with the environment. It has been a pleasure for our school community to witness students engaged in such active, meaningful, and impactful learning. Through these projects students have learned a variety of life- long learning skills. It would be remis of me not to mention all of the effort, problem solving, grit, sweat and tears that went into the infamous stump removal project! Well done on such incredible efforts and a huge congratulations to all students for the exemplary modelling of learning, teamwork, leadership, and respectful behaviours.

This week The Lakes held its inaugural Pathways Expo. Our College community was incredibly lucky to have range of tertiary providers and organisations come to the school to talk with our students about avenues available to them when they leave school. The event enabled students and families to interact with providers and ask questions unique to themselves and their chosen pathways, and also provided the opportunity for students to learn about potential pathways they had not yet considered. The Expo was timed perfectly to be in line with the ongoing subject selection process for students currently in Years 8, 9, 10 and 11. These type of experiences are usually only available to students through regional or state-wide conferences, however our dedicated Pathways Team was able to make this experience happen for our students, at our school. A huge thank you to Alyce for driving this important initiative for our community.

Every Friday morning throughout Term 2, I have been running school tours for perspective students and families. An ongoing point of interest for potential students and families has been The Lakes capacity to encourage learning opportunities within and between year levels across the campus. During the tours families have been consistently amazed at witnessing Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 all learning harmoniously in the same places at the same time. Over the last few weeks we have seen this replicated time and time again, not only in our learning spaces, but also when out representing our College in the community. We have seen an increase in excursions being planned that cater for multiple year levels, providing rich, robust, and extended learning opportunities for all involved. Recently we have seen Years 8  and 12 attend the ballet. We also have upcoming excursions which will see Years 10, 11, and 12 attend the courts, and Years 7 and 8 attend the MCG. The ongoing success of these multi-age experiences is a true testament to the supportive culture that the staff and students have developed with one another, and we look forward to future multi-age experiences for students.

The recent cold icy burst across Victoria has seen students dive into their drawers full of winter woollies. As a College we understand that student comfort is an important precursor for classroom engagement, however we also have a commitment towards maintaining school pride through our uniform. Students and families are reminded to regularly review the student uniform policy and ensure that the additional warm layers students are wearing meet the current endorsed uniform. This includes school pants and jackets, plain navy blue underlayers, plain navy blue/aqua beanies and plain navy blue/aqua gloves and scarves. Any family experiencing hardship is encouraged to contact the school for uniform support.

We have a short, but busy week ahead of us with Year 10, 11 and 12 exams, and a Year 9 incursion focussed on wellbeing and respectful relationships. 

Bonnie