Message from the ACTING PRINCIPAL

2022 marks 150 years of public education in Victoria; a remarkable achievement! The Education Act (Vic) of 1872 was the first of its kind in the world based on the principles of free, secular and compulsory education and its impact on the lives of Victorians is significant. Education Week (22 May - 28 May) celebrates this important milestone. This week, the VCASS community is reflecting on the incredible contribution of our school to nearly a half century of arts education. The great Modernist painter, Georgia O’Keeffe said that ‘to create one's world in any of the arts takes courage’. In the late 1970s, the founder of our school, Lenton Parr, artist and Director of the Victorian College of the Arts, had the courage to bring his vision to life. He saw a need for a secondary school where students with talent or potential in music or dance could flourish, irrespective of their socio-economic status. This vision resulted in the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School being established in late 1977. The first intake of students was in 1978.  Today, we are a thriving community for students of Dance, Music, Visual Arts and Theatre Arts.  We also welcome young dancers from the Australian Ballet School, elite athletes and gymnasts. Our school is enriched by these young people and their dedicated teachers who, on a daily basis, have the courage to create their worlds.

In this newsletter, you will find wonderful reflections from some of our longest serving staff members and I thank them for their contribution.  Elsewhere, you can enjoy reading about the myriad events and activities that our students have been involved in these past weeks and a reminder of what we are looking forward to for the remainder of this term.

Please enjoy our special Education Week Newsletter.

The VCASS performance season is definitely upon us. Term 2 is the time when we traditionally start to ramp up our shows across all the VCASS Specialism areas. It is so refreshing for this typical VCASS performance cycle to be again occurring in 2022. 

Visual Arts has started the Year 11 Free Cash exhibitions. These exhibitions will continue across Term 2.

Music presented the Vocal Concert in week 3 and the Year 11/12 solos, the Ensembles Concert, Winter Jazz and a final Lunchtime Concert will be presented during the rest of Term 2.

Dance will present Curtain Up in week 5. The format of presenting 2 shows across 2 nights will certainly test the dancers and get them match fit for their term 3 Season.  

Hot on the heels of Little Boxes, Year 12 Theatre Arts will present Love and Information in week 5. As well as being a major performance for the Year 12 Theatre Arts students, it is also part of their VCE Theatre Studies course. 

All these shows will be presented for a live audience either at VCASS or at the Lawler Theatre. If you are unable to attend onsite, please go on VCASS Presents and see what is available on the Digital Platform. 

150 Years of Public Education 

2022 marks the milestone of 150 years of Public Education in Victoria. For the last 18 years of that period I have been privileged enough to be part of the high-level team at VCASS. I started at VCASS for a short time in 2004 and full time from 2005. So much has changed in that period: the building, the staff, the facilities, and technology. However, as momentous as these changes are, they pale into insignificance when compared to the ever-changing education landscape and the societal settings and expectations in which we deliver education in 2022. 

The expectations on teachers in 2022 are huge and continue to grow; understandably, ever expanding demands on teachers around documentation and operations to name just a small part. The Wellbeing overlay is immense. In the past 5 years it has gone from a footnote to a non negotiable plank of every school AIP. In addition, the VCASS Specialism curricula have to be reviewed and updated. VCASS has gone from a school for 100 music students and 100 dance students to the current enrolments of 355 students. 

Yes, so much has changed. Yet, as I look at the contribution that VCASS makes to Public Education one thing remains indisputably the same. VCASS continues to be the leading provider of arts education in this state, even the country. We continue to educate and prepare our students for the rigours that they will undoubtedly face as they travel the pathways of practising artists. I continue to counsel our students to occupy the VCASS territory with courage and conviction. If they do so, then when they go to the next stage of their pathway, they will be light years ahead of the other cohorts. 

Youth Arts Precinct Announcement

VCASS students attended the Youth Arts Precinct Announcement

on Friday 8 April

Centre for Young Artists announced  

The Youth Arts Precinct will be a place young artists can call their own. A place where they can learn, practise and perform. A place dedicated to developing the creative abilities of performers and the creative industry professionals of the future.

A place where Victoria can nurture the talent of tomorrow.

The project has the strong support of the Victorian Government, in particular Minister for Education James Merlino and local member and Minister for Health Martin Foley. 

The Youth Arts Precinct will be managed jointly by two leading schools with a passion for the arts: Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS) and Albert Park College (APC).

The precinct will be located in Gasworks Arts Park, close to APC and it will be linked to VCASS and the Melbourne Arts precinct by a five-minute ride on the No. 1 tram.

As well as training and educating the talent of the future, the precinct will work in conjunction with Victoria’s broader arts community to host youth theatre, musicals, exhibitions, dance, movie productions and musical performances.

Election Commitment - Josh Burns - Wednesday 27th April

A Federal Labor Government will invest $128,500 to upgrade equipment and infrastructure for Albert Park College and the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School as part of the Victorian Youth Arts Precinct.

Investing in the arts matters.

Investing in our schools matters.

This funding will ensure this precinct will be equipped with the best resources for our young artists.