Leadership's Letter

Stage 3 Building Progress

The first semester has certainly gone quickly, and much progress has been made with Stage Three of the refurbishment program.  This stage involved the renovation of the Year 8 corridor, the bottom corridor of the main building of the College. This section of the main building is 56 years old. It is the original rooms used by our first students in 1968. (The College commenced in 1967 in two borrowed classrooms at St Joseph’s Springvale and moved to its present site in Mulgrave in 1968.)

The classrooms have been gutted and walls have been removed so that in built lockers, all fitted with GPOs to allow the charging of laptops, could be installed. Glass is fitted above the lockers so that rooms appear more spacious and are filled with light. Some rooms have direct access to the outdoor learning area that houses our colony of turtles. The linking of traditional learning spaces with outdoor areas allows for innovative teaching practices and should enhance the learning of our students.

The rooms have modern lighting, that can be adjusted for audio-visual presentations, larger whiteboards, and flexible arrangements with furniture to allow for collaborative group work. To promote sustainability rooms are fitted with sensors that allow lights to turn on and off automatically thus saving power. 

These spaces will be made available to the College during the school holidays and for our year eights, moving day will be Tuesday 11th of July. I know that the Year Eight Coordinators, Mr Chris Lee and Ms Ayesha Comerford will be thrilled to have their charges back in the main building. They are to be commended on how they have cared for their students while they have been spread throughout the school. 

However, the building program never stops. In the last week of term two, the top level of year ten was decanted of furniture and handed over to the Jardon Group so that Stage Four could commence. The six year ten classes on the top level of the main building will be modernised in a similar fashion to the year eight area. It is assumed that, as there are no outdoor works to be done, the completion of the works should be within the term.

Further updates will be shared as the building program continues. I hope that you enjoy the two weeks break with your sons, that winter is a kind one and that you all remain safe and well. Please remember, if there is anything we can do for you, please just ask.

Mr Tony Rolfe

Deputy Principal (Operations & Compliance)