Dear Students, Parents and Carers,

I am really looking forward to Term 2, 2022. Our school is really coming to life with a range of opportunities for students to engage in learning the academic, social and emotional skills required for their future success.

This term we have already seen the Senior School Expo run, opening a world of opportunities to students as they consider their passions and dreams for future employment. It was wonderful to see so many tertiary providers present, supporting our students to better understand the breadth of opportunities available to them for further study and career options. This will be followed by a comprehensive course counselling program, with the vision of ensuring that students in Yr 10,11 and 12 are enrolled in the right pathway choice for their aspiration.

This week the College ran the annual athletics competition, this is a great opportunity to to get out and have a go and build positive and supportive relationships. By participating in these days students not only build a strong connection to their sub school and the College but the experience positive emotions and self belief. I want to recongise and celebrate the staff and students that made the 2022 athletics carnival a success, and acknowledge the outstanding team performance of the Kurunda Sub School who took out this years event.

We also ran a free dress day this week, the first in a very long time and supported the Red Shield Appeal, it was wonderful to see so many students actively engaged and having fun while supporting such a valuable community organisation.

In our communication at the end of last term we highlighted and shared a number of school based policies, I am really pleased to acknowledge that this term the level of engagement with these policies has risen and overall compliance has improved. We continue to provide support to students and families where there may be challenges. If you have feedback about these policies please do not hesitate to email the College.

Over the Coming weeks the College will be conducting the annual Attitudes to School Survey (AtoSS) with students. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to provide feedback on a range of topics, such as learning, teaching, safety and engagement. Please encourage your child to actively engage with this task, as this feedback helps us to improve and adjust too changing student needs. If you wish to opt out please see our earlier communications this week.

Next week, we start the Year 7 and 9 NAPLAN assessment period. I encourage every student to participate and give this assessment their best effort. Whilst the task is low stakes for students it provide rich data on the skills that have been learnt and the skills yet to be mastered. As teachers we use this data to design and evaluate curriculum. In 2021 when we reviewed College performance and individual student performance many students identified that they 'didn't try their best'. I hope this year that we can encourage every student to put their best foot forward and demonstrate their learning, we know you've done the hard work and encourage you to take pride in demonstrating your learning. This years NAPLAN will be completed online bringing a new way of engaging with the assessment. Our planning over the last month has prepared students for the new form of assessment and I am confident that they will do their best.

We continue to develop our tutoring, literacy and numeracy programs. These programs are having a significant and positive impact on the learning of over 300 students in our College. These students are to be commended on their high level of participation and engagement, and I know that their hard work will continue to open doors in the future. If you identify that your student is experiencing challenges, and they are willing to engage with one of these programs, please reach out to your Home Group teacher and see if these programs may be of assistance.

This term our Street Art program started for 2022. Students are working on a mural on an exterior wall and will reflect the learning of covid. Selected students will participate in a street art mural project supported by Sheldon of “State of the Art Murals”, where they will learn skills relating to street and aerosol art. The program intends to provide students with access to a break from the mainstream classroom setting; build new connections to students and staff; and support students to feel a sense of belonging at the school by giving them an outlet to express themselves creatively and with their artwork featured within the school environment. This is a part of the wellbeing and inclusion programs at the College and I really look forward to seeing their learning and the final piece of street art. We have created three pieces already that students are incredibly proud of.

We also have a record number of Year 7 students participating in the Victorian High Ability Program. It is wonderful to see so many of our students being identified and engaged in new ways with their learning. Our investment in high ability performance continues across all classes and this program draws from all home groups and programs. Clearly demonstrating the depth of talent at Elisabeth Murdoch College, I look forward to hearing from these students about their experience and learning.

Later this Term EMC is proudly working with the SEVR to launch KELiS (Koorie Emerging Leaders in Schools. KELiS will bring secondary school students from the Bayside Peninsula Area (BPA) together to build the capacity of Koorie students in leadership skills, cultural connection and advocacy skills to build their confidence to use their voice in their own respective schools. The longer term aim is to build students’ sense of belonging to their own schools and across the BPA to support students to remain engaged in education, improve attendance and increase Year 12 completion rates; and to prepare young Koorie people to become leaders in the community. The approach includes fostering connections across the schools and ensure inclusion of all Koorie young people across diverse learning settings.

Finally for our Year 10 and 11 students this semester will see the first year in three years where they have had a through preparation and lead up to an examination period. This is an important time to learn the individual strategies that underpin high performance in high stakes examination periods such as VCE, University, work place assessments. We know that hard work underpins outstanding performance, but self management and care also play a pivotal role in high performance. As this may be their first real opportunity to participate in the examination cycle, I hope that the students use these examinations as an opportunity to explore the many strategies shared with them to maximise examination performance.

Term 2 is a relatively short term, and with so many amazing opportunities for our students planned, I am sure many will blink and the term will be over. I hope everyone has a wonderful term ahead and makes the most of the opportunity to engage in the outstanding opportunities on offer at Elisabeth Murdoch College.

Kind regards,

Dean King

Principal

THRIVE