From the Principal Class Team

Dear Parents and Guardians

It is a pleasure to welcome you and your children, and our staff to the 2020 school year. It has certainly been a very positive start with students settling in quickly to their new year levels and classes.

Thank you to you, as parents, for the preparation you put in over the holidays to ensuring your daughters and sons were ready for school and study with the appropriate books, uniform and equipment. It makes such a difference to the work we do together, and to each child’s opportunity for success.

A very special welcome to our new Year 7 students and families, and to the almost 50 students who have commenced in other year levels. The Year 7’s have given us feedback about how friendly and supportive teachers and other students are; how much they are enjoying the work; that they are feeling comfortable and safe, and have made new friends; and how delicious the food at the canteen is!

We also welcome 11 new teaching and education support staff to the school. Sophie Rosewarne will lead the Individual Needs Department this year. Ben Beagley, George Sawan and Ron Brown join the Humanities and English Departments. Joe Vincent and Karen Dierickx join the Mathematics Department, Julian Swan is commencing as a Japanese and Humanities teacher and Sam Cowan joins the Technology Department. Greg Cusick joins the Facilities team,  Caitlin O’Carroll commences in the Wellbeing Team as a social worker, and Nicole Gurd will coordinate our Alumni Program. We also welcome our new canteen team, and those returning from leave, Marion Mortimer, Eli Goldbaum and Stella Hunter.

On behalf of the School Council and all of our students and staff, we wish you all the very best for a rewarding and happy time at St Albans Secondary College.

Congratulations

To Michael Bowden, one of our Visual Arts teachers, who has been appointed as a member of VCAA Arts and Studio Arts review panel.

It is a well-deserved recognition of Michael’s expertise and experience in the Arts, and of his contribution here at St Albans and at the state and national levels as an assessor and co-author of a VCE text.

We know that this will enrich Michael’s work, and that of his colleagues and students.

And to Tiyana Jones on the birth of her baby, Leo Edward, on 17 January. We are glad to hear that Tiyana, Leo and the family are doing well.

New Canteen

After much consideration and research, School Council decided last year to lease the provision of the canteen services to a third party, rather than a school operated canteen.

Jude Fina Foods was appointed to run our canteen. Welcome to Leo Cullia of Jude Fina Foods, and Canteen Manager Adele Grmusa, Assistant Manager, Joanne Timothy and their team.

The new menu is available on the school's website, and students are able to pre-order food each morning from 7:30am.

Alumni Program

We are really delighted this year to be partnering with OurSchool to build our alumni (former student) network.

OurSchool is a not-for-profit service dedicated to helping government schools establish and build their alumni networks to benefit current students, and to strengthen our school community.

Nicole Gurd has been appointed as our Alumni Program Coordinator. Nicole works with us each Tuesday and Wednesday, and she is in the process of establishing Facebook and LinkedIn pages for former students, as well as coordinating opportunities for former students to contribute to school programs and events. It is wonderful to see alumni already making contact with her.

If you are a former student, or know someone who is, please get in touch with Nicole Gurd at alumni@stalbanssc.vic.edu.au

We have such a strong and vibrant community of former students who think very fondly of their time here, and we want to draw on this connection to strengthen our work and our community.

Curriculum Day

2020 is the first year of our new 4 year Strategic Plan.

The major focus areas for our work are:

• Lifting the achievements of all students across all areas of learning
• Ensuring our students feel connected, protected and respected within and beyond the college
• Developing our students as active learners and citizens.

As part of the first focus, we are working on Differentiation, which means planning for teaching and learning so that each student is known well as a learning and taught from their point of need and readiness.

On Thursday 20 February, teaching staff will be involved in a Curriculum Day on Differentiation.

There will be no scheduled classes on this day, APART from VET Fashion and Music which will run at the usual time.