Principal's Report

To the HPSC Community,

This week the world heard of the sad passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Although this is sad news, we honour her incredible 70 years of service to the people. Our college flags have and will continue to fly at half-mast until the day of Her Majesty’s funeral.

Following another big term of learning, there is lots to celebrate at Hampton Park Secondary College.

I am excited to announce, as part of the 2022 Victorian Education Excellence Awards one of our teachers Mr Ben Wilson (Maths/Science Teacher/SLL Freeman House) is a finalist in the category of Outstanding Early Career Secondary Teacher. The winners will be announced in October. Congratulations Ben, we are extremely proud of you, and we are lucky to have you as part of the HPSC Team.

Last week our 4C’s (Cultivating Creative Culture with Communities) performers delighted the large audience at Bunjil Place. Following months of dedicated practice, our performers did us proud. HPSC is a highly culturally diverse school, but we are one family. Our performance at the 4C’s was symbolic of the HPSC family, a diverse and proud community. Congratulations to all students and thank you to all staff who supported our students. A special thank you to Harlin from Student Wellbeing and Kelly Krieg for their wonderful leadership in supporting the wonderful event.

The Pasifika Choir has been another wonderful learning opportunity for students. Students have been collaborating with several local schools throughout the year and last Sunday, students participated in the Victorian State Schools Spectacular. Congratulations to all students and thank you to Ms Paola Guerra Marin for her passion and dedication in supporting our students with this event.

Last week, we acknowledged and celebrated R U Ok? Day. This national day strives to remind all of us that we need to look out for each other. Life is full of challenges, but by working together we can overcome these hurdles to live a fulfilled life. This year, our Wellbeing Team planned and organised a day full of activities for students to enjoy. From activities during Mentoring to a free morning tea for all students and staff at recess. At lunchtime, students enjoyed the opportunity for face painting, games and even a petting zoo. It was truly a great day. Thanks again to our wonderful Wellbeing team for their planning and work with this day.

Last week was National E- smart week. In a digital world, we all need to be e-smart. Being e-smart helps us to be more aware and to stay safe when online. Like in person, we should always remember to be respectful to others. It is often said that we should always treat others the way we wish to be treated. We all leave a digital footprint, so we must be conscious of what we do. Be smart, e-smart! Thank you to Ms Monique Attard, our e-learning leader for supporting this work throughout the week and during Mentoring.

Last week, all students studying a Year 12 subject sat the new GAT. This was the first time that this extended General Achievement Test was completed by Year 12 VCE and VCAL student alike. Well done to all participating students who worked hard to do their best.

From Monday 12th- Wednesday 14th, our Rugby Academy students took part in a 3 day, 2 night camp at Camp Marysville. The purpose of this camp was to encourage connectedness and team work, develop resilience and promote problem solving. VET Sport and Rec students met a number of outcomes as part of their VET studies during the camp. Activities on the camp included bushwalking, canoeing, high ropes and low ropes activities, climbing, cycling, orienteering and much more!

This week, NAPLAN results will be sent to all families of Year 7 and Year 9 students and we have some fantastic news to share with our community regarding our NAPLAN 2022 results:

Year 9 Highlights:

9% of our students are in the Top 2 Bands for reading, a 3% increase on last year
52% of our students are in the Middle 2 Bands for writing, a 15% increase on last year, with a 14% reduction of students in the Bottom 2 Bands
57% of our students are in the Middle 2 Bands for spelling, a 11% increase on last year, with a 14% reduction of students in the Bottom 2 Bands
12% of our students are in the Top 2 Bands for grammar and punctuation, a 4% increase on last year

Year 7 Highlights:

18% of our students are in the Top 2 Bands for reading, a 2% increase on last year
17% of our students are in the Top 2 Bands for writing, a 6% increase on last year
28% of our students are in the Top 2 Bands for spelling, a 8% increase on last year
19% of our students are in the Top 2 Bands for numeracy, a 2% increase on last year
16% of our students are in the Top 2 Bands for grammar and punctuation, a 4% increase on last year

Although, we cannot claim all the credit for our Year 7 Highlights. The largest portion of this work goes to our fantastic Primary feeder schools who we work in close partnership with!

It is clear that the hard work and dedication of all our staff is assisting our students to grow their knowledge and skills every day!

Each year, DET seeks feedback from students. Our Student Attitude to School Survey results are in.

The graph below shows the summary results;

13 of the 20 categories show that we are in the 4th Quartile or the top 25% of the state. All but one category (Sense of Inclusion) is above the state average. We are proud of these results, but we still have more to do.

This week, we say farewell and thank you to Mr Jamie Marks (Health/P.E Teacher SLL/ Mabo House), Ms Grace Hanratty (Maths), and Ms Lisa Benporath (Careers). Thank you for your service to the HPSC community and best wishes for the future.

Recently, we have appointed two new staff members who will be starting with us this year. Welcome Ms. Elise Ong (Maths) who will join us in Term 4 from Mornington Secondary College. Ms Ashley Hickey will also join our team from Kilberry Valley Primary School in Term 4. Ashley will be the new House Assistant of Mabo House. Ms Caroline Grove (Visual Communication and Design) will join us next year, from Woodleigh School.

2022 Victorian Education Excellence Award- Outstanding Early Career Secondary Teacher.

Ben Wilson is an innovative new educator making a significant contribution to improvements in learning and teaching at Hampton Park Secondary College.

Ben’s in-depth knowledge of the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning, Science and Maths curriculum, coupled with his openness to try new approaches to engaging students in learning, is resulting in highly effective learning experiences and innovative new subjects.

In Ben’s current roles as a learning leader and Year 8 mentor, he facilitates student forums, collates data, and with the students, identifies areas of their learning and engagement that require improvement. Ben has also developed new, more effective methods to track and assess student progress and outcomes, is creative in his blending of digital and face-to-face learning and is leading professional learning sessions with colleagues.

A highly respected member of the Hampton Park community, Ben’s creativity and care are having measurable impact on the quality of education at the college.

At Hampton Park SC, we are working hard to continually improve our school and learning outcomes for our students. Thank you for your continued support of our college. Wishing all students and staff a safe and restful holiday.

Term 3 commences on Monday 3rd October.

Wayne Haworth

Principal