Principal's Report
Welcome Back! It has been a very smooth and busy start to the school year with students and staff returning over the past week.
A special welcome to every single one of our new 300 Year 7 students who started on Monday. Each Year 7 class was formally welcomed and introduced to the school community at a virtual whole school assembly by their Heads of House on Tuesday. It has been pleasing to see the students settling into life at Brentwood so quickly and we look forward to watching them grow as learners and people over the coming years.
Presentation Evening:
The Brentwood Presentation Night is always a special evening where the College recognises and celebrates student achievement, excellence and growth. Once again, we had our Presentation Evening at the Robert Blackwood Hall at Monash University with a large number of families in attendance.
I would like to congratulate all the award winners. A copy of our program and recipients can be found here:
All these students demonstrated our college values for learning and community and embody our vision of all students being their best learner and person. I hope that their award further encourages them to push their own boundaries in the classroom and the community so that they can achieve their potential.
The New Senior Learning Centre:
The class of 2022 are the first students to use our new $4.6 million Senior Learning Centre. The building has been designed to give students a state-of-the-art learning space that is a bridge between secondary school and tertiary studies. It promotes independent and collaborative study in a light open space. The building also gives all students a new Pathways Centre where our new Pathways Team are located. There are also two modern classrooms that enable greater collaboration and have a stronger link to outside learning as well as a student kitchen.
On Monday morning students were given an induction to their new building. This included student expectations that outline how students are to respect their new space and use it to enhance their learning. Year 12 students who are timetabled to this space must be there on time, ready to learn just like their other timetabled classes. Ms Pentreath and Ms Chanter help supervise this learning space to ensure a positive learning environment is maintained.
Year 12 Immersion & Orientation Program:
All Year 12’s participated in a 3-day retreat on site to help prepare them for their final year. It was filled with guest speakers, workshops and team-based activities that challenged and extended students to identify their goals for the year ahead. Thank you to Joel Batalha for leading this opportunity for students along with the support of the other Heads of House, House Leaders and staff.
Future Works:
Now that the main work of the Senior Learning Centre is complete, the focus will be on constructing new outdoor recreation and learning spaces for students. These will be in the middle of K-Block, now that two old relocatable buildings have been removed, and in front of the old Senior Learning Centre, which is now two classrooms and a staff room for the English Faculty.
Our Values:
As we begin 2022, it is timely that as a school community we take a moment to reflect on our values and behaviours that create a positive learning culture at Brentwood where we expect all students to achieve their best as a learner and a person. Central to what drives our culture is our values for learning and community. Please see below.
For our students, we also have a clear set of expectations that provide students with clear behaviours that demonstrate our values on a daily basis. These include:
During the first assembly of the year, students were reminded of our school values and expectations and challenged to think about what they want to achieve this year as a learner and person. We would encourage parents and students to discuss these values and how they can be demonstrated at school and other area of their lives.
Key Staff:
As we start in 2022, there have been some changes to staff in leadership roles at the school. This link will take you to a list of key staff at the College. I would like to welcome two new Heads of House; Tim Columbus (Head of Banksia House) and Aaron Palmer (Head of Waratah House) who join Bill Exton (Head of Wattle House) and Joel Batalha (Head of Jacaranda House) in the new House Hub.
Communicating with Brentwood:
As a large secondary school with approximately 1650 students and 150 staff, effective communication can be challenging at times. However, it is very important for all members of our school community to be actively engaged in the school. Therefore, it is important that all members of our community are familiar with the following documents:
Statement of School Values and Philosophy
I would like to emphasise to our parents and students the importance of using Compass to communicate with the school for everyday purposes. All relevant and important information is located here, and it is the easiest way to make payments, provide absence approvals, communicate with teachers and more.
The school also has an active Facebook page that I would invite all community members to join. The Facebook page is used for celebrating student achievements, sharing information about College Events to the school and wider school community. Please follow us on Facebook by clicking here: Brentwood Secondary College - Home | Facebook
I wish everyone all the very best for a wonder 2022 school year.
John Ballagh
Principal