Acting Principal's Report 

Innovate & PBL Expo

On Wednesday 14 June, we were incredibly excited to host the return of our Innovate & PBL Expo. An opportunity to celebrate and showcase their learning with the school community, the Expo saw students share how they have used authentic inquiry through project-based learning.

Like many members of our community, I was experiencing the Expo for the first time. I was impressed by the size, scope and scale of the evening, and the ambition of the event. I saw exemplars of learning from each of our learning areas, and these are testament to the exemplary teaching and learning happening in our school every day.

But I think I was most impressed by the multitude of smaller moments, the individual conversations with students who could talk clearly and confidently about their learning, and who experienced real joy in exhibiting to adults who were genuinely curious, and seriously proud.

That joy and pride in our learning community is well-deserved. Congratulations to all students and teachers.

Strength & Courage 

We were thrilled to see the story of Angus Dennis-Hewitt be shared widely with the Victorian community through a Herald-Sun story published earlier this month. 

Angus is a greatly loved, and universally admired member of our foundation Year 12 cohort. We know him as an incredible example of the power of resilience and determination. On Saturday 3 June, Angus was welcomed into the Geelong Cats rooms in acknowledgement of his remarkable courage and to honour a long-held wish. I encourage all readers to check-out the story of his experience via the links below.

Community Connections

It was a privilege to welcome Beaumaris Bay Probus members to the college, and offer them an insight into the teaching and learning that takes place at the college. They were blown away by our school and shared their appreciation: 

We were all extremely impressed by the friendliness of the staff we had contact with and the willingness of the students to engage with us. They are all obviously very proud of the school and justifiably so. A standout feature was their total involvement in learning activities. It certainly was an eye-opener for us and we all thoroughly enjoyed the hour that we were able to spend at your amazing school. 

Year 9 Wellbeing Days 

On Thursday 8 & Friday 9 June, Year 9 students participated in a 2-day wellbeing event - a global excursion on one day and a local incursion on the second day. Students chose from one of the following global experiences:  

• Humans in Need: Intersection City Experience with a focus on empathy & diversity  
• Environment in Need: Ceres Environment Park with a focus on exploring the impact of human interactions on our ecosystem.  
• Animals in Need: Moonlit Sanctuary with a focus on Australian mammals and birds.  

On their local day, students participated in the following activities:  

• Creating a Healthy Headspace: Headspace Victoria presented on managing stress and anxiety.  
• Making Healthy Snacks: Viv Sullivan, a Paediatric Dietician, presented and students had the opportunity to create some healthy snacks in the Food Tech rooms.  
• Bubble Soccer & Amazing Race: Fun team building exercises to create a sense of belonging and cohesiveness between the GOAL Groups. 

A member of the public called us on Friday afternoon after encountering our students on the steps of Flinders Street Station. He commended our students on their presentation, conduct and engagement with those around them, and finished the call with: “What a credit to the college and the students' families they are!” 

Year 11 Wellbeing Day 

On Monday 19 June the Year 11 students will participate in Respectful Relationships workshops, presented by the team at Your Choicez. In a world where young people seem to be more connected than ever before, many are struggling with real and meaningful connection, and many young people struggle to find genuine, helpful and satisfactory answers to a growing problem: how do I find, build and navigate healthy and safe relationships? The Year 11 Wellbeing Day seeks to help our young people in this quest. 

On Monday evening, the learning continues with an opportunity for parents and carers. As a school, we are passionate about investing in our school community. Together with Your Choicez, we will be hosting the BRAVE Parenting webinar (free). Join us to hear David Kobler, youth expert who has spoken to over 300,000 teens, parents, carers and teachers about big topics like sex, consent, pornography and sexting. He will discuss the impact young people face growing up in a hypersexualised society and the incredible opportunity you have in helping shape your child to have a healthy understanding of sex, dating and relationships.  

Parents and carers can book via Compass.

Exams and GAT 

Our Year 10 and 11 students sat for exams last week and today all students enrolled in a VCE Unit 3-4 sat the General Achievement Test (GAT).  

We want to acknowledge our students’ efforts in preparing for these assessments and trying their best. 

Year 9 Camps & Year 10 Work Experience 

Next week presents exciting opportunities for our Year 9 and Year 10 students.  Our Year 9s are off on choose-your-own adventure camps, including sailing, hiking, urban expedition, and reef-to-rainforest.  We can’t wait to see the pictures and hear the stories!   

Our Year 10 students are also embarking on an exciting week as they join the work force for Work Experience placements. Whether sparking a life-long passion, exploring a potential future pathway, or simply experiencing the reality of the workplace for the first time, this presents a great opportunity for our students. We wish our Year 10s good luck, and have confidence that they will be positive representatives of themselves, their families and their college. 

End of Term Two  

The school day finishes at 2:10pm on Friday 23 June and we will send a reminder Compass post to families next week, including a message about reports. 

Over the last fortnight of term, our Principal Debby Chaves is on leave, visiting family.  We wish her a safe and happy trip and look forward to welcoming her back next term. In the meantime, on behalf of Debby and college staff, I wish all of our students and families a safe, happy and restful break.  We look forward to a positive and successful Term Three for everyone in our community. 

Stephen Bourbon

Acting Principal