Message from our 

Campus Principal

Term 3

Last week, our campus celebrated NAIDOC.  Unfortunately, NAIDOC always falls into the second week of the school holidays, so we take the time to recognise it early in Term 2.  While the College’s main event this year was held at Churchill Campus, we highlight the day as important at every campus.  Our First Nations students all had the opportunity to travel to Churchill Campus to be a part of the larger day as well and it was great to see our kids performing as part of the Dedlee Kultya dancers.  We continue to work hard as a Campus and a College towards reconciliation and recognise the value of indigenous culture for all of our students.

This week, our Year 9s have been away at camp in Melbourne.  For some of them, getting around Melbourne is a first, particularly engaging with the complex public transport system and visiting some of the sights.  I met them on Monday night for dinner in Chinatown and a walk along Southbank, both of which were thoroughly enjoyable, and provided opportunities for reflection on what Melbourne has to offer as well as the different ways that people live in our world.

Last week, a group of Year 7s began the Blue EDGE program alongside some Year 9 mentors.  Blue EDGE (Educate, Develop, Grow, Empower) is a well-established fitness based experiential learning program run by Blue Light Victoria in partnership with Victoria Police combining physical training, personal growth and life skills.  The students involved do a 30 minute circuit training session one a week, share breakfast and then engage in a workshop discussion.  The program covers a range of topics including teamwork, communication and healthy decision making, while fostering positive connections to the local community.  We’re really excited to bring the program to Morwell Campus for the first time after several successful iterations at Churchill Campus.

For those students in Year 7 and 9, we have now received NAPLAN results and have posted them home to families.  This year, there has been a change in the reporting of NAPLAN results by the Department of Education to try and make results simpler and easier to read for families.  Previously, results were measured in a series of ‘bands’.  These have now been replaced by four levels of achievement:  Exceeding, Strong, Developing, Needs Additional Support.  

Rest assured, Kurnai College has systems in place to ensure that all students are receiving the support and targeted education that they require to improve at all levels of achievement.  Our staff will be examining these results further though in the coming weeks to ensure that all relevant interventions are in place and that we continue to be doing everything we can to help every child reach their potential and exceed their own expectations.  If you have any questions about your child’s NAPLAN results, please don’t hesitate to contact our Learning Specialists, Erin Gruis or Alanah Andrews.  

Mr Dan Swallow

Morwell Campus Principal