Principal's Message
Welcome Back for Semester Two!
I would again like to welcome back families and staff for Semester Two! As per my Compass post earlier in the Term (15/7), I would like to say just how thrilled I am to be appointed as the Substantive Principal of our great school, Pakenham Secondary College.
As the new Principal, I am committed to working with our College Community in a positive and productive manner to deliver continuous improvement to our students and College more broadly. ‘Growth and Connection’ is very important to me. Everyone in our College Community can continue to improve and meaningful connections with others can support this improvement.
Teamwork is vital. I value a team approach with families and staff to create and deliver opportunities for our students. Our students want and expect a tailored approach to their learning and I am committed to working with our College Community to provide pathways options that are important to them.
I am looking forward to discussing and further determining ‘what matters most’ to our students and broader College Community moving forward as we work together to provide an educational setting that further improves the outcomes of our students.
Again, I am very proud to be the Principal of our great school. We are a great school because we are an outstanding College Community with staff, students and families all working together to try and deliver the best educational and wellbeing outcomes for our students. We have so much to be proud of Pakenham Secondary College I am really looking forward to the work ahead!
Preliminary NAPLAN 2022 Data
The preliminary NAPLAN 2022 Data for PSC was released earlier in the week (25/7/22). NAPLAN is an important assessment measuring student growth in Numeracy and Literacy. As a College, we will spend some time further considering and analysing the Data in order to determine where further improvements can be made in these important areas of Numeracy and Literacy for our students.
Year 6 into 7 Enrolments, 2023
Whilst the number of Year 7 students for 2023 is subject to change, we are currently expecting approximately 165 new Year 7 students next year to join us at Pakenham Secondary College. This is a pleasing number of students reflecting the strong level of interest from families in our College.
Our College Community are reminded that we continue to hold College Tours every Wednesday morning at 9.15am. Families wanting to know more about the Year 6 into 7 Transition Process for 2023 are asked to contact the General Office on 5945 1433.
Buildings and Grounds
We have spent some time recently further improving our College Buildings and Grounds. New AFL and soccer posts have been installed, our College foyer has been revamped, new signage and line marking features throughout the school, a new pergola and concrete ramp has been developed at the back of the General Office, and extensive maintenance such as gutter cleaning has occurred.
Further painting is earmarked for the next school holiday break, new bench seats are to be installed for students in the grounds and quotes for further works such as rejuvenating the floor of our Gymnasium are being sourced.
Course Selection Process, 2022 into 2023
The Year 10 into 11 Course Information Night will be held Wednesday 3 August, 6.00pm. This is an important event held at the College with information shared with current Year 10 students and their families with respect to possibilities relating to courses in 2023.
The Year 9 into 10 Course Information Night will be held Wednesday 10 August, 6.00pm. Again, this is an important event held at the College with information shared with current Year 9 students and their families with respect to possibilities relating to courses next year.
For further details concerning our Course Selection Nights and Processes, please call the General Office on 5945 1433.
Student Laptops
Families are reminded that their children are to bring along a fully charged laptop to school every day. Student laptops are relied upon to support our teaching and learning program. Furthermore, teaching staff will continue to upload learning and assessment tasks on Compass, together with other details and resources relating to student learning. Students need to bring their laptops to school.
Co-curricular Opportunities at PSC
Our Co-curricular Program is becoming more prominent throughout the College. Students are enjoying their participation in camps, sport, excursions and incursions as part of their involvement at school. We thank our staff for organising and implementing these wonderful opportunities for our students. Please read on in this Newsletter to learn more about student participation in our College’s Co-curricular Program.
School Wide Positive Behaviour Support Program at PSC
‘Self belief’ is our initial area of focus for our SWPBS Program. ‘Self belief’ is a very important area for our students and we are wanting to help our students to further develop their skills in this area. Development and implementation of resources by staff, ‘Green Posts’ via Compass and additional student recognition initiatives will feature as part of this important work this term. Furthermore, our work to encourage stronger levels of student attendance and compliance with College Uniform will also continue through Term 3.
Proposed Home Group Program, 2023
As a staff, we have been considering introducing a Home Group Program at PSC commencing in 2023. A Home Group Program can further improve connection between students, and students and staff. A Home Group Program can also support wellbeing activities, the distribution of information to students and allow for another means of tracking the progress of students (eg monitoring attendance, wellbeing, etc).
If families would like to know more about the Proposed Home Group Program and / or would like to contribute to how such a Program can work at PSC, please contact the General Office (5945 1433).
Thank you for reading through our first Newsletter for Semester Two. Please be reminded that we will now typically distribute our College Newsletter on a monthly basis. Families are encouraged to check out PSC on our social media platforms:
Finally, please contact the College on 5945 1433 should you have any queries; we are here to help.
Regards
Aaron
Aaron Smith
College Principal – Pakenham Secondary College