PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Surf Coast Secondary College
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to our final newsletter for 2025. What an incredible year it has been for the Surf Coast Secondary College community. There has been so much growth, celebration and hard work from students, staff and families, and I am delighted to share some of the highlights with you.
2025 Teaching and Learning Priorities
Our strategic priorities this year centred on two big goals:
1. Improving the learning growth of every student, and
2. Improving student engagement in their learning.
I am very pleased to share that all of our key improvement strategies were completed, thanks to the commitment and teamwork of our staff.
This year, teachers placed a strong emphasis on the ‘Engage’ phase of our instructional model. Beginning each class with a ‘Do Now ’task and clear entry routines helped create calm and focused learning environments across the College. These small, consistent routines made a big difference in setting students up for success each day.
We also further refined our guaranteed and viable curriculum across all subjects. Our curriculum is now thoroughly mapped at every level, giving all students a consistent, high-quality learning experience regardless of class or teacher. To support this work, we introduced new ‘Learning Specialist - Teaching & Learning’ roles in both the junior and senior schools, complementing our Literacy and Numeracy Improvement specialists.
I want to acknowledge the incredible energy and dedication our teachers and education support staff have poured into this work. Their efforts have had a direct and positive impact on student learning, and the results speak for themselves.
Student Achievement in Literacy and Numeracy
Our strengthened focus on literacy and numeracy this year has delivered outstanding results. More SCSC students achieved ‘Strong’ or ‘Exceeding’ levels in NAPLAN Reading, Writing and Numeracy than ever before. For the first time, our Year 9 Writing results are above of our similar school group measure which is a fantastic achievement!
Our literacy and numeracy leaders have been active in communities of practice across the region, and our teachers have participated enthusiastically in targeted professional learning. This commitment contributed to exceptional growth in our ACER PAT assessments from Years 7-10, with students significantly exceeding expected growth.
These results are something our whole community can be proud of. They show the impact of our teaching practices and the strong learning culture our students demonstrate every day.
VCE Success
Our Year 12 students have achieved the highest VCE results in SCSC history. It’s a truly remarkable way to cap off the year. Some standout achievements include:
• Average Study Score: 29.46 (highest ever)
• Study Scores 40+: 5.47% (highest ever)
• English Study Score: 28.8 (highest ever)
• 90+ ATARs: 5 (equal highest with 2024)
• Dux: 98.1 (highest ever)
Each of these results represents countless hours of dedication, persistence and thoughtful support from teachers and families. I extend my warmest congratulations to our senior students and the staff who supported them so wholeheartedly throughout the year.
Growth
Thanks to our growing reputation and strong learning culture, enrolments have increased significantly for 2026. To support this growth, we will be introducing a seventh class at Years 7-10. This will reduce class sizes and ensure we have the flexibility to accommodate new families who join us during the year.
Our Year 9 and 10 curriculum has also been strengthened. Students will undertake a robust core program in English, Humanities, Mathematics and Science while still enjoying a rich range of elective options across The Arts, Technology, Health & PE and Languages.
We are also delighted to welcome eight new teachers to SCSC next year. Some of them are graduates who completed their placements with us this year and have already shown great promise, while others are experienced teachers joining us from high performing Melbourne schools. We are excited for the expertise and fresh perspectives they will bring to our community.
Farewells
As the year concludes, we say farewell to some valued members of staff.
Mr Tim Mawdsley and Ms Ashley Bolger are leaving the government education sector to take on new roles in Geelong. We thank them for their contributions to SCSC and wish them every success in the next chapter of their teaching careers.
Mr Neil Cole who has been at SCSC since last year will be transitioning to a new role at another government secondary school in Geelong. We thank Neil for his time with us and wish him all the best.
Ms Kira Zimball will be departing SCSC to take up an exciting new role at a school on the NSW far north coast. We are sure she is going to enjoy the sunshine up there!
Ms Katrina Simpson is retiring from her role in education support where she has helped many students over the years across all levels of the College. Katrina has supported our young people in academic learning, extra-curricular programs and community connections. We wish Katrina well and thank her for her years of service at SCSC.
We also celebrate the outstanding career of Ms Rachel Bride, who is retiring after many years of service. As a foundation staff member, Rachel played a crucial role in shaping early teaching and learning programs at SCSC. She built the Food Studies program into one of our most loved subjects and supported countless students to achieve excellent VCE results, including VCAA Top Designs recognition. Rachel’s impact on our community is profound and we wish her a joyful and fulfilling retirement.
Looking Ahead to 2026
While 2025 has given us much to be proud of, we are already looking forward to raising the bar even further in 2026. We will continue to refine our classroom routines, instructional practices and wellbeing supports to ensure every student has the best possible learning environment.
Families and students will notice a stronger emphasis on consistent classroom norms, calm and orderly entry into learning spaces, and high-quality instructional routines. School leaders will be more present in classrooms, supporting teachers and observing learning so we can continue to build on our successes.
Students will receive clear guidance at our first day assemblies, and parents will receive information on how we will be working together to maximise learning time and support strong growth.
I truly believe, and I’ve said this before, that this is an amazing time to be part of the Surf Coast Secondary College community. The future feels bright and full of possibility.
Thank you to our families, students and staff for your incredible support this year. It has been a privilege to lead such a warm, energetic and high-achieving school community. I look forward to everything we will accomplish together in 2026.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.
Take care,
Shane Elevato
Principal.