Principal Team Report

 Principal Team Report 

Term Three has started with many key milestones for our students. The Subject Information Evening was very well attended by students and their families. We know that the more students are informed about their future pathways and career opportunities, the more connected to school they are. It makes education so much more purposeful if they can clearly see the correlation between engagement and outcome. This was very evident in the meaningful collaboration between course counsellors, students, and parents during the Friday sessions in the Learning and Wellbeing Centre. It is not that students need to lock themselves into courses that cannot be changed but they need to see those subject choices will have a positive impact when they are made with purpose. We highly recommend that all Year 10 students do engage with Careers for support and guidance. 

 A big part of VCE/VM readiness is building positive relationships with peers and teachers. The Year 10 Camp at the end of Term Three is a fantastic opportunity for just that. It is designed to build connection, trust and belonging within the cohort so that our young people feel ready for the challenges ahead. Our Learning and Wellbeing Conferences will offer further opportunities for students to seek advice and receive feedback on their learning. I would also like to congratulate our Year 10 cohort for the excellent feedback that was received from their Work Experience placements. Well Done.

Our Four-Year Strategic Plan Review began this week. A genuine and sincere thanks to staff, students and parents who have been part of focus groups and observations. A huge amount of data analysis goes into Review Preparation and on the basis of what we learn, our goals for the next Strategic Plan will be constructed. 

An incredibly significant part of our student wellbeing strategy is our School Production. We quarantine time, funds, and resources to ensure that the production experience is available to our young people. A huge thank you to the staff team, parent volunteers, and Jess Elms, from the General Office, who make this happen. A proper thank you list in our next edition. ‘School of Rock’ rocks. It is not too late to purchase raffle tickets and attend the show!

 Some months ago, I mentioned to the community that we are in the process of developing an AI policy. We really appreciate the parents who provided insight and feedback. I would like us to run an online forum this term so that we can share in the potential artificial intelligence offers but also the challenges it presents to us as parents, carers, and teachers. If you would like to be part of such a forum, please contact the General Office so that we can organise some dates and times.

The completion of Unit 4 VCE and VM approaches. We remind students of the importance of submitting course work by the due dates. I also really encourage students to get help and support from their teachers, whether it is attending Motivational Mondays after school or simply communication with us on career advice and learning support. It is our job. We want to support our students the best we can.

On behalf of the Principal Team, take care everyone.

Fern Brisbane

College Principal