Principal's Report

Co-Curricular Programs 

At Brentwood, we strive to support students with working towards positive learning and wellbeing outcomes. We consistently challenge our students to be the best person and learner that they can be. Something that we are proud of, is the wide range of co-curricular programs and opportunities that our students can access. Our staff do an amazing job of seeking out, developing and facilitating so many opportunities for our students.  

In just the last few weeks, we have had our amazing Whole School Production (Spamalot), SPARK Week (led by our student leaders), Market Day, Music Madness, Junior Sport and Monash Athletics. We have also run activities that have shone a light on mental health and inclusivity by celebrating ‘Wear It Purple Day’ and ‘R U OK? Day’. 

In addition to this, in the next two weeks we also have a Year 10 Duke of Ed Camp, Year 11 Formal, Year 9 City Experience and a range of other incursions, excursions and activities.  

On behalf of the Principal Team, we would like to publicly express our gratitude to all the staff who put the time and effort in to provide these opportunities for our students.    

Supporting Student Wellbeing: The Resilience Project 

As you may be aware, we currently have a relationship with The Resilience Project. This is an evidence-based mental health and wellbeing program, which aims to build resilience and happiness through the pillars of Gratitude, Empathy, and Mindfulness (GEM), alongside Emotional Literacy, Connection, and Physical Health. 

In addition to our staff and students engaging in activities from The Resilience Project in classrooms, we have had some other exciting engagement this year as well. This has included Martin Heppell (one of the founders of TRP) coming out and interviewing 10 of our Year 8 & 9 students. A full film crew was also present to capture the content that will be used in a range of online content by The Resilient Project across Australia in 2026.  

We were then fortunate to have Martin come back to Brentwood and deliver a presentation to all of our Year 7 students. This focused on the core pillars of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness. While also exploring the transition period of moving from primary school to secondary school.  

Building resilience, happiness and supporting students with their wellbeing is something that we continue to value. And The Resilience Project is one of many vehicles that we are currently using to work towards achieving these outcomes. 

Here are some prompts that you could use at home with your family, this week:  

• Share a moment that made you smile today. 
• Share a moment where someone has done something kind for you this week. How did it make you feel? 
• What could you do tomorrow to support you in experiencing a positive emotion?  

For further information and resources, please feel free to visit: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2025-parent-carer-hub-inspire-3/ 

Aaron Palmer  

Assistant Principal – Director of Wellbeing