From the
Leadership Team
This has been a fortnight filled with mixed emotions as we said goodbye to our Year 12 students. There has been a great deal of excitement amongst students and also some sadness as our fabulous 2023 cohort farewelled the staff. The farewell assembly to our GSSC students and staff went extremely well and we look forward to our graduation assembly with family and friends and the Valedictory. Our Year 12 students sat the first exam on Tuesday 24 October, commencing with the English exam. We wish all of our Year 12 students’ luck in the exam period and with their future endeavours.
We would like to announce the name change for our Intensive Learning Support Program (ILSP), following endorsement from the Bangerang Language Circle and Yorta Yorta representatives.
ILSP will now be known as Nurtja, a Yorta Yorta word meaning ‘forest’.
This particular name was chosen to align with our Neighbourhoods, which as you know are named in language after prominent trees on Country: Biyala (River Red Gum), Dharnya (Grey Box), and Bayuna (Yellow Box).
We wanted to continue to use language throughout our built environments, with links to elements of Country significant to this region and we feel ‘Nurtja’ is a great fit for this program.
Just as the collective root system of a forest provides additional stability for younger trees, intuitively sharing nutrients where required, Nurtja provides the stability to support individual student growth. Supports are well grounded and rooted in the GSSC values.
Across the fortnight our Unit 2 VCE Music students presented a series of performances during recess and lunch times. These performances took place in the Theatrette and all staff and students were welcome to attend. Congratulations to the following students who performed: Joanna Muli, Lucy Ludlow, Stephanie Ludlow, Sharon Simaika, Lovenier Hikayla, Xavier Adams, Kikia Warne, Lincoln Atkinson and Ezzy Francis.
Another amazing success from our GSSC students was within the sporting arena. Two of our students had outstanding results at the Victorian State School Athletics Championships. Congratulations to Kazadi Kadima who won gold in both the 800 metres and 1500 metres running events. Congratulations to Ellie Robinson who won gold in the discuss and the shotput. We look forward to further sporting achievements as our junior students participate in the Summer School Sports across the coming weeks.
This week the leadership team have been busy shortlisting student House Leader applications, and similarly to our College Captains we have been suitably impressed by the calibre and diversity among applicants. As part of the application process, students had to submit a two-minute video and these shortlisted videos will now be shown at Home Group and leaders will be selected by student vote. We look forward to announcing our House Captains on 5 November.
From 6 November we look forward to opening up applications for our whole-school specialist leadership positions. Students in Years 7-12 will be able to apply for the following leadership opportunities: Music Leaders, Multicultural Leaders, First Nations Leaders, Environmental Leaders, College Values Leaders.
Key Senior School dates
October 24 - VCAA external exams (English) held onsite
October 25 - VCAA external exams continue (at St Augustine’s Hall)
October 27 - Year 12 VCAL classes finish
October 30 - Unit 2 / VET / VCAL / VCE VM results due into VASS
October 30 - November 3 Year 10 Work experience
November 10 - Year 11 classes finish
November 14 – November 17 Unit 2 exams
November 13 – November 17 Year 10 exams (to be held in class)
November 13 – November 17 Year 11 VCE VM Structured Workplace Learning
November 20 – December 1 Year 11 into 12 Early Commencement Program
November 20 – December 8 Year 10 into 11 Early Commencement Program
November 21 - Year 12 Graduation Assembly (with families)
November 21 - Year 12 Valedictory Dinner (with staff and students)
December 11 - VCAA results published
December 11 – 13 Change of preference
Megan Michalaidis
Principal of Operations