PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Paul Dawson

Principal

2024 Key Dates

Welcome back to the 2024 School Year

Firstly, it is an honour that I take on the role of Principal of North Geelong Secondary College for Semester 1. It is a school I am incredibly passionate about, and I will continue with the strong focus of high expectations in all areas, especially teaching and learning.

Late last year, our Principal, Mr Nick Adamou, was asked to undertake a role as the College Principal of a large multi campus College in Melbourne, which he accepted.

He asked me to pass on the following message:

To all students and parents of North Geelong Secondary College, 

I wish you all the very best for the 2024 academic year and beyond. NGSC is a great school, with an outstanding Principal team and absolutely dedicated staff, and I am very confident that it will continue down the path of success. No doubt, I will miss this school community that I led for the last 13 years, however, as I said many times, I will always be part of this wonderful NGSC family.

Wishing all students, parents and staff the very best.

Sincerely,

Mr Nick Adamou

I'm sure you all know about Nick Adamou’s significant contributions to leading North Geelong Secondary College to become an outstanding learning institution. On behalf of the school community, I would like to acknowledge all of Nick's efforts.

On behalf of the leadership team and staff, I would like to warmly welcome all students, parents, carers, and members of the NGSC school community for the 2024 school year. I hope everyone had a restful break and enjoyed quality time with their families. A special welcome goes out to the new Year 7 students who have joined our school community. Seeing so many parents and carers attend the Year 7 teacher and Chromebook night on January 31 was great. Additionally, a warm welcome goes out to all newly enrolled students from Years 8-12 who are now part of the NGSC family. 

Parents and guardians should inform their children's teachers or coordinators if they think their children require assistance. The school aims to collaborate with all members of the school community to guide students in the right direction and equip them to handle any obstacles that may arise.

Year 12 students are embarking on their final year of secondary education, and it is hoped that they will reflect on this year as one of the best in their educational journey. In this critical year, teachers will be a great source of support to help them navigate through the challenges of their studies. Students should know that the school staff are here to help them in any way possible. The Year 12 students have already had the opportunity to attend a study camp at Federation University in Ballarat, which was designed to prepare them for the year ahead and to foster positive relationships with their peers and teachers.

Once again, welcome back to the NGSC community, and I look forward to working closely with all members to ensure a successful year of learning for all students.

Welcome to New and Returning Staff

Welcome the following new and returning staff to our college and wish them a very productive and enjoyable year. The staff and I look forward to working closely with our new staff to ensure the best possible teaching and learning opportunities for our students. 

 New

• Orville Obaldo - (Maths/Science)
• Julie Maine - (English/Humanities)

Returning 

• Jacinta Eales - (Maths/Science)
• Rebecca Durran - (PE/Health)
• Amy King - (Maths/Science)
• Tom Grayson - (PE/Humanities)

School Council and School Council elections

School councils play a key role in Victorian government schools. Effective councils have a wide range of skills, expertise, and knowledge to support good governance and provide students the best possible educational outcomes.

The annual school council election process provides an opportunity to attract members keen to add value and bring their expertise and skills to assist the school's governance. 

All government schools with students enrolled in Year 7 and above must have a student member category on council. The school election process for the student member category must occur simultaneously with Parent and DET employee member elections. 

Where a council has Community member positions, the council can co-opt members following the election process and add to the council’s skills and expertise.

School council membership

Each school council’s constituting order makes provision for its structure and membership:

• Parent members – parents of students at the school must comprise more than one-third of the school council’s total membership. ‘Parent’ includes a guardian or person responsible for maintenance or custody of a student at the school. Department employees are eligible for membership in this category as long as they have children attending the school and the Department employees do not work at the school (except for the principal, who is a member of the Department employee member category) of that school council.

• Department employee members – must not be more than one-third of the school council’s total membership. The principal is automatically included in this membership category and has full voting rights. Other staff (teaching and non-teaching) are elected or co-opted to this category. To be eligible for election to this category, a person must be a member of the school's Department of Education and Training (DET) employee electorate. 

• Student members – ‘student’ describes a student enrolled at and attends the school and is in Year 7 or above. Students are elected to this membership category or co-opted if a casual vacancy occurs. To be eligible for election, a student must be a member of the school's student body. The number of student members is recorded in the Ministerial Order for the school council.

• Community members – is an optional membership category. The council’s membership schedule may include this category. If a council has the option of community members, the committee decides who to approach and co-opt into this position. People are co-opted by the school council to a community member position to bring additional skills and perspectives. Community members hold the same rights, responsibilities, and terms of office as elected members. Parents are eligible to be co-opted to a community member position, but Department employees are not. Students may also be co-opted to a community member position.

The North Geelong SC, school council composition includes:

(9 x parents, 1 x community member, 2 x students and 5 x DET employees including the Principal - voting members)

• 9 x parents (no DET employees)
• 1 x community member
• 5 x DE&T employees – teaching and non-teaching staff, including the Principal 
• 2 x elected students 

Total number of voting members 17. 

The College Principal is the Executive Officer of the school council. 

This year we have:

• 3 x parent members vacancies for a 2-year appointment (2024 and 2025) 
• 3 x DET employee member vacancies for a 2-year appointment (2024 and 2025)
• 1 student member vacancy for a 2-year appointment (2024 and 2025). 

I call for parent nominations for three vacancies.  Any parent or community member that would like to discuss the role of the Council or the role of the parent member on the council please call the school and speak to Ms Leanne Scarlett or the Principal.

Nomination forms can be obtained from Ms Leanne Scarlett at the General Office. The closing day for nominations is Tuesday 20th February by 4.00pm.

I take this opportunity to thank all school council members, particularly the parent body, for their outstanding contributions to the life of the college.