Principal's Report 

ANNUAL COLLEGE PRODUCTION

The annual college production, this year Chicago – The Teen Edition, concluded on Saturday 19th of August after 6 evening performances and matinees plus full-dress rehearsals. The production is a huge undertaking by staff and by all the students involved in the performance, sound & lighting, backstage support, props, hair & makeup, costumes and the school band playing the soundtrack for each performance.

Adapted for a younger audience this legendary and award-winning musical about fame, fortune and acquittal is widely available to be performed by High Schools across the world.

The production was extremely well received by the college community, and in fact was sold out early. I had the pleasure of attending on the final night where the performances were unbelievably professional supported by a fantastic orchestra made up of current and ex-students and conducted by Jeremy Shannon. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and commend Tori Adams for her leadership of the college production as well as all the work, support and leadership also shown by Caroline Leavey. An amazing effort by both staff.

There was also a multitude of staff involved, either on selected nights or throughout the entire rehearsal and performance times. This is a massive undertaking, and I thank the students involved for their commitment and sincerely thank the staff for giving so much of their time on such a worthwhile, and important, component of the college. Thank you also to the college community for supporting this tremendous annual event.

TOURNAMENT OF THE MINDS 

On Saturday August 19th, 3 teams of Vermont Secondary College students participated in the Tournament of Minds at Deakin University.  

Our teams, consisting of seven students each, had been working together, without assistance from parents or teachers, to develop a solution to a STEM challenge that was given to them at the start of Term 3. The students then had 6 weeks to prepare a presentation outlining the product of their ideas - their challenge solution - to a panel of judges and an audience on Tournament Day.  

Each team had ten minutes in which to present, and had do so within a 3 metre by 3 metre performance area. The teams also participated in an unseen ‘Spontaneous Challenge’on the Tournament Day. This challenge required a rapid interchange of ideas, the ability to think creatively and well-developed group cooperation skills. 

All 3 of Vermont’s teams demonstrated a high-level of dedication, organisation, creativity and team-work as they prepared for the challenge day and they all deserve to be commended on the quality of the solutions that they presented.  

Special congratulations need to be given to ‘Team 2: Pengu in the treetops’ who received ‘Honours’ and placed in the top 10% of all teams competin

Student reflections

"In these six short weeks I made six amazing friends" Boris E 

“These last 6 weeks have personally been the highlight of my year. Tournament of the Minds has been an exhilarating experience for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.” Vansh C 

“The experience wasn't about what we invented, it was about the good times and the bonds we made.” Maanas B 

"In 6 short weeks I was able to become friends with 6 great people. We had a lot of fun as a team working on the problem this year." Ayush

Thank you to Fiona Cowan our High-Ability Practice Leader for organising this event. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SENIOR BOY’S FOOTBALL TEAM

On Tuesday the 22nd of August the Senior Boys football team travelled to La Trobe University, playing on an excellent, but very slippery surface, to play St. Joseph’s College Echuca in the State AFL football final.

On a cold wet day, St. Joseph’s College proved too strong for the Vermont team running out winners by a significant margin. This is the second year in a row that Vermont Secondary College Senior boys have made the State final, last year winning against Grovedale College, also by a significant margin.

To make the State final two years running, out of some 400 schools state-wide, is a fantastic performance and one the students and staff involved should be proud of.

Well done to their coach, Seamus Billings and to Amy Malander in a supporting role. Thank you also to all the parents and other VSC students who came out to support the team, greatly appreciated.

REMINDER - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (D.E.) ANNUAL PARENT OPINION SURVEY 2023

Vermont Secondary College is conducting the annual Parent Opinion Survey to gauge what parents / caregivers / guardians think of our college. The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage all

families to participate. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct, future school planning and improvement strategies.

All families have been invited to participate in the survey sent out via COMPASS on Monday 7 August. The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open from Monday 7 August to Friday 8 September 2023.

The survey is conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the survey period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

In 2024 the college has its four yearly major review in Terms 1 and 2. The results from this survey, plus the annual staff and student opinion survey will help form a large percentage of the review and future planning plus the writing of the new 4 year Strategic Plan.

On Monday the 7 August 1,218 Vermont families received the survey and as of the 30th of August, 172 families (14%) had responded.

We will continue to send a weekly reminder up to the closing date of Friday 8 September. As the completion of the survey is anonymous, apologies to families if you receive a reminder but have already completed the survey.

Thank you in anticipation.