PRINCIPAL REPORT

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra” Jimmy Johnson

It’s been a busy three weeks for me as I begin to settle into Brighton Secondary College, and I’d like to extend a huge thank you to our community for the welcome I have received.  My first message to our staff and to our students has been a simple request; that we all endeavour to bring our best, and to seek the best in others. Over the coming months, that is also a commitment that I make to the Brighton Secondary College community, as we work together to strengthen our sense of college pride, unity and shared success. 

Since my arrival I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to meet a number of families via our recent parent forums and last week’s social coffee morning. It has been lovely to begin to meet the BSC community, and the event was also an opportunity for families to come together, build relationships with each other and to meet some members of our BSCCC. Family engagement is integral to students’ educational success and I look forward to working in partnership BSC families over the coming weeks and months. 

Our recent TAPAS meetings provided a chance to discuss students’ progress; I thank our teaching team for their time and effort in preparing meaningful feedback for our students, and I hope these conversations have proved fruitful for all involved. 

Last week’s Open Night was also a great success, with visitors enjoying meeting our friendly students and staff, and learning about the range of opportunities on offer at BSC. Our students were, of course, the highlight; whether touring prospective families, sharing their experiences as student leaders, or showcasing their skills in contemporary music performances, our students stole the show - congratulations to all involved! 

Student leadership is an important element of the college, and our five college captains have been working hard, recently launching BSC weekly, a weekly video snapshot of the great things happening within our community. Published each Friday, BSC Weekly is another way that we can recognise and celebrate student success, both big and small, each week. 

Yesterday, Johnny, Harlene also represented the college as they joined me at Alkira Secondary College’s annual Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony. We were privileged to hear from a number of guest speakers, most notably Holocaust survivor, Peter Gaspor, who spoke with eloquence and emotion about his life during the Holocaust. I extend my thanks to Courage to Care and Alkira Secondary College for their kind invitation to this important event. 

We ended this week in great spirits with our whole school Athletics Carnival. Congratulations to all our students and staff for the fantastic costumes and participation across the day…and well done to Goldstein for bringing their best and taking home the win! 

After three weeks at BSC, I see our community’s enormous potential; in our pursuit of extraordinary, I’m urge each of us to consider how we can add that little ‘extra’. 

Anne Stout

Interim Principal