Principal Team Editorial

It’s been another smooth and positive start to the school year as we welcomed back staff and students last week. After a long break over summer, it’s always exciting to return knowing it’s an opportunity to start afresh with new possibilities, fresh goals, and renewed enthusiasm. 

High Expectations – Every Day Matters, Every Minute Counts

At each year level assembly last week, my message was very clear – we have high expectations for all students at Wantirna College because we care. We want the best possible outcomes for every student and to successfully support students to achieve their very best.  We need to set the bar high. 

Our mantra this year is Every Day Matters and Every Minute Counts which means we want students at school and in class, learning.  That’s our core business and we will be doing everything possible to ensure this happens with high support, high challenge and high accountability.

Parent/Carer Meetings

Over the past week, we have had the pleasure of hosting required parent meetings for Year 7-10 parents. We were very pleased with the attendance which is a testament to the dedication of our parents/carers not only being involved with the school, but being actively engaged in their child’s learning. 

I started the meeting with the question –Does your child like reading?It was a mixed response from parents. Decades of research supports what we all instinctively probably know - as most (not all) students transition into secondary school, they read less, which can significantly impact their reading skills. 

We also know how important the skill of reading is, not just at school but learning to read proficiently is critical to a student’s education and is predictive measure of their future in education, health and employment outcomes. 

The responsibility of teaching students to read is our school’s core responsibility however, we need parents to partner with us to foster this life skill at home. An active parent will make time to engage regularly in discussions about learning and build their child’s knowledge and understanding of concepts and ideas they are learning in class. 

For the past two years, I have started reading the books on my daughter’s booklist. Our interactions have moved away from her grunting at my question of ‘how was school today’ to deeper discussions about the characters we like, the characters we don’t, looking up where Geneva is on the map and unpacking the meaning of words. As we drive home from school each day, we slide easily into a conversation about the introduction of an essay she is writing or discuss a theme in the book that was the essence of class discussions that day. 

Following our parent meeting, I asked parents to provide some feedback which was very positive overall. We look forward to continuing our partnership with parents and supporting our students in fostering their engagement in learning. 

Parent Forum

6pm Tue 3 March, Staff Lounge

All Parents/Carers are welcome to meet with me in the staff lounge once a term to hear about how we are tracking as a school and provide feedback about how your child is going. Everyone is welcome.

Leadership Role Changes

Please note the following changes to the leadership of our school. In particular, we welcome Daniel Brooks to the Principal Team. Daniel has already made a significant contribution in his short time as leader of the Year 9 and 10 students.

Assistant Principal Team

Andrew Lewis: Assistant Principal of Operations, HR and Facilities

Natalie Manser: Assistant Principal of Year 11 and 12, Learning and Teaching

Daniel Brooks: Assistant Principal of Year 9 and 10, Student Leadership

David Black: Assistant Principal of Year 7 and 8, Student Services            

School Leadership Team 

Learning Improvement Team

(New roles this year)

Andrew Biggs: Year 7/8 and Middle School Transition

Stuart Horner: Year 9/10

Elise Roper: Year 11/12

Tanya Moran: Year 7-12

Engagement & Wellbeing Team 

(New roles this year)

Rebecca Howell: Year 7/8

Vicky Rumble: Year 9-12

Operations

Peter Kos: Leader of School Operations

Student Services Leaders

Kylie Rackham: Leader of Inclusion

Deanna Poon: Leader of Inclusive Practices

Chelsea Collings: Leader of Wellbeing

Courtney Moran: Leader of Reenagement & Support Programs

Subschool Leaders

Juanita Blair: Middle School Management & Engagement Leader

Tim Pearson: Senior School Management & Engagement Leader

Darren Hoogkamer: Senior School Management & Engagement Leader

Learning Area Leaders

Benn Pollock: Leader of Visual Art & Tech

Ricky Strange: Leader of Science

Ben Karwan: Leader of English

Daniel van Bergen: Leader of Performing Arts

Luke Mason: Leader of Humanities

Tamara Gavazis: Leader of Maths

Janelle Cavarra & Taylor Dougherty: Leaders of PE/Health

Carrie Wallis

Principal