Principal's Report

TO THE PARENTS/ GUARDIANS AND STUDENTS OF YEAR 12 2025

Thank you so much in supporting us, and your child, in getting the current Year 12 students through their VCE exams and VM course, sometimes under some trying circumstances such as the COVID outbreak in the students early years of secondary school. Our priority over this time has always been to get the students through their Unit 3 & 4 exams unscathed and VM course, and despite some difficult moments along the way we were able to achieve this. Credit also goes to the staff for all their hard work in preparing the students for their final year. Congratulations also to the VM students in successfully completing the academic year.

I wish all students who completed a Unit 3 & 4 external exam all the best with their results which will be released from 7am on Thursday 11th of December. (2025 Important Administrative Dates - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority). You must register for the Results and ATAR service before you can log in to the website or app and it is highly recommended that you set this up now. 

Below (https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/results/Pages/interpretsor-aspx.aspx) is a table from the VCAA website that may give results some perspective called ‘Interpreting the Statement of Results’. On average there is around 50,000+ students doing their VCE/VM each year.

Study scores for VCE units are based on scores for the Graded Assessments and indicate how well the student performed in relation to all others who undertook the study. Fifty is the maximum study score. For studies with large enrolments (1000 or greater), the following table shows the approximate proportion of students who achieve a study score on or above the stated values. For studies with fewer enrolments, the proportions may vary slightly

Best wishes for the future, 

Tony Jacobs, Principal

TRANSITION PLANNING DAY 2025 – FRIDAY 28th NOVEMBER – STUDENT FREE 

A reminder that Friday, 28th November, is a student free day, allowing our staff time to consider the broad range of data (information!) about their new classes. We will begin the day with a training session for staff on how to best access the many data sets available, and how to interpret and manipulate this into useful groupings that make for easier planning of targeted, differentiated work for the students. Over the day we will then hold team meetings and allow for planning time, so that we have a smooth start to the Transition Program commencing Monday 1st December.

TRANSITION PROGRAM – MONDAY 1ST DECEMBER TO WEDNESDAY 10TH DECEMBER

On Monday 1st December, we commence the 2026 Transition Program. On this day we officially commence our 2026 academic program with students moving to the next year level. Specifically, this entails nearly two weeks for Year 7 into 8 and Year 8 into 9 (Monday 1st December to Wednesday 10th December); one week of transition plus camp (Camp dates - 8th to the 10th of December) for Year 9 into 10; and one week (Monday 1st December to Friday 5th December) for Year 10 into 11 & Year 11 into 12.

We hope our students are excited about starting their new courses and expect them to settle in quickly on day one. Senior students are expected to take careful note of the preparatory work set for the holiday break and ensure they understand and complete it in preparation for the start of Term One in 2026. 

While the academic nature of the Transition Program is important, it also gives staff and students a chance to build strong social and emotional bonds that will carry over into the new school year and beyond. Constructive relationships between the teacher and student, and student to student, account for much of the positive learning that takes place both in and out of the classroom. According to research, “Students are more likely to be emotionally and intellectually invested in the classes in which they have positive relationships with their teachers (Phelan).”

My thanks go to our House, Programs and Pathways teams, and above all our Timetabler, Rosemary Neilson, for the many hours invested in this process. Congratulations also go to all the staff, both teaching and support, for the tremendous amount of work they have done in planning this program. 

VSC 2025 SUMMER PROGRAM – THURSDAY 11TH DECEMBER TO THURSDAY 18TH DECEMBER

The Summer Program will run from Thursday 11th December to Thursday 18th December. The program will consist of combined Year 7, 8 & 9 classes dependent upon the number of students attending the program. These classes are not part of formal assessment, and it is a non-academic program, as all student reports have been completed. Students will not be supervised by their normal teachers, but activities will be organised around specific subjects. There is no additional cost involved for the Summer Program, and it will be operating around a normal 4 period day timetable. 

To assist in planning for the Summer Program, parents MUST indicate if their child will be attending the program by 8th December via the Compass event which will be released shortly.

If you have any concerns or wish to discuss this program, please contact one of the Assistant Principals - Mike Stevens, Aidan Message or Cara Macfarlane on 88726300. 

STATEWIDE ORIENTATION DAY FOR YEAR 6 – TUESDAY 9th DECEMBER

On Tuesday 9th December, we will welcome our incoming cohort of ‘Year 7s’ to the college on our Orientation Day. Many of the 307 new students will know us already, having attended briefings or the ‘pre-orientation day’ in the weeks before and all will already have met their House teams at the ‘Vermont On Show’ event held on Thursday 21st November. We hope the students are excited about joining our wonderful learning community and wish them well for their six years with us.

TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF CURRENT YEAR 12 STUDENTS

Applications for the annual 2026 Hawker Scholarships are now open. The online form can be accessed via the Hawker Scholarship website - https://www.hawkerscholarship.org/

I urge you to remind your graduated Year 12 students to visit the Hawker Scholarship website and read the FAQs and other useful historical information, before they submit an application. 

Up to four Hawker Scholarships are awarded each year and each undergraduate residential scholarship is valued at $75,000 over three years.

Applications close on Tuesday 2 December 2025. Late applications will not be assessed. 

Outstanding applicants are shortlisted from their online submission and interviewed by the Hawker Trustees, via Zoom, at the end of January.  Selection is largely based on personal qualities, leadership and academic achievements.

The prestigious Hawker Scholarships perpetuate the memory of Australian scholar, soldier, pastoralist and statesman Charles Allan Seymour Hawker (1894-1938).