Heads of Secondary Years' Report
To our wonderful Hazel Glen community,
As we reach the middle of Term 3, it has been a valuable time to pause, reflect and recognise the many positive contributions being made across our Secondary Years community. In particular, we have taken time to celebrate the commitment of our staff and students towards our continuous improvement as a College, both academically and in ensuring Hazel Glen continues to be a positive, safe and engaging place for our young people to learn.
Recently, our teachers came together to reflect on and celebrate the wonderful improvements in our Attitudes to School Survey data. Most notably, our students are telling us that they are feeling increasingly safe and happy at school, with particularly positive improvements in the areas of effective classroom behaviour management and connectedness to our College. Students are also reporting a greater sense of belonging, increased opportunities to have input and voice into what happens in the classroom, and that students at our College treat one another with respect.
We are certainly very proud of these outcomes. They speak strongly to the collective efforts of our staff and their continued investment in the daily routines, relationships and habits that support our students to feel safe, connected and ready to learn. Importantly, they also reflect the voices and experiences of our students, which continue to play an important role in how we grow and improve as a College.
Last week, our students came together for a whole Secondary Years Assembly, where we enjoyed some incredible performances from our Year 12 band, as well as a special preview from a collection of students performing in this year’s College Production.
Next Thursday marks opening night for our annual and much-anticipated production, Disney’s classic Beauty and the Beast. We are very much looking forward to seeing our students take to the stage! My sincere thanks and congratulations are extended to all of the staff and students who have dedicated so much time and energy to the production throughout the year. There is certainly plenty of excitement building for next week.
This week, we also celebrated Science Week, with a wonderful series of activities coordinated by our Science Team and Science Leader, Ms Leanne Batty. Thank you to all of the staff and students who got involved during Homegroup and lunchtimes throughout the week. It has been fantastic to see students engaging in Science beyond the classroom and continuing to build curiosity and a passion for learning in this area.
Last Friday evening, we had the pleasure of celebrating our Year 10 Formal at Manor on High in Epping. It was a fantastic evening for our students and staff to come together and celebrate the year so far. We enjoyed an amazing three-course meal, alongside plenty of laughs and, of course, lots of dancing! Students even took part in a dance-off competition, with a voucher up for grabs for the eventual winner. I am sure Mr Mitris will also be fondly remembered as our best dancing teacher of the evening - he certainly put on a show and provided plenty of laughter and joy for everyone in attendance!
Thank you once again to our Year 10 Leadership Team - Mr Dane Van Mueewen, Mr Rauf Demiral, Ms Claudia Sansonetti and Mr Aidan Davies - for the significant coordination and preparation that went into making the evening such a success. I would also like to acknowledge the students on our Formal Committee, who helped add all of the little touches that made the evening special, including coordinating the staff and student awards.
Looking ahead, next week is Book Week! Students are invited to dress as their favourite book character on Tuesday 25 August, and we look forward to seeing plenty of creativity across the College.
I would also like to make our community aware that Parent Teacher Interviews will take place in Week 9, on Friday 11 September. Interviews will be held online via WebEx during regular school hours, with bookings opening through Compass. Further information, including booking instructions and details, will be shared with families through the Compass portal. For students, this will remain a non-school day; however, we strongly encourage students to attend their online interviews alongside their parents or guardians wherever possible. These conversations are an important opportunity for students, families and teachers to reflect on progress and work together towards the next steps in learning.
Thank you for taking the time to read this week’s newsletter. Be sure to also visit our Celebrations of Learning and Community section to read more about the incredible things happening across our Secondary Years.
Have a wonderful fortnight.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Alex Janceski
Head of Secondary Years – Teaching & Learning
