Whole School Assembly

The school has been implementing an enormous amount of work across Years 7 to 12 to assist students with starting the school year. The transition to a new year level, new teachers, new lockers, new areas and new classes can be daunting and challenging for some.

To assist with the startup program, we welcomed our entire school community into the new year at our whole school assembly which was held on Tuesday the 11th of February. At the assembly we were able to collectively provide some messages to the students around the following themes:

Academic Success – celebrating the achievements of the Class of 2024 and awards from the Year 7 to 11 Presentation Evening
Safety – we spoke of our Child Safe responsibilities and who to go to in a time of need
High Expectations for student learning – we spoke about the behaviours required that allow learning to take place for all students

Our 2025 school captains were presented to all students and took the opportunity to speak about the importance of being a part of a strong community. Having care for those around them and everyone’s responsibility to ensure that we work together to make Lalor Secondary College a welcoming place for all. They encouraged all students to get involved in the many school-based activities being run and provided an example to all students on what it means to be a leader at our college.

All students listened with intent, and we hope these important messages were received by everyone present.

An important part of the messaging that was presented is also important for parents and careers. We are a Child Safe environment with policies to ensure the safety of everyone on site. These processes are reviewed regularly and updated on our school's website. To view these policies please go to the following link:

https://lalorsc.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ChildSafetyPolicy.2024.2026.pdf

If parents and carers have any concerns or feedback related to the Child Safe Standards, please contact the general office on 9463 7300.

New Staff

We welcome some new and returning staff in 2025. Please take the time to welcome them into our school community at one of the upcoming school events.

New Staff	Role	Returning Staff	Role
Rachel Meltzer	Sociology / Humanities	Thao Nguyen	Maths
Sophie Schmidt	EAL / Humanities	Britt Duncan	Humanities
Julia Corallo	English	Maurizio Gulina	Music / Languages
Matthew Balassone	Music / Instrumental Music	Amanda Cattenazzi	Humanities
Nidhi Jindal	Science Lab Technician	Mary Snowball	Reporting and Assessment
		Emily Smolenaars	School Councillor
		Lena Mitrovska	FT Aide

Meet the teacher

We welcomed many new families into our community at the Year 7 Meet the Teacher evening held on Wednesday the 19th of February. This event provided the opportunity for parents and careers to meet their child’s new teachers for an informal discussion about the school year. There was a wonderful turn out creating a warm feeling of support and celebration.

We look forward to seeing those families back for a more formal discussion around the semester 1 learning plans for their children at the Learning Conferences that will be held on Wednesday the 5th and Thursday the 6th of March. More details to follow early next week.

International Women’s Day

International Women's Day (IWD) has been around for over a hundred years, as have many of the issues still impacting women's advancement. Since 1911, IWD belongs to all who care about women's equality. Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness about discrimination. Take action to forge gender parity. All IWD activity is valid, that's what makes IWD so inclusive.

Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality.

IWD 2025 campaign theme is 'Accelerate Action'

Collectively, we can Accelerate Action for gender equality. Step forward in solidarity for International Women's Day (IWD) 2025 on March 8 to help #AccelerateAction. At the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158, which is roughly five generations from now, to reach full gender parity, according to data from the World Economic Forum.

Focusing on the need to Accelerate Action emphasizes the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in personal and professional spheres.

So, together, let's Accelerate Action to speed up the rate of progress worldwide #AccelerateAction

For more resources on this area of true importance please go to the following link - https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

New Automatic Gates – Dalton Road

The new carpark gates mean our college is secure during the school day with the only entry and exit points during the day located directly out the front of the general office. This assists with our Child Safety obligations and directs all foot traffic into the main entrance. It also stops shared paths of travel between cars and students. At the end of the day only the pedestrian gates will be opened meaning no cars moving through the staff carparks, and no students leaving via the carpark entries. This significantly decreases the chance of an incident between a student and a car.

This is a significant change for the safety of our students 😊

All parents who wish to the enter the college will need to enter via the David Street entrance and report to the general office.

Privacy Statement

In this newsletter the school’s Annual Privacy Statement is listed outlining our obligations around sharing information. Please refer to that information and the associated links for more information.

School Council Nominees - Update

The school received 4 parent nominations for school council which means an election is not required and each of the nominees will be appointed to the vacant parent /carer positions. The following parent / carers are the parent / carer members for 2025/26

Jasmine McFarlane, Giulia Devincentis, Linda Golikidis and Sonia Zymantas

The school received 2 student nominations and 2 staff nominations meaning an election is not required for either of these categories. The following students and staff have been appointed into the vacant positions.

Staff – Josh Simpson and Julie Ryan
Student – Julia Nguyen and Magdalena Nikolova

We welcome our new and returning members to the 2025/26 school council and look forward to working with them closely over the year.

If you have any queries or questions that you would like answered about the school or the information listed above, then please contact me at your earliest convenience.

Best regards,

Corey Jewell

College Principal