Principal's Report
It has been pleasing to see our students involved in a myriad of co-curricular activities throughout this term, encompassing fund raisers, inter and intra school sport, senior school formal, STEM challenges, Toyota World Hydrogen Car Challenge, first aid training and safe food handling just to mention a few.
Teachers have worked to develop partnerships with industry to provide authentic experiences for students, with Coca-Cola and Stegbar being new associations for STEM and VCE Vocational Major Students.
Our student leaders continue to shine with a launch of the Push Up Challenge to raise awareness of mental health to be launched at the student led assembly this week and raising funds for Dolly’s Dream a fortnight ago.
Student Representative Council Captains have been training year 10 students to serve as peer support leaders working to support Year 7 students as they transition to high school, and leaders will play an important role in the upcoming Student Attitudes to School Survey.
This anonymous survey will be carried out between Wednesday 4 June and Friday 13 June and provides the school with an understanding of student perspectives and experiences. Student feedback is valuable as their learning and wellbeing is our core business. Their genuine feedback is sought and will be thoroughly analysed, potentially impacting decisions we make within and beyond the classroom to further improve the learning and social environment at school. Effective and targeted learning drives our teachers as they work to meet every student at their point of need.
Last Tuesday during curriculum day, teachers worked together very well to further develop the curriculum so that it is in line with Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 focusing on improved explicit teaching and accessible curriculum for all. The key focus being to ensure that all students have positive learning experiences as they maximise their learning growth.
To ensure that senior students maximise their learning and pathway outcomes, Swinburne University have been providing tutors, along with some of our alumni to assist students during weekly homework club. All students continue to meet with our Careers and Pathway Coordinator to plan for their future beyond school so that they make informed and appropriate decisions, with key goals in mind.
Year 10 students will all be at work experience for the last week of this term. It has been pleasing to see the number of students who have shown initiative and organisation for this opportunity.
To assist students to best examine future possibilities, Year 9 students undertook Morrisby career profiling a few weeks ago, which will assist them with the upcoming course counselling and subject selection.
Junior school students have been working collaboratively as they receive support and extension from a team of teachers in English and Math at Years 7 and 8.
A select number of Year 9 students have satisfactorily completed selection for the Alpine School of Leadership and will spend the first 8 weeks of term 3 at the Gnurad-Gundidj Campus. Students will participate in a series of group and individual challenges as they improve their leadership skills, developing a key community proposal to implement once back at school. Demand has exceeded placement which reinforces the strength and aspiration of many of our Year 9 students.
To assist students to be at their best with clear minds for learning, volunteers provide a breakfast club that is available to all students on Thursday mornings. As the weather cools, warm toasties are becoming very popular, along with various other breakfast foods and beverages on offer.
Additionally, students will shortly be able to order Sushi Sushi on Tuesdays in addition to Subway on Thursdays. Further details to be communicated on Compass.
All things being equal, the college is also in the process of opening the canteen offering healthy choices on Mondays.
Mr Ayman Youssef
Acting Principal