Senior School Assistant Principal Report

Term 3 in Senior School

It’s hard to believe that we are at the end of Term 3 and already putting in place preparation for 2024. Days go fast, however there has been a lot of learning and engagement happening in the classroom. Students are starting to feel the pressure and realising the importance of being prepared and demonstrating a positive work ethic in order to give themselves the best opportunity for success. We encourage students to keep up the motivation, success feels great!

As we get to the ‘pointy’ end of the year for our senior students, I want to give you some practical guidance to assist you in engaging with your role in this partnership. 

Knowing what’s going on 

“Knowledge is power.” Keeping informed of key information at school will really help you understand your child’s needs, and give you an opportunity to plan interventions, or celebrate successes, as appropriate. So therefore, the following actions may assist you with this: 

Attending relevant LSC information nights. 

Using Compass. 
Asking your child about what they are learning. 
Attending parent-teacher conferences – upcoming Monday 16th October
Discussing reports with your child.

Year 12 VCAA exams

The VCAA exams are fast approaching, and it is a great time for students to start to plan their study timetables and approaches now. The amount of revision and preparation completed in the next few months can have a real impact on the results achieved.

Some tips for revision and preparing for the exams include;

Plan a study timetable. Feel assured you will cover your material in time with a realistic study timetable.
Study in ‘chunks’ of 45 minutes to an hour at a time
Have a dedicated study area with materials, books etc set up
Maintain a work/life balance which includes staying healthy, regular exercise, eating properly and getting a good night’s sleep
Minimise distractions
Work out how and when you study best – make study and revision ‘active’ eg complete summaries, recheck and refine notes, complete practice exam questions.
Ask your teacher for help, use the resources provided eg Edrolo, Google Classrooms, Revision Booklets and One Note.

AtoSS student focus groups

A number of students were invited to be part of a focus group to analyse the results of the latest Attitude to School survey that all students completed early Term 3. Students were able to identify reasons to why students were feeling either more positive or less positive towards school this year. Students in the focus groups will get an opportunity during Term 4 to present the data they were presented with to their peers during home group and then to staff later in the year. We appreciate the fantastic cooperation and input from all students who were part of the focus groups. Students enjoyed a lunch that was provided to them to keep their brains working and thinking of some great suggestions to support the school in improving attitudes towards the school and learning.

Growth vs Fixed Mindset

At Lyndale Secondary College we want our students to develop a growth mindset regarding their learning potential. With EFFORT, we want our students to realise that they can achieve. It is important for parents to support this concept. Learn to praise the effort. This doesn’t mean praising mediocre effort. Students are quick to see through non genuine praise. When students say that they are not good at something, we, as adults need to repeat their sentence with the word yet at the end. This statement provides hope and potential growth. Are you a growth or fixed mindset individual? 

Healthy Minds Forum – Rotary Club

On Tuesday 15th August we were fortunate to host the Healthy Minds Forum. Rotary club put together a fantastic evening in which members of the community came together to hear some inspiring stories of individuals who were able to demonstrate strength in their mental health to achieve success. We look forward to continuing a strong partnership with the Rotary club moving forward.

Monash Scholars Class of 2023 – 2025

Congratulations to the following year 10 students who have been offered a place in the Monash Scholars Class of 2023- 2025 for Lyndale Secondary College.

We hope that this support encourages you to aspire high and reach your future education goals.

Laraib Ayub
Devasena Karthikeyan
Harsiga Piratheepan

Senior School Celebration Assembly

On Tuesday 11th July we celebrated the work of our senior school student’s achievements of Semester 1. Students were rewarded for their academic excellence and endeavour in their studies in senior school during Term 1 & 2. We acknowledged a large number of students who received 100% attendance throughout their semester.

A wonderful achievement of students working hard towards their goals and pathways. We encourage all students to continue the hard-working attitude to set yourself up for the best success.

The school was fortunate to welcome back Layal Al-Ashkar. A past student and school captain who graduate in 2016. Layal is currently employed at KPMG. KPMG is a global organisation with offices in 144 countries. Alone in Australia, KPMG employs over 10,000 people.

Three years into her career she is a Manager in a Policy, Economics and Public Impact team with a focus on education and skills development work. She is working on projects supporting government to ensure Victorian’s have the best access to education.

These projects include:

Introducing the new Vocational Major program (changes to the VCAL program) that are being implemented across the whole state

Working with TAFEs and universities across Victoria to connect them with businesses so they can collaborate and design courses in line with the future skills industry need. Think – future of technology, AI, robotics and the skills we need to create and maintain those innovative products
Lead important discussions around the future of learning with very senior government officials – including digital strategies for schools, remote/online learning, how we reimagine schools 5-10-15 years from now and how we continue to ensure access to the best teachers and educators into the future.
Beyond just education work, she has worked on other projects including the COVID-19 response in her first year as a graduate (where she would help produce the daily situation report the Premier would present on a daily basis) and that helped inform lots of important decisions for the country.

Layal offered some insightful advice and tips for students still at school to ensure they make the best of their time.

We are forever grateful to our wonderful musicians who performed in front of over 300 year 10-12 students in the theatre. A great opportunity where we were able to bring 3 year levels together and celebrate success.

Work experience

In the last week of Term 2 our year 10 students out on work experience. Students had to complete their safe @ work modules and OHS requirements prior to attending work experience. Students had a taster into the requirements of the workforce, many even gaining part time jobs as a result of their work. Employers are more likely to take on students who engage in work experience as this ensures they are ready and committed to the requirements of work. Having a part time job is a great way to build skills and experience future career pathways. Congratulations to all students who went out and engaged in the program.

Parent Information evenings – 2024 Subject pathways

On Wednesday 26th July the school ran a number of parent information evenings to start informing our community of the senior reforms informing pathways available for students. We recognise that schools are changing in regard to the pathways and opportunities that are available to our students today. As we continue our work in educating the students, parents, and wider community on the options available we are aware that this work needs to start from the early years. Planning is already underway to ensure students from year 7 are introduced to the pathway opportunities earlier in order to ensure students can work towards their desired pathways from the early years.

We thank the community that showed up to this event. The number of families in attendance confirmed the amount of support we have for our students in ensuring they have a team around them to support them in their learning journey.

When students are moving into year 11 & 12 there are a range of alternative pathways. Each pathway is individualised for each student. We value the importance of an individualised plan and hence we put in place strong course counselling protocols to ensure we can make this happen. We need to ensure that your child gains the necessary information required to ensure they are fully aware of the pathway they are undertaking and what that entails.

We understand there is a lot to learn. We have been very busy keeping up with the number of questions our students are seeking in regard to their pathway. Every conversation has been welcomed as we are so proud of the dedication and commitment students are showing towards their future careers.

We welcome questions at any time, should this be via an email, phone call or meeting, please feel free to reach out.

Course Counselling process

We are excited as a school and feel confident after a very successful course confirmation evening for our current year 10 students going into year 11. There was a long and comprehensive process for students in years 9-11 of gathering and putting together data to support each child in making recommendations on where they will be successful in their future pathways. There are so many fantastic pathways and organisations that support each child in ensuring they meet success. Our aim is to ensure all students finish year 12 and can do so successfully at Lyndale Secondary College. We will ensure our work around careers and pathways starts as early as introducing this to our year 7’s in 2024 as our students have been expressing how they would have liked this information earlier in their schooling.

Every Day Counts - School Attendance

Going to school on every scheduled school day is the single most important part of your child’s education. Students learn new things at school every day – missing school puts them behind. School is better when your child is there!

We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day. If students miss school regularly, they miss out on learning the fundamental skills that will set them up for success in the later years of school.

There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind and can affect their educational outcomes. Each missed day is associated with progressively lower achievement in numeracy, writing and reading.

Being away from school for one day a fortnight equals missing 1.5 years over 13 years of school.

If for any reason your child must miss school, there are things you can do with your school to ensure they don’t fall behind:

Inform the school via Compass.
Speak with your child’s year level coordinator and find out what work they need to do to keep up.
For extended periods away, develop an absence learning plan with your teacher and ensure your child completes the plan.

Remember, everyday counts. If your child must miss school, speak with the year level coordinator as early as possible. Openly communicating with your child's school about all absences is a good way to prevent attendance issues.

Top attendance tips for parents

Schools want to work in partnership with parents – act early if you have any concerns by contacting your child’s school and asking for advice and support
There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes and their social connectedness
Talk positively about school and the importance of attending every day
Open and prompt communication with your child’s school about all absences is a good idea 
Avoid making routine medical and dental appointments during the school day or planning family holidays during the term
Seek help from your school if you are concerned about your child’s attendance and wellbeing. Schools want to work in partnership with parents to support student attendance and wellbeing.

Diana Kennedy

Assistant Principal

Senior School