From the Acting Principal's desk

Make connections 

As we approach the end of the term, I want to extend my warmest wishes to all of our families for a safe and restful winter break. This time of year, is a wonderful opportunity to unwind, rejuvenate, and spend quality time with loved ones. If you can, rug up and brave the outdoors, enjoy that crisp cool air and explore nature on our doorstep in the beautiful surrounds of the Grampians, our local botanical gardens and waterfalls, or our rugged coastline and waterways. We truly live in an amazing part of Victoria.

In our busy, technology-driven lives, it can be all too easy to get caught up in the constant buzz of our phones and other devices as we sit indoors. I challenge you to take this break as a chance to disconnect from screens and make meaningful connections with each other. Make a conscious choice to put phones aside, and engage in conversations, fun family activities, and genuine moments of being present with those we love and care for. These positive interactions are invaluable and help to strengthen the bonds we share with our family and friends. It also opens opportunities to check in with our young people and open communications.

The holidays are also a perfect time for reflection on the year to date. As students’ Semester One reports are released, I encourage you to take some time to review these with your child, celebrating their successes and discussing areas where they can continue to grow. This reflection can be a positive experience, helping our children to set goals and feel proud of their achievements. There are also many other school opportunities to recognise and celebrate from involvement in sports, camps, excursions to visiting presenters and school programs. We have updated the Semester Reports this year to include a list of these extra-curricular activities to acknowledge the enriching experience these opportunities provide to your child’s development.

The connection between home and school is vital for enhancing student learning. Strong, respectful relationships and effective learning partnerships between families and school are key to our students' success. Your involvement in your child's education by reviewing their school reports, phoning the school to query an absence, emailing a teacher for an update, or simply staying informed about their learning through the Compass app, significantly boosts their motivation and achievement. Students thrive when they know someone cares about their learning and supports them when that learning is challenging.

Winter break also presents a wonderful opportunity to show acts of kindness within our community and to those we love. Whether it's collecting a piece of rubbish we see on a walk, feeding a neighbour’s pet or walking their dog, holding open a door for someone, doing the dishes at home without being asked, greeting a person with a smile down the street, or simply spending time with someone who needs it, small acts of kindness can make a big difference. Encouraging our children to participate in these acts and modelling these behaviours to our children fosters a sense of empathy and creates a more inclusive and compassionate school community.

Staffing

On behalf of the Baimbridge College community, we sincerely thank the following staff who have assisted us this semester and are now heading off to pursue other passions next term. 

Mrs. Lorraine Liston has been assisting us in the area of English and Humanities. Originally retiring from Baimbridge and returning to Casual Relief Teaching (CRT) and tutoring work since, Mrs. Liston stepped back into the classroom picking up classes in Years 9 & 10 this year. Mrs. Liston has been a committed staff member of Baimbridge College having taught exclusively at our school for the past almost thirty years. Over that time, she has enjoyed her classes and recalls many excursions including trips to Sydney and Canberra and her involvement in a number of school productions. Already a published author, Mrs. Liston is now excited to pursue her passion of writing with a publishing deal in the pipeline for her latest book.

Ms. Maddie Hiscock joined us for a six month contract prior to heading on her oversees trip in July. During this time, she taught in the Year 8 Hub program in the areas of Humanities, Maths and Science. She quickly developed strong relationships with students with high classroom standards and shared the firm belief that every student is capable of achieving their best - her students did not want to disappoint her! Ms. Hiscock has made valuable contributions to her teaching teams and has commented that her time at Baimbridge has enabled her to reconnect with her love of teaching. We hope Ms. Hiscock will return to Baimbridge in the future.

After 34 years as Hamilton School Bus Network Coordinator and 57 years with The Department of Education, Mr. David Gilchrist will be retiring in July. During this period, he has navigated through many systems and personnel to ensure every bus traveller within our region experiences a positive journey to and from school. This is no easy job and is quite complex and challenging at times. From next semester, Mr. David Costello will be taking on the role of bus coordinator and we wish him well for this vital role.

We celebrated Mr. John Foley's 50 years of teaching this term, whilst acknowledging his achievement, he reminded us of the reasons we teach, that it is a true passion and that his career has given him the gift of quality time with his family. Congratulations on a wonderful achievement Mr Foley, you are a valued member of the Baimbridge team.

We farewell Ms. Sam Milne from the Education Support team who has left us to continue her studies and we thank her for her kind, caring support she provided both to students and staff whilst with us.

We congratulate Ms. Robyn Lyons, our Mental Health Practitioner, on her recent secondment as Coordinator of the department's regional Mental Health branch for the first 3 weeks of Term 3 while Ms. Sarah Prescott is on leave. She will recommence with us on Monday 5th August.

Thank you to all staff for their valuable contributions this term to ensure our programs offer quality learning experience for our students. I am very proud of our staff who go often go above and beyond to provide engaging opportunities including camps, excursions, competitions, and incursions and wish them all a very well deserved holiday break.

Finally, thank you for your continued support and partnership. I wish you all a joyous and peaceful winter break filled with love, laughter, and the warmth of family and friends.

We look forward to welcoming all students back in Term 3 and the many learning opportunities that await them.

Warm regards,

Yvette Colquhoun

Acting Principal