Principal's Report

Evan MILLER

Principal

My Reflection on 2025 School Year

As we reflect on the year that has been, it is clear that our community has shown remarkable resilience, commitment and pride. We began the year facing significant disruption due to flooding that impacted key learning and community spaces. In response, staff and students demonstrated flexibility, creativity and determination, ensuring learning continued with minimal disruption. This period was a powerful reminder that resilience is a lived value at our school.

Our focus on excellence in teaching and learning has again been reflected in strong academic outcomes. NAPLAN results remain outstanding, with particularly strong growth from Year 7 to Year 9, and our VCE results place us among the highest-performing government schools. These achievements reflect the expertise of our teachers and the effort, persistence and responsibility shown by our students.

This year also marked our first full year of Disability Inclusion reforms. I am incredibly proud of the way our staff have embraced these changes with professionalism and compassion, ensuring every student feels supported, included and empowered to succeed.

Student wellbeing has remained a core priority. Our wellbeing team has strengthened support through Youth Mental Health First Aid training, and we were pleased to partner with families through the successful Tuning into Teens parent program. These initiatives reinforce our belief that wellbeing is a shared responsibility between school and home.

With the support of School Council, we have continued to invest in our learning environments. Upgraded courts, improved outdoor seating, a new PA system, the Healthy Habitat Garden and student-funded bleacher seating have enhanced our facilities and sense of community pride. Looking ahead, we are excited to begin planning upgrades to our library and music learning spaces next year, creating modern, flexible learning hubs for students.

We also launched a refreshed school uniform following extensive consultation. The new uniform reflects our school’s identity and values, while remaining practical and inclusive. We look forward to welcoming our 2026 Year 7 students wearing it with pride.

Student voice and agency continued to flourish through a range of student-led events and initiatives, alongside rich learning opportunities beyond the classroom, including camps, music, debating, robotics, design and international programs. These experiences build confidence, creativity and leadership.

Sport has also thrived, with strong participation and success across competitions. The return of a whole-school swimming carnival, with inclusive activities and outstanding attendance, highlighted a renewed sense of belonging and house pride.

I would like to thank our students, staff, families and School Council for their ongoing support and partnership throughout the year. Together, we have much to be proud of, and I look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead in the coming year.

Teaching Excellence Program

Our school values the learning and development of our staff, and the positive impact this has on student outcomes and school improvement.

We are proud to share that Bianca Brzezek and Lorelai Blake recently graduated from the Teaching Excellence Program at the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership.

This program enables skilled teachers to advance their capabilities and excellence in teaching.

Through the program, they have both grown their knowledge of teaching practices by engaging with contemporary educational research and inquiring into two areas of their practice. Lorelai focused her inquiries on Peer and AI feedback strategies to support student agency and learning independenceand Bianca focused her inquiries on how the social and physical learning environments affect the artistic and academic outcomes for students and why students select VCE subjects and the perception of VCE subjects in the arts.

We look forward to both Bianca and Lorelai sharing their skills and knowledge from the program to continue to support student learning and wellbeing outcomes at our school.