Principal's Report
Excellence
Term 3 is the most settled of the school terms, with limited interruptions from events such as public holidays, exams and year level camps and I have really enjoyed watching the progress of students throughout the term. Despite minimal interruptions, students have still been involved in plenty of opportunities and activities.
Earlier this month the school received NAPLAN results for our Year 7 and 9 students. Pleasingly, students recorded our best ever median scale scores in Year 9 for all measures, along with our best relative growth results (Year 7-9) for both Reading and Numeracy. It was great to see our teachers hard work pay off given that both Numeracy and Reading growth have been a special focus in our staff meeting schedule this year. Throughout the course of the year our Maths teachers have been meeting to track student learning data and design hands-on maths activities to incorporate into lessons, whilst our English teachers have been working on a Reading Comprehension Framework that will be rolled out to all teachers in 2019.
We also recently received access to how our school has been tracking in areas such as VCE and attendance compared to other schools. Amongst a list of schools with similar backgrounds we are ranked #2 in the state for our percentage of study scores above 37.
In addition to our VCE and NAPLAN improvements, it also appears that we are making some big improvements in students attendance at school.
In addition to excellent academic outcomes this semester, the College has achieved a number of outstanding extra curricula outcomes in September, including our Aerobics Team winning Bronze at Nationals and our Girls Lacrosse Team winning the state championship.
Community
During our Year 10 Work Experience Week 16 students had the opportunity to work with Kingston Arts as part of their Public Art Program. The public mural was proposed, planned and completed on the banks of Kananook Creek facing the College.
The design for the mural was inspired by the students intereptation of our college values, Persistence, Respect, Excellence and Community in conjunction with two artists in residence, Fausto Gallego and Rob Scholten. Both artists commented on how quickly the students developed the required skills and were soon proficient ‘street artists’. The transformation of the fence has been nothing short of inspirational, going from a what could be described as an eye sore to an impressive piece of art.
The College would like to thank Paint Spot Frankston for their contribution of paint and materials in supporting this project. We would also like to acknowledge the residents of Tradewinds Lane who kindly granted approval for the artwork to be on the rear of their fences. I would like to thank Mr Adam Slater for both his vision and coordination of the project.
Short Term Study Tours
Early in term three the College welcomed two short-term study tours from China. We had one group of Year 9 students who participated in classes over five days. A big thank you to the Year 9 team for making this tour possible.
Another group came from Chengdu and included students as young as 12 and up to 18 years of age. These students were spread across the school with buddies and were placed with local families. Our local hosts did a terrific job and took the students shopping, to wildlife parks, into the city and introduced them to all sorts of new foods at home.
Next year we are planning a special short-term study tour of our own so watch this space for information as it becomes available.
28th Annual Musical Soiree
This week saw the 28th Annual Musical Soiree and Spring Concert, which was once again an outstanding showcase of student talent from Year 7-12. I was particularly impressed by the large number of Year 7's who were able to perform for the first time as a band (which included more than 30 students!)
Doctors in Secondary Schools Update
Dr Alana Shaw (left) and Nurse Michelle
Our Doctors in Secondary School clinic has now been successfully operating for 12 months. In
2018 alone, students have made over 205 appointments and the doctor has seen over 110 students. The program is certainly achieving its primary objectives:
- make primary health care more accessible to students
- provide assistance to young people to identify and address any health problems early
- reduce the pressure on working parents
The clinic is open every Thursday with the new dynamic duo of Dr Alana Shaw and nurse Michelle. Appointments can be made through Year Level Co-ordinators, Miss Cavey or Angela Airey in the General Office. Alternatively students are welcome to drop in and make their own appointment.
The College is very proud of the work being done by the clinic staff and Atticus Health to promote the health and wellbeing of the young people in our school community. We are very pleased to announce the introduction of 2 amazing scholarships initiated by Dr Floyd Gomes of Atticus Health, to support the continued education of senior students from Patterson River. The scholarships will be awarded to two senior students who embody the College Values of Respect, Persistence, Excellence and Community. The scholarships will offer financial support in the amount of $2500, to students who display a passion and strong commitment to study while experiencing hardship.
Staffing Update
The College has recently conducted a number of leadership panels for positions in 2019. I have pleased to announce the following appointments:
Samantha Jeacle (Assistant Principal)
Pennie Marinucci (Staff Development Leader)
Kathryn McDonald (Curriculum Leader)
Matthew Clark (Year 9 Program Leader)
The end of term often brings changes in staffing and I am sad to inform the school community that Ms Danielle Harvey and Mr Rubel Khan will not be returning next term. I wish them all the best for their future endeavours. We have made alterations to the timetable and have some of our current staff members taking over as mentor teachers for their classes.
Yesterday was the final day of classes for our Year 12 VCAL students. I have been highly impressed by this group throughout their two years in the VCAL program and wish them all the very best for their future.
I hope that everyone has a great break!
Mr Daniel Dew
College Principal