Dear Gisborne Secondary College Community,

It has been another incredibly busy and productive start to Term 3 at GSC, and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the many positive things happening across our College.

We have celebrated a number of wonderful achievements and events already this term, including a highly successful and very well-attended Subject Expo evening and our Course Counselling sessions. We have also seen a large number of camps, excursions and other learning opportunities taking place, alongside the important day-to-day work of teaching and learning that happens in our classrooms every day.

At the heart of everything we are doing is our commitment to providing a high standard of learning in spaces where every student can access their learning in a safe, calm and engaging environment. We continue to hold high expectations of our students and staff, and the ongoing support from our College community has been genuinely overwhelming. I am pleased to see the impact of this work, with many of our learning spaces becoming calmer, more settled and increasingly focused on learning and engagement.

Continuing to strengthen teaching and learning - Across the College, we are also beginning to incorporate elements of the new Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 into our everyday practice. In particular, we are placing an explicit focus on Enabling Learning.

This includes strengthening our entry routines and the use of purposeful Do Now activities, ensuring students know exactly what they are expected to be doing from the moment they enter a classroom. These small, consistent routines make a significant difference in establishing calm, predictable and purposeful learning environments.

Our College reputation – we all have a role to play - There is one area I would like us to collectively continue to improve, and that is how our College is perceived within the broader community.

I have only been at Gisborne Secondary College for a relatively short time, but I can honestly say that I love it here. There are so, so many amazing things happening across our College. I see dedicated staff, students achieving wonderful things, positive relationships being built and a community that genuinely cares about our young people.

I am also really pleased to share that we have recently developed some very positive links with our local Proactive Policing Unit. We now meet with them on a fortnightly basis to get a better understanding of what is happening in the broader community and, importantly, to work together to support our young people.

Our responsibility does not stop at the College gates. We as educators can do a great deal between 8:55am and 3:16pm, but we also need our students to represent Gisborne Secondary College positively when they are out in the community. This is about more than simply avoiding poor behaviour. It is about the presentation of ourselves, the way we interact with others and the contribution we make to our local community.

How we present ourselves matters - Our students are locals. Our staff are locals. Our families are locals. We are all part of the same community, and we should be proud of that.

That means thinking about how we present ourselves when we are out and about – including wearing our College uniform correctly and with pride, but also demonstrating manners, courtesy, patience, kindness and respect. These things go a very, very long way.

A smile. Holding a door open. Saying please and thank you. Giving someone space. Being patient. Speaking respectfully. Looking out for younger members of our community. These might seem like small things, but collectively they make a huge difference to how our young people and our College are perceived.

We also need to be mindful of how our behaviour can make others feel. Loitering in large groups around shops, public spaces or other community areas can sometimes be perceived as intimidating, particularly by younger children or members of the community.

This doesn't mean students cannot spend time with their friends or enjoy being part of the community. It simply means we need to be aware of our surroundings, the way our behaviour might be perceived and the impact we can have on others.

We are locals. Let's treat each other with respect and kindness, always.

Let's take pride in our community and step up the way Gisborne Secondary College is perceived within it.

Uniform matters - Our uniform is part of our College identity, it represets something we belong to and should be proud of and we need to get better at this. Hoodies, Ugg boots and clothing that are not part of our College uniform or GSC colours are not acceptable. Our students should be wearing their uniform correctly and with pride.

If purchasing uniform is difficult for your family, please reach out to us. We are here to support you and can assist families who need help accessing the correct uniform.

I genuinely believe that some of our students are unfairly judged based on how they are presented when they are out in the community. We can change that narrative, but it requires all of us to take responsibility.

Let's step it up - So, to our students, I ask you to think about one simple question:

How do you want to be viewed? If you want to be seen as respectful, responsible, safe, kind and proud members of our community, then make the choices that demonstrate that.

To our families, thank you for the support you continue to provide. Please keep reinforcing these expectations at home and help us ensure that the pride we have within our College is reflected in the wider community.

There are so many great things happening at Gisborne Secondary College, and I want our community to see them.

Let's continue to step it up, represent our College with pride, look after our community and make sure the positive stories about our students and our College are the ones that are heard.

I am incredibly proud of the progress I am seeing, particularly the positive changes in student behaviour both within and beyond our College, and I am excited about what we can continue to achieve together.

As much as I believe there is an important place for social media and open community discussion, I do not believe it should be a place for information or comments that are hurtful, disrespectful or simply unfactual.

Below is a link and QR code to our GSC Have Your Say page, which will go directly to our College Leadership Team and School Council.

If you wish to raise a concern, seek clarification, share an idea or provide some positive feedback, we would genuinely love to hear from you. We also love hearing about the wonderful things happening across our College and how these are being perceived by our community!

Please provide your views in a respectful and constructive way via the link below. If you would like a response, I will personally endeavour to respond to all concerns and feedback.

I thank you in advance for your respectful engagement, support and commitment to working with us to make Gisborne Secondary College the very best it can be.

GSC Community have your say....in the right way

Kind regards,

Suzie Harrison

College Acting Principal

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