Principal Message
Dear Families and EMC community,
It's hard to believe we're already at the end of another term. Looking back over the last few months, what strikes me most isn't any single event, it's just how much our students and staff have packed in, and the standard they've set while doing it.
We opened the term with our school production of We Will Rock You, and it genuinely stopped people in their tracks. One audience member wrote to us afterwards to say it was the best show they'd seen in years, professional shows included, and after watching our cast, crew, band and everyone behind the scenes pull it together, it's easy to see why. A few weeks later, Specialist Program information night drew more than 400 people through our doors, overflowing the auditorium, a reminder of just how much this community values what our specialist programs offer. And most recently, our Year 9 TAL class brought home the Alicia Katz Award for this year's Parliament Prize, recognised among entries from 180 schools across Victoria for the depth and diversity of the issues they chose to speak on. It was a genuinely proud moment for our whole school community to see four of those students accept the award at Parliament House.
Congratulations also to Shayla Swift who was selected as a principal vocalist for this year's Victorian State Schools Spectacular. It's a fantastic honour, especially for someone still in Year 10, and comes after months of rehearsals building towards two performances in front of a packed John Cain Arena. The production itself is enormous in scale, featuring an 80 piece orchestra, a 1000 person choir, mass dancers, and just 30 principal dancers and vocalists chosen from across the state. You will be able to watch her perform when the show airs on Channel 7 on Friday 18 December, a wonderful reflection of her talent and hard work.
Alongside the big occasions, there's been just as much happening in the background to set our students up for what comes next. Grade 5 students from our feeder primary schools spent a day with us getting a real feel for secondary school before they've even started. Our Year 9 families came in for course counselling in record numbers, with almost every single family in the cohort booking a time, and Year 10 students have been out gaining real world experience in workplaces across the region. Right now, eight of our students and accompanying staff are in the United States taking part in the NASA Space Camp program, and by all accounts they're having the time of their lives, a fantastic opportunity that's helping foster a genuine love of STEM in our students.
Our staff have been just as busy investing in their own craft. Our recent Curriculum Day gave teachers dedicated time to sharpen the strategies they use every day in the classroom, and the feedback made it clear how much of that is already finding its way into lessons. Congratulations also to Simon Chiodo, selected to support fellow VCE Music examiners ahead of this year's exams, and to the more than twenty pre-service teachers who've spent time learning their craft alongside our staff this term. As our Year 12 students head into their holidays, many of our staff are dedicating part of their own break to running practice exams, investing that time to make sure every student walks into their exams as prepared as possible.
It's also been a term where we've progressed on a project bigger than any single event we could have held this year. Last year, College Council endorsed a proposal to rename our sub schools, Allinga, Bindana, Kurunda and Myamba, so that they better reflect the language and cultural heritage of the Bunurong people, the Traditional Owners of the land we learn and work on. Our current names were chosen at a time when understanding of Aboriginal culture was far less widespread than it is today, and this is a genuine opportunity to strengthen our commitment to reconciliation. We're now working closely with the Bunurong Land Council, following the local language and cultural protocol, to respectfully engage in a genuine partnership for this exciting next chapter. A working group made up of Indigenous and non Indigenous communities members including current and past staff, current and alumni students, as well as parent and Department of Education representatives, is currently helping shape the consultation process for input into the renaming of the sub schools. It's a significant and meaningful piece of work, and one we're proud to be undertaking properly and respectfully.
Our Year 9 SAP students have also spent time this term giving back to the local community, heading out to volunteer with a range of local organisations. We even received a lovely note afterwards from one of the groups they visited, praising how polite, engaged and hardworking our students were. It's the kind of work that builds empathy and character, and it's always wonderful to hear that reflected back to us from the community.
Our 2026 NAPLAN results gave us plenty to be proud of too, with Year 9 Reading hitting our 2027 target two years early, ahead of similar schools and our network. It's a strong reflection of the work happening in classrooms every day, and it tells us that when we focus on something as a whole school, real growth follows.
Thank you staff, students and families, for everything that's gone into this term. I hope everyone gets some genuine rest over the break, and I look forward to seeing what Term 4 brings.
Kind regards,
Terry Kiat
Acting Principal