From the Principal Team
Leadership Team Update
It has been a busy and productive start to Term 3, with many opportunities for our students, staff and families to learn, grow and connect.
Subject Expo
Thank you to all the students and families who attended our Subject Expo. It was fabulous to hear the buzz in the room as students eagerly explored the wide range of subjects available and spoke with both students and staff about their options.
Thank you to our Learning Area Leaders and teachers who attended the Expo and shared their subject knowledge to support students in making these important decisions. A special thank you to Mark Oudshoorn for his leadership of the event.
Inclusion Curriculum Day
Our recent Curriculum Day focused on Inclusion. Teachers and education support staff collaborated and undertook professional learning on Universal interventions designed to support all learners in the classroom, the Disability Inclusion Profile process, and developing an understanding of how students with diverse needs can be supported within the SWPBS matrix.
Thank you to all the staff who presented, and who actively participated in the day’s learning.
Care and Respect
Our focus on Care and Respect continues this term. The Leadership Team will participate in two half-day workshops focused on transforming meetings and classrooms. This work will support us to strengthen respectful relationships, ensure all voices are heard and create learning environments where everyone feels valued and included.
We have also launched our School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support Playbook with staff. The Playbook is a one-stop guide to the College’s routines, protocols and behaviour expectations, supporting a consistent approach across the school. Students may be shown relevant sections of the Playbook in class to help reinforce our shared expectations. Our college captains have also created videos to support this work.
Year 7 2027 New Parents and Carers Evening
Thank you to the families who attended our Year 7 New Parents and Carers Evening. It was wonderful to welcome our newest families and share more about the College, our vision and values, the Year 7 transition program and the many supports available to students.
A special thank you to Fiona Murrie, College Captains Jack and Flavien, students Lyss, Sasha, Katie, Harrison, Daniel, Maya and Rory and our other panellists for generously sharing their experiences and answering questions.
Sustainability
Our solar panels are already making a significant contribution to the College’s sustainability goals. On some sunny days, they are producing more electricity than the school requires. This is a fantastic step towards reducing our environmental impact and operating costs. We will include a feature article in the next newsletter.
Thank you to GEC parent Simon Campbell for initiating our investigation into “ghost energy”—the electricity used by the school even when buildings are largely unoccupied. Simon will join our Sustainability Club to help students investigate this energy use and take practical action to improve our school environment.
The club meets on Tuesdays during Pink Week and welcomes new members. Please encourage your child to come along, share their ideas and help make GEC more sustainable.
Teaching and Learning
Our Professional Learning Communities continue to focus on creating meaningful Opportunities to Respond. These strategies increase student participation, allow teachers to check for understanding and ensure that every student is actively engaged in their learning.
Our recent Inclusion Curriculum Day was also a great success. Staff undertook professional learning on Disability Inclusion Profiles, differentiated instruction, Individual Education Plans and the adjustments that support students to participate and succeed at school.
Responding to Vaping
The College continues to take a strong, educative approach to vaping. We are investigating the installation of vape detectors and developing further evidence-based lessons about the health risks associated with vaping, including harm-minimisation strategies.
Vaping incidents are followed up in accordance with our Student Engagement and Wellbeing Policy and may result in suspension. When responding to incidents, we also work with students and families to understand the triggers and circumstances contributing to the behaviour and to identify appropriate supports.
Japanese Student Visitors
We were delighted to welcome six Japanese exchange students and four staff members to GEC last week. Our visitors were from Wake, a small town in Okayama Prefecture, Japan.
This visit provided a valuable opportunity for our students to develop friendships, share cultures and strengthen their language learning. We hope it was a rewarding experience for both our Japanese visitors and GEC students.
Thank you to Chizuko Inoue-Andersson for leading the exchange program and to the teachers of 7E, 8B, 8E and 9E for welcoming the students into their classes.
Course Counselling
Course counselling is underway as students begin making important decisions about their subjects and pathways for 2027. Thank you to Mark Oudshoorn, Chris Kotsonis and the Senior School team for supporting students and families throughout this process.
We also welcome Ting Pan as Acting Leading Teacher of Senior School and thank her for stepping into this important role.
Jane Thornton
Principal