Principal's Report 

WELCOME BACK

Welcome back to all members of the school community. The students should be commended on their calm and positive return to classrooms and the ongoing contributions they are making to the success of the College both within the classroom and in the broader co-curricular program.

VSC MARCHING BAND AND VSC ANZAC ASSEMBLY

Congratulations to Vermont Secondary College music students who were involved in the annual ANZAC Day Parade in the city on Friday (25 April 2025). Whilst rain was expected, the conditions were perfect for the march and our talented marching band, led by Ben Muddyman were superb. Thank you, Ben. An extraordinary amount of work goes into preparing the students for this prestigious event as well as our ANZAC Assemblies and it shows in the quality of the performances.

Thank you also to Khristian Mizzi, our Instrumental Music Leader, for all his work and support behind the scenes and for his yearly planning of our involvement in these significant and esteemed events. Well done also to our School Captains Areeba S. and Caitlin S. who proudly marched carrying our school banner.

Vermont Secondary College also commemorated ANZAC Day on Thursday (24 April 2025) at our official Junior and Senior college assemblies. I thank the student population for their formal participation in this annual event, and I again thank the college band, led by Ben Muddyman, for their excellent musical accompaniment of the official ceremony. 

Special thanks to Adelina G. for singing the national anthems of New Zealand and Australia and also to Hui Yan C. and Tin Long K. for playing The Last Post and The Rouse.

As part of our ANZAC commemorations and under the ‘adopt an ex-service organisation’ program, Vermont Secondary College formed a partnership with the 10th Australian (AIF) Field Ambulance Association in 2014. We have their Honour Roll in the college and a range of memorabilia on display as well as a painting of their President and veteran Ted Young representing the Tenth Field Ambulance Association.

As part of this association in 2015, following the ANZAC Day assemblies, we planted a descendant of the ‘Lone Pine’ on the front lawn near the flagpoles/Year 7 area with Wendy Ward representing the 10th Australian (AIF) Field Ambulance Association. Despite the very exposed position the pine was planted in, the descendant of the ‘Lone Pine’ has grown strongly.

COLLEGE COUNCIL - COMMUNITY REPORTING MEETING

The VSC annual Community Reporting Meeting was held on Tuesday 22nd of 2025. At this meeting the VSC 2024 Annual Report was presented to the School Community and the College Council.

As the Annual Report has now been ratified by the College Council it will shortly be available on the College website. It provides a snapshot of the 2024 school year and includes an array of data sets. To access the report, click on ‘About Us’, then ‘School Accountability and Improvement Framework’ and then Vermont SC 2024 Annual Report’. Previous reports are also available.

SAFE CONDUCT WHEN COMMUTING TO AND FROM SCHOOL

Students are reminded of the importance of safety when traveling to and from school. A number of near-miss incidents have recently been reported to the school. Involved students who have failed to show caution when riding bicycles or been walking whilst distracted by mobile phones or headphones. Students are reminded that they are commuting on public roads and footpaths and should act accordingly. Drivers, thank you for the high-level of caution many of you are displaying when driving in surrounding streets.

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Students and parents are reminded that School Attendance is vital to underpinning engagement with education and ultimately success in school.

A clear evidence base exists that shows that children and young people who regularly attend school have better health, well-being and employment outcomes as well as higher incomes across their lives.

In 2024 across the school, the average student missed 19.3 days of school. This is too high and indicates that on average students are missing one day every fortnight. This the equivalent of four full weeks of learning loss by the end of the year.

Clearly, students should not attend school when they are unwell. Outside of this however, attendance is vital. If you have any concerns about your child and their attitude to attending school, please contact your Student Manager or the Wellbeing Team.

Aidan Message

Assistant Principal