Castlemaine Secondary College News

Principal's message

Term 1 - 2025

As we begin the 2025 school year, I extend a warm welcome to all returning students and a special greeting to our new Year 7 students and those joining us from other schools. This year marks an exciting chapter as we begin the first year of our four-year strategic plan, paving the way for continued growth and success at our college.

 

Our college values of Aspiration, Respect, and Empathy reflect our commitment to fostering a strong connection with students, families, and the local community. Building and maintaining positive relationships remain central to our goal of helping all students thrive.

 

At Castlemaine Secondary College, the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) continues to play a pivotal role, emphasizing "unconditional positive regard for all." Our Precinct Model and Mentor Program are designed to nurture meaningful connections throughout each student’s journey, providing tailored support to meet individual needs.

 

We uphold high expectations for students and staff alike, including work ethic, behaviour, relationships, uniform standards, and policies like our mobile phone policy, which support calm and focused classrooms. All expectations are communicated with kindness and respect through the BSEM framework, ensuring a positive and inclusive environment for everyone.

Successes of 2024

During 2024 we achieved some pleasing results in various data sets, which were linked to our focus areas. 

 

For our Attitudes to School Survey, the survey students complete every year, we achieved an increase in the positive endorsement rate for the following Wellbeing Measures. 

  • Emotional Awareness and Regulation: Positive endorsements increased by 4.1%
  • Managing Bullying: Positive endorsements increased by 1.4%
  • School Connectedness: Positive endorsements increased by 2.3%
  • Stimulated Learning: Positive endorsements increased by 2.5%
  • Student Voice and Agency: Positive endorsements increased by 1.5%.

These consistent percentage increases indicate gradual but meaningful improvements in fostering a supportive and inclusive school environment. The steady progress highlights the school’s ongoing commitment to enhancing student wellbeing, building resilience, and creating a positive culture for learning and personal growth. The above areas will continue to be a focus during 2025. 

 

Congratulations to all students who graduated in 2024. Once again, our VCE students achieved outstanding results, particularly to our highest performing students who received the following Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR). 

Congratulations to the following VCE students, who achieved some amazing results.

  • Andrew Cockerall — ATAR 98.00 (DUX)
  • William Marney — ATAR 95.30 (DUX Proximus)
  • Moby Wilson — ATAR 92.30
  • Jacob Juriansz — ATAR 92.15
  • Silas Van Tiggelen — ATAR 90.75
  • Charles Warren — ATAR 90.65
  • Lucy Wrzesinski — ATAR 88.25
  • Maeve Saunders — ATAR 85.45
  • Orvokki Britton — ATAR 85.10

Our Focus for 2025

During the 2025 school year, CSC staff will collectively focus on the following key areas:

 

School-Wide Instructional Model (SWIM)

This year, we will maintain a strong focus on enhancing the quality and consistency of teaching practices across all classrooms. Our instructional model offers clear guidance on structuring effective lessons and aligns closely with the DET High Impact Teaching Strategies. A consistent approach to teaching ensures that all students can engage meaningfully with their learning in every class.

 

To support this goal, the college’s Leadership Team will continue conducting regular classroom visits each week. These visits are part of our commitment to fostering a culture of continuous improvement and maintaining high standards of teaching across the college.

School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support 

As we enter the third year of our School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) journey, our focus remains on cultivating a positive school culture by maintaining and reinforcing clear learning and behaviour expectations for both staff and students. Over the past two years, we have developed and implemented these expectations across all areas of the school, creating a consistent framework that supports calm, focused, and productive classrooms. These expectations will continue to be explicitly taught to all students, aligning closely with our college values.

This year, we are excited to further enhance our Acknowledgement System, a central element of the SWPBS framework. This program celebrates and reinforces positive behaviours by recognising students who consistently embody our college values. By broadening the scope of the program, we aim to deepen our commitment to fostering a culture that acknowledges and rewards positive contributions throughout our school community.

 

Communication 

One of the primary communication tools used by our college is XUNO. Families are required to download the XUNO Family app on their phones and ensure that notifications are enabled. XUNO is essential for checking student attendance and accessing reports.

Additionally, the college distributes a newsletter at the beginning of each term, which is sent via email. Both students and families are encouraged to check XUNO daily to monitor attendance rates and stay updated on important announcements and information relevant to them.

Student Attendance

Students should aim to have attendance above 95%, which is no more than 2 days absent per term. If families need assistance to maintain high attendance with their child / children, please contact the mentor teacher to discuss supportive strategies. The following information has been provided by the DET. 

2025 Leadership Team

 

 

 

 

 

Justin Hird - Principal

  • School strategic planning and accountability
  • School staffing and employment
  • Financial management 
  • School legal matters
  • Educational leadership through working with Leadership Team 
  • Occupational Health and Safety
  • College Council Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

 

Martin Mielimaka - Teaching and Learning Assistant Principal

  • Strategic leading of College Teacher and Learning priorities
  • Event management and planning
  • Student enrolments
  • Course Selection process
  • Precinct Leader support

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Hewitt - Wellbeing Assistant Principal

  • Strategic leading of College Wellbeing priorities
  • Occupational Health and Safety
  • Precinct Leader support
  • Oversee Respectful Relationships

 

 

 

 

 

Judith McLean - Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) Leader

  • BSEM implementation across the college
  • Staff BSEM development
  • Extended Mentor Program - Respectful Relationships 
  • Engineer’s Precinct Leader

 

 

 

 

 

Sophie Tanner - Student Engagement Leader

 

Wellbeing Curriculum at CSC including the extended mentor program.

  • School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support
  • Artisan’s Precinct Leader

 

 

 

 

 

Alex Burgess-Norris - Student Achievement Leader

 

Overseeing Curriculum, Reporting & Timetabling across the college

  • Achievement data analysis
  • Assessment & Reporting
  • Wellbeing Precinct Leader

 

 

 

 

 

Caitlin O'Halloran - Student Support Leader

 

Supporting students, families and teachers with inclusion across the college.

  • Disability Inclusion Profiling
  • Support for funded and unfunded students with disabilities across CSC
  • Student Support Groups (SSGs) & Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
  • Performer’s Precinct Leader

 

 

 

 

 

Sharon Rossiter - Teaching and Learning Specialist - Numeracy

 

Supporting teacher professional learning with a focus on numeracy.

  • Support numeracy across the college
  • Professional Learning Communities (PLC)
  • MYLNS and TLI coordination for numeracy
  • Support the other LS’s with implementation of SWIM 

 

 

 

 

Kristelle Sherwood - Teaching and Learning Specialist - Differentiation and Inclusion

 

Supporting teacher professional learning with a focus on personalisation and differentiation.

Supporting staff development of learning and teaching Practices:

  • Professional Learning Communities (PLC)
  • School-Wide Instructional Model (SWIM)
  • High-Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS)
  • Berry Street Education Model (BSEM)

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah Ward - Teaching and Learning Specialist - Literacy

 

Supporting teacher professional learning with a focus on literacy.

  • Support literacy across the college
  • Professional Learning Communities (PLC)
  • MYLNS and TLI coordination for literacy
  • Support the other LS’s with implementation of SWIM 

Other keys areas of responsibility

 

Kate Young and Andrea McDonald - Senior Years’ Coordinator

Supporting students, families and teachers with transitions into, through and beyond the college.

  • Victorian Certificate of Education, Vocational Major and Vocational Education and Training

Sue-Ellen Pape -  Year 6-7 Transition Coordinator

  • supporting the transition of Year 6 students into Year 7

 

Mentor Teacher

The Mentor plays a vital role in fostering positive student engagement at our college. Their primary responsibility is to build strong connections with the students in their mentor group. As the key adult who knows their mentees best, the Mentor serves as the main point of care and support for each student at school. Additionally, the Mentor acts as the primary liaison between home and school, ensuring effective communication. Parents are encouraged to reach out to their child’s Mentor first with any concerns or to share important information.

 

NAPLAN

NAPLAN testing for Year 7 and Year 9 students is scheduled for Weeks 7 and 8 of Term 1, and student participation is highly important. These assessments provide invaluable insights into individual and cohort progress, helping our school refine and enhance the way we teach literacy and numeracy.

Participation in NAPLAN is essential, as it equips students with experience in structured testing environments, helping them develop skills that will be crucial during VCE exams. Additionally, the results allow schools to identify students who may need extra support. This, in turn, secures supplementary funding to provide targeted assistance, ensuring every student has the opportunity to thrive academically.

Individual results remain strictly confidential and are not shared with other students or families. While we understand that NAPLAN can be challenging for some, it is an important part of our commitment to supporting every student’s learning journey. Further details will be shared with families in the early weeks of Term 1.

 

College Council

The College Council elections take place each year and must be completed by the end of March. This year, we have three parent vacancies. Further details will be shared through XUNO News in the first few weeks of the school year. Joining the College Council is a fantastic way to actively engage with the school community, gain valuable insights into the workings of secondary schools, and contribute meaningfully to supporting and shaping the future of our college.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Justin Hird

Principal