Principal's Report 

In our Staff Room

Last fortnight, our school leaders came together at Port Melbourne Secondary College for our Term 3 School Improvement Team Day. This was a great day of professional learning and collaborative planning to discuss and refine our strategic priorities. I'm excited about the progress we are making and, in due course, will share more insights on the significant school improvement initiatives lined up for the upcoming year. Thank you to the team at Port Melbourne SC for welcoming us.

In our Classrooms

This week, the school is abuzz with Book Week, and last week with STEM day during National Science Week. It’s been wonderful to see staff and students so invested in these immersive activities. Statewide NAPLAN results were released earlier this week. While there has been some media focus on the number of students not meeting minimum proficiency standards, most of this relates to the statewide dataset. Port Melbourne Primary Students on average continue to far out-perform their statewide peers and are closing the gap to our network and similar schools, who rank among the best in the state. 

Further benchmarking and growth data will be provided to schools over the remainder of the year. Our School Improvement Team and teachers will delve into these data points to guide their teaching strategies over the next 12 months. We're committed to enhancing our school-wide literacy and numeracy programs to ensure sustained growth in student achievement. As plans unfold, I will provide further details about these programs and initiatives.

In the cooler winter months, we’ve noticed that some of our students are not consistently coming to school in full uniform. Starting next week, we'll provide students the option to exchange any non-uniform jackets, jumpers, or hoodies for an item from our stock of uniform items. This swap will be available at the beginning of the day, and students can swap back at the end of the day to take their personal items home. Please reach out to the office if you have issues obtaining uniform items.

In our Community

Our Parent Opinion Survey remains open. Your insights and feedback are invaluable to us, and we urge every parent to take a moment to share their thoughts.

Safety within our school community is paramount. We'd like to remind all parents and guardians about the guidelines for our "Kiss and Go" zone. The zone is designed to facilitate quick drop-offs and pickups, ensuring the safety and smooth flow of traffic. Parking in this zone is restricted to a maximum of 2 minutes and parents should not be leaving parked vehicles in this zone. Let's collectively ensure the safety of every child and family member by adhering to these guidelines.

Best Wishes,

Tom Cain

Principal