PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to our first newsletter for Term 2. I hope and your families had a nice Easter (if you celebrate) and enjoyed the holiday period. 

I’ve enjoyed being back at SCSC since the start of Term 2 after filling an acting position with the Department of Education, Barwon area team for the second half of Term 1. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rachel Barney for stepping in as Acting Principal during my absence and to Jye Ledin for stepping into the role of Acting Assistant Principal (a role in which he will continue for the next fortnight while Rachel Barney is on leave).

ANZAC Day Commemorations.

On Thursday 23rd of April, we held our annual ANZAC Day Commemoration assembly in the College gym. I never cease to be amazed at the respect and understanding shown by our students. It’s an impressive sight to see approximately 800 of our students present, in full school uniform, participating, cooperating, listening and learning from our presenters. This year’s proceedings were overseen by our College captains who did a remarkable job holding the attention of their younger peers and showing a high degree of leadership and maturity throughout the service.

Our College captains again did us proud at the Torquay RSL’s Point Danger dawn service. This is an important annual fixture on our calendar that sees our captains joining thousands of attendees, pre-dawn in what is the largest commemoration service in Victoria outside the shrine of remembrance in Melbourne. Hunter and Finlay were front and centre for proceedings, joining the dignitaries on stage and leading the service by sharing the stories of two fallen ANZACs from our local area. Later in the service, Sienna and Taitum, laid a wreath in front of the memorial. 

The Point Danger service is an amazing event and one I would highly recommend if you are yet to experience it. I thank our College captains for their commitment and participation at this event and to all our students for their respectful attendance at our assembly.

Student Leaders and the Student Representative Council.

In keeping with the theme of service, I am extremely proud of the leadership being shown by our year level student leaders. 

These students are the leaders on our Student Representative Council (SRC) who are currently meeting twice a week to work on a range of initiatives that promote inclusivity and engagement. Some of these programs include our lunchtime sport tournaments, women in STEM opportunities and working with our local council to improve our environmental footprint. 

At our recent assembly, it was my honour to award student leadership badges to the following young people:

Congratulations to the above students. We look forward to continuing working with you!

Academic Excellence.

As each year passes, we are forever grateful for the ongoing work and achievements of all our students. Each term, each year, our young people are growing and learning, achieving things for the first time, and showing ongoing improvement. 

Sometimes, we like to stop and applaud for students whose dedication to their learning has meant they have achieved some outstanding results. At our last assembly, we acknowledged the work of several students who have ‘flourished’ in Term 1 by achieving consistently high assessment scores. These students have received the highest Common Assessment Task (CAT) averages for their year levels. The recipients were:

Ruby M. in Year 7 with an assessment average score of 97%

Nynon P. in Year 8 with an assessment average score of 92%

Tully E. in Year 9 with an assessment average score of 97%

Taylor F. in Year 10 with an assessment average score of 95%

Domenico K. in Year 11 with an assessment average score of 92%

Will T. in Year 12 with an assessment average score of 96%

Congratulations to the above students. You are all living our motto of ‘embrace challenge, achieve excellence’ to the highest standard!

Parent / Teacher / Student Conferences.

Our Parent / Teacher / Student Conferences in week one were another great success with almost 2,000 appointments made. This is yet another significant increase over previous years and a testament to the high quality conversations between teachers, students and family members. Walking around the different spaces throughout the College there was a very genuine sense of enthusiasm and positivity. Feedback from all involved was that these conferences were a great success and a very worthwhile touchpoint between school and home.

Thank you to all those parents and carers who made the time to come and speak with us. We appreciate your ongoing support and interest in your child’s education.

Winter Uniform.

As the mornings get cooler and winter approaches, I ask all parents and carers to please ensure your children have adequate school uniform to be warm and comfortable this term. Our College uniform includes a wide array of winter options that are comfortable, practical and as affordable as possible. 

Students are permitted to wear whichever uniform items they are most comfortable wearing, as long as they are on our official SCSC uniform list. Students should not present at school with non-uniform items (this includes any form of black pants). Students who choose not to wear our College uniform can expect to be questioned about this by their teachers.

I ask that all parents and carers please speak with your young people about presenting at school in full school uniform everyday.

Term 2 is off to a flying start with lots happening around the college. As always, the education and wellbeing of our young people will be at the centre of all that we do!

Thank you and take care,

Shane Elevato

Principal.