PRINCIPALS REPORT

As the 2023 academic school year draws to an end, teachers are busily working in the background to develop an engaging Jumpstart for the introduction of the 2024 school year. As the college continues to grow, so does the recruitment of teaching staff. There may be instances that your students does not have their 2024 teacher with them during Jumpstart. The intention and theme of Jumpstart this year is to build connections with peers and be introduced to the expectations and opportunities that will presented in 2024 in each learning area.

Year 11 &12 students are finishing final Unit 3/4 exams in coming days. The exam supervisors have been extremely impressed by our students, with all of them displaying persistence, resilience, high motivation, and manners. I am proud that they have taken this opportunity seriously, all we ask is for their best so as many doors as possible are open in 2024. I hope they enjoy their break, and we look forward to seeing year 12 students and their families at Valedictory next month.

I would like to thank MESC Family and Friends for once again volunteering their time to raise money for the college by running a sausage sizzle during the Referendum. Our goal is to finish off the restoration of our Bushtucker garden.

We are closer to the refurbishment of our MYP and SPP bathrooms. A meeting this week with DET secured designs and scope of works – with these now being put out to tender to find a builder. Hopefully they will be completed by the end of term 1.

In recent months we have been analysing our Wellbeing approaches and interventions. It has been a complex era post lockdown, a very new space in education and for us here at MESC. I am very grateful for the students and families that have supported this team positively and offered feedback to inform our practices. This term, students and wellbeing staff have been trialling an ‘in class’ support system- one that is proving to have positive impact. We have an extraordinary team, but they are a limited resource, it is great to see them thinking strategically while building resilience and strategies for our young people.

2024 will see the introduction of Sub School Managers. Elly Guerin will oversee Middle Years Program and Karli Sellenger will oversee the Senior Pathways Program. Their role will be to support the engagement and behaviour of all students in each sub school, with the leadership of Engagement Leader, Penny Linardos and Assistant Principal, Cassie Willis. This team will have oversight of high expectations of students and student voice and agency across the college.

We all look forward to a successful end to 2023 and look forward to many opportunities for our students in 2024!