Principal's Report

Principal's Conference 2026

Mitch and I were lucky enough to attend the annual Principal’s Conference at the end of this week in Melbourne. The conference is always a good opportunity to hear about the latest Department initiatives and policies, support services and topical issues relating to all things school based. As well as peer networking opportunities, there is a range of professional development that you select from, that can help with personal leadership and building school capacity. While we were busy each day attending our various sessions, we also blocked out some strategic time together to do some big picture thinking for the future.

Careers in Focus

Two weeks ago was National Careers Week. This week, the majority of our Year 10 students were out on Work Experience, and I had the pleasure of speaking with some of their employers about the progress of our students in their work placement. Work Experience was not something valued when I went through school, but is so important to be able to expose students to various work environments, especially if they aren’t sure of what they might want to do after school. They also develop employability skills and potentially begin to build a professional network that may help lead to employment. I remember vividly a past student, so determined to be a doctor, who only through their work experience found out that they couldn’t handle the sight of blood. Thanks to Brad Redmond and Mel Janson for their work in the Year 10 Health and Careers subject to get students thinking about work experience. I'd like to also thank Jo Macklan for all her work to ensure the students are prepared and have all necessary paperwork in place to support their placement.

On Thursday, our Year 9 students participated in an AI in Careers workshop, presented by the NELLEN. Designed to engage students in technology and its links to careers, the students were wowed by the drone demonstration.

Lastly, next week, the Year 9 students will spend time ‘unpacking’ their Morrisby profiling which was done earlier in the year. This is a Department initiative, which focusses on profiling the students to help them identify their strengths, motivations, and then provide suggestions of career pathways that are suited to their personalities. While career matching tests are not new, these ones look holistically at the student, before suggesting areas that may be suited to them.