Principal's Report
Dear families,
Celebrating Learning, Talent, and Transitions at our School
As we near the end of a busy and rewarding term, it’s a great time to celebrate the incredible work happening across our school community. Our students and staff have been working with enthusiasm and determination as they complete a wide range of assessment tasks. Their focus, resilience, and commitment to learning are commendable.
As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting student wellbeing, connection, and academic growth, we are currently reviewing the TA program to ensure it continues to meet the evolving needs of our students and aligns with the College’s strategic direction. I would be interested in feedback from parents and carers regarding your experiences with our TA system and invite comments to the Parent Reference Group email account prg@stbc.vic.edu.au . You can also use this address to request to join our online Facebook parent group set up for feedback on key issues such as this.
This morning, I spoke to Sr Jacinta Rice who is a valuable part of our community as she recovers from her hip replacement surgery. The operation was a success and Jacinta is now recovering in Ballarat. Jacinta thanks our community for the prayers and well wishes.
Our Catholic community also celebrated Pentecost this weekend, the feast that marks the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. Pentecost calls us to open our hearts to the Spirit’s gifts—courage, wisdom, and unity—and to live these out in our daily lives. For our regional communities, it is a meaningful reminder of the power of connection and community, of walking with one another in faith, especially during challenging times.
It was fitting, then, that much-needed rainfall blessed our region over the weekend, bringing renewed hope after a long and difficult period of drought. The sense of relief and gratitude among our farming and business families was tangible. As a College grounded in this place and its people, we give thanks for the land, for those who work it, and for the gift of rain as a sign of God’s ongoing care and provision.
There has been some nasty viruses and influenza spreading throughout the Horsham community. Many of our staff and students have been impacted and have had to take time off school to recover. Whilst it can be inconvenient, I ask for your support in reducing the spread by keeping ill students at home. Assessment and classwork can always be managed at a later time.
General Achievement Test (GAT)
Date: Tuesday 17 June 2025
Section A: 9.00am to 11.15am Section B: 1.15pm to 3.00pm
The GAT is a standardised assessment used to measure a student’s general knowledge and skills across key areas like written communication, mathematics, science, technology, humanities, and the arts. It assesses broad skills including reasoning, problem-solving, critical thinking, and literacy.
The GAT plays a role in quality assurance for final exams and school-based assessments, and it can be used to verify or adjust scores if needed. It is taken by any student enrolled in any scored VCE or VET Unit 3 or 4 sequence.
There are two sections:
- Section A: Assesses literacy and numeracy skills.
- Section B: Evaluates general knowledge and skills in mathematics, science, technology, the arts, and humanities.
All students, including Vocational Major students, are required to sit Section A. Students undertaking one or more VCE Unit 3/4 subjects, including scored VCE VET subjects, must complete both Sections A and B.
Stay safe,
Gerard