Message from our

Campus Principal

ANZAC day ceremonies

University Campus school captains represented the college at the recent ANZAC Day march and ceremony in Yinnar. Mackenzie, Declan and Sidney marched with other school and community groups to the cenotaph where wreaths were laid by veterans and/or their families, community groups, and school groups including our school captains.

Retired Captain Luke Townsend (uncle of Sidney) led the Yinnar ceremony. Captain Townsend spoke about the impact on those who remained at home and the potential dread that comes with a knock at the door whilst a loved one is serving overseas. He highlighted the extra tasks that needed to be covered and the absence of normal support from a partner which all added to the pressure on raising families during this time. The sacrifice of our service men and women and their families is significant and of course, tragically at times they can pay the ultimate price for the security of our nation and the protection of our way of life.

Kurnai College’s Air Force Cadets Squadron 424SQN had a big day with an early start supporting the dawn service in Port Albert. They then split between the Yinnar and Churchill ceremonies before coming back together and marching and supporting the Morwell service at the cenotaph outside the Morwell RSL. Congratulations to all students and staff who participated in these important events, and also other Kurnai students representing organisations including Scouts, and the Latrobe City Youth Council.

SRC end of term Easter hunt and BBQ

On the last day of classes at the end of last term, the SRC held a free BBQ and Easter Egg hunt that saw a lot of energetic activity and keen searching. It was a great way to end the first term and we look forward to other activities throughout the year to engage students and staff in some fun and the opportunity to build connections outside of the classroom environment.

Staffing update

We were sad to recently farewell VCEVM Team Leader Amanda Vosper who has been successful in a leadership position at Mirboo North Secondary College. Amanda has been a long serving member of Kurnai staff and her enthusiasm and passion for applied learning has had a big impact on the senior campus. We are pleased to announce that Karen Anders will take on the VCEVM leader role commencing soon. 

We also farewelled Kylie O’Donnell from Careers at the end of last term and wish her well in a new role with Apprenticeships Group Australia. Kylie has made great contributions not only through her careers work but also in planning our graduation ceremonies and other events at the campus.

Attitudes to School Survey

The annual Attitudes to School Survey will be commencing soon and you will receive a letter through Compass with detailed information. This survey is valuable feedback to us as a campus and a college and is used for planning and identifying areas for improvement. Individual student responses are not identified and only group and overall data is provided to the school. Participation in the survey is voluntary and if parents/carers do not wish their child to participate they need to notify the school as per the instructions in the letter.

Relationships – one of our College pillars

At the University campus we have a lot of people on site with our students studying in VPC, VCEVM, VCE, and VET programs. We have all of our staff, and we also share many spaces with Federation University staff and students. It is important that we all get along and need to be considerate and respectful of how we interact. This is a valuable trait to develop for life beyond school and as we promote ourselves as a young adult environment, we have expectations of that level of mature behaviour and respect for each other. At times we may have a falling out or miscommunication, this is where our support systems come into play with the role of our advocate team who are available to help navigate situations with strategies or facilitating restorative conversations. Developing and maintaining positive relationships is fundamental for success at school and life beyond. Our senior students have provided feedback that they enjoy and thrive with the extra freedom and responsibility that comes with a young adult environment at University Campus.

Matt Jobling

University Campus Principal