Principal's Team Report

Hello Everyone,

In early April, I reached the milestone of 35 years in Education. I can still remember quite vividly my first day as a new teacher. It was a day to remember! I walked into my  Year 8 English class  where some of the students were literally swinging from the rafters and climbing out the windows. The day ended with the Principal yelling at me that students were not permitted to kick a football near his office. I had never taken a yard duty before. I went home and cried.  That first term I thought long and often about whether teaching was the job for me. Things did improve and I persevered . I got support from wonderful colleagues. I married one of them. The students stopped swinging from the rafters, and I started to believe that I could make a difference. 

A lot has changed in Education over the decades. It is a profession that still has its challenges,  but it also has enormous rewards. I’m incredibly proud of the Education State, my colleagues and most importantly the students. I still passionately believe that we make a positive difference.

Student Led Whole School Assembly

Last week we had our second student led whole school assembly. It was another impressive example of our students not only exemplifying our school values but role modelling to the entire school how  young people can:

• Communicate big ideas with conviction 
• Collaborate with peers and other school stakeholders to plan and execute an agenda
• Reflect and be future focused

As a College we are incredibly proud of our student leaders and in particular Hannah, Shay and Molly who form our Executive Student Leadership Team.

I have to declare that I am biased when it comes to House Points. It certainly did nearly raise the roof when Scott was announced to be in the lead! I have to say I was cheering too. Another fabulous item in the Assembly was two of our cast members singing ‘Money, Money Money’  from our upcoming school production: ‘Mama Mia’. I have already purchased my ticket so please get on board and support  and celebrate the fantastic work of our cast. The students are amazing!

Melbourne Zoo Excursion

A big congratulations to our Year Seven cohort who had a wonderful time at the Zoo this week. The students again exemplified our College values, and it was a beautiful day for them as well!

PISA Testing

Next week we have students who will participate in PISA which is an important part of the National Assessment Program in Australia. It is the measure through which governments, education authorities and schools can determine whether young Australians are meeting important educational outcomes. 

International assessments provide a wide range of valuable information for education policy and review in Australia and overseas and also enable Australia to consider the performance of our education system compared with others. Since the first PISA assessment involving 32 countries in 2000, the survey has continued to raise interest amongst educators and policy-makers world-wide.  In 2022, Australia was one of 81 countries participating in PISA with around 13,500 students (from around 800 schools) representing our country.

What will PISA mean for our school?

A random sample of 15-year-old, mostly from Years 10 and 11[UC1] [LB2] , will be sampled to complete a two-hour computer-based assessment consisting of mathematics, science, reading, and Learning in the Digital World. These students will also be asked to complete a questionnaire.  A random sample of teachers will be asked to compete an online questionnaire which will collect information on classroom instruction, teachers’ educational backgrounds, training, and teaching experiences. 

As an international assessment, every participating school and student has an important role in showing the rest of the world what Australia can do.

 ACER will provide our school and participating students with a certificate recognising our contribution. 

With the retirement of Mr. Andrew Dixon at the beginning of this term, we are now in the process of advertising statewide for his replacement as Assistant Principal. Applications close on May 13 and we will let you know as soon as the new AP is appointed.

Earlier in the year, I did write to you about the importance of school attendance.  School is one of the most important ways that our young people learn to navigate relationships with others, problem-solve, self-manage as well as acquiring the fundamental Literacy and Numeracy skills for a successful life. So please, if your child does start to show negative attitudes towards coming to school or that there are external issues impacting on your child, please let us know.

I wish all our female parents and carers a lovely day on Sunday.  We would also greatly appreciate from our community  any feedback on our new website.

Take care

Fern Brisbane