Principal's Message
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Dear Students, Parents and Carers,
We Grow Through Connection
In our first College Newsletter for the year, I would like to welcome back families for 2024. Our College Newsletter is an important means of communicating with our community about what is happening at our great school, Pakenham Secondary College.
We have started the year on a positive note with students settling quickly into their learning across their subjects. Learning is Our Priority and we as a staff will work hard with families and students to further improve student learning growth; I thank our hardworking staff for their committed and caring approach. As per our College Motto, we are committed to Growing Through Connection – it is through meaningful and positive connections within our College Community that we can all work together to further the outcomes of our students.
Our School Wide Positive Behaviour theme for Term One is the 3P’s:
- Be Present
- Be Punctual
- Be Prepared
We have high expectations for our students including an Orderly Learning Environment. We expect high levels of attendance, for our students to be at class on time, and to be well prepared for learning (eg charged laptop, workbooks, etc). We thank families for continuing to work with the College to help our students follow the 3P’s as part of our School Wide Positive Behaviour Program.
Learning is Our Priority, and we will work to support student learning growth in 2024. Our plan for this year highlights the importance of learning growth in Numeracy and Literacy (particularly Reading), together with adopting strategies that support strong levels of student attendance. The research is clear – the more students are at school, the better their outcomes. We as a College want to be ‘Champions for Student Growth’.
Term One is a busy term with so much happening at the College! We have our Swimming (22/2) and Athletics Carnivals (28/3), Parent Teacher Student Conferences (26/3), Inter School Sports, the announcement of our College Production for 2024 (23/2) the commencement of various Lunchtime Clubs and Activities, Excursions, Incursions, and not to mention what is happening in the classroom with our Teaching and Learning Program. We encourage families to keep themselves informed by checking our College Calendar, Social Media posts and our website ( https://www.pakenhamsc.vic.edu.au/ ) for updates when they come to hand.
We also have the NAPLAN Assessments at Years 7 and 9 in Term One and more information will be shared with students and families when it becomes available. If Year 7 and 9 families have any concerns or queries concerning the 2024 NAPLAN Assessments, please contact the College on pH – 5945 1433.
It is important that we share information concerning our Sub School and Team Leaders, together with key contacts within our Student Wellbeing Department. Our Sub Schools and Student Wellbeing Department are here to help students and families – please make contact with key staff listed below as required.
YAWA SUB-SCHOOL
Sub-School Coordinator - Susan Banfield
Assistant Principal - Kate Logan
Team Leader 7.1 - 7.4 - Tim Kelly
Team Leader 8.1 - 8.4 - Elsa Francis
Team Leader 9.1 - 9.4 - Joanne Nadal
WARREENY SUB-SCHOOL
Sub-School Coordinator - Brad James
Assistant Principal - Kay Chandler
Team Leader 7.5 - 7.8 - Madison Titcombe
Team Leader 8.5 - 8.8 - Laura Wright
Team Leader 9.5 - 9.7 - Jay Patterson
BUNJIL SUB-SCHOOL
Sub-School Coordinator - Nevicia Reynolds
Assistant Principal - Michelle Scheiwiller
Team Leader 10.1 - 10.4 - Ally Bystersky
Team Leader 10.5 - 10.8 - Evans Ndlovu
BALAM BALAM SUB-SCHOOL
Sub-School Coordinator - Jo-Anne Duggan
Assistant Principal - Michelle Scheiwiller
Team Leader Year 11 - Alex Goodie
Team Leader Year 12 - Brad Matthews
WELLBEING TEAM
(Note - Please speak to your child/ren's Team Leader in the first instance for Wellbeing and other matters)
Caroline Caparas - Mental Health Practitioner
Courtney Sloothaak - Student Wellbeing Officer
Tara Birchall - Student Wellbeing Officer
Brittany Starvaggi - Student Wellbeing Officer
Melanie Tattersall - Adolescent Health Nurse
Matt Black - Les Twentyman Foundation - Youth worker, Positive Futures program
Once again, we welcome our new Year 7 students this year together with any new 2024 student enrolments from across our year levels. Our Years 7 students have settled in well and we thank them for working so well with staff and their peers. Please read on this Newsletter for contributions from some of our new Year 7 students.
Given our growth in enrolments, we have employed several new staff at PSC – please see below:
NEW STAFF AT PSC
Sabita Acharya Upadhyaya - Mathematics
Than Dai Khin - Mathematics/Science
Sophie Fennell - Health & Physical Education
Nicola Kingston - English
Jessica Li - Mathematics
Chathurika Othota Gamage - English
Palika Peiris - Mathematics/Science
Harrison Phillips - Health & Physical Education
Nirmala Ragulen - Mathematics/Science
Danielle Rendall - PACT
Belinda Taleveski - Health & Physical Education & VCE Work Related Skills
Jenna Trewarn - Health & Physical Education
Sophie van Velthooven - Health & Physical Education
Heather Watts - Science
We welcome our new staff to PSC – already they are having a positive impact on our College Community. Please look out for social media posts to learn more about our new staff.
We are working through the 2024 Department of Education and Training (or DET) College Council Election Process for the next period of Council. Our College Community is reminded to read through the posts (14 February) published on our Compass and Social Media Platforms to know more about the process. Please contact Jackie Stewart on pH - 5945 1433 if you have any queries.
The Department of Education and Training (or DET) require schools to share an annual privacy reminder in the school’s newsletter. Please read on in this Newsletter for the annual privacy reminder. Please contact the General Office on pH – 5945 1433 if you have any queries.
Our Whole School Assembly earlier in the week (20 February) was incredibly successful. Our students were co-operative and attentive throughout the Assembly. The Assembly allowed us to formally welcome back all our students for 2024, introduce student leaders and new staff, remind and promote key College events, and ‘set the tone’ with our students for the year ahead in terms of expectations relating to their learning and how they can best represent our College Community.
Furthermore, we also announced our new House Names:
Barty - Red
Freeman - Yellow
Mills - Green
Betts - Blue
We have arrived at our new House Names after consulting with our College Community. Our Houses are named after famous Indigenous Australians in Ash Barty, Cathy Freeman, Patty Mills and Eddie Betts, allowing us to strengthen our connection with Indigenous Australian culture.
We now have Indigenous Sub School Names, House Names, we complete an Acknowledgement of Country with every opportunity, we fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flag, we have an Indigenous Visual Arts Program and we are expecting our new Capital Works Program to align with Indigenous cultural perspectives.
As a College Community, we acknowledge, celebrate and support Indigenous Australians and the change in our House Names recognises this important approach.
Please read up on some very successful events that we have held recent times in our Swimming Carnival (22/2) and the Year 12 Aspiration Day (15/2) – outstanding events to which our students thoroughly enjoyed; well done to all involved.
In closing, we wish our Year 12 students all the very best with their learning in 2024. It is of course our Year 12 students’ final year of secondary schooling and we encourage them to work hard across their studies, as well as enjoy everything that PSC has to offer in 2024. We also recognise and thank our College Captains and SRC Leader (all of Year 12) this year in:
- Jemma Kendall – College Captain
- Holly Falkingham – College Captain
- Grace Groves – College Vice Captain
- Indigo James – SRC President
Please continue to stay across what is happening at our great school by checking posts on Compass and our Social Media platforms on a regular basis.
Thank you everyone; please contact the General Office (pH – 5945 1433) should you need any assistance.
Regards,
Aaron
Aaron Smith
College Principal – Pakenham Secondary College