PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you enjoy this edition of our newsletter. As our students and teachers enter the final few weeks of Term 2, there is a lot happening across all year levels at the College.

Reconciliation Week

This week, we have been recognising 'National Reconciliation Week’. It is a time for all of us to learn about our shared histories and cultures while working together as a community in the spirit of achieving reconciliation in Australia. This year’s theme is ‘All In’ - a call for all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation every day. The theme is a reminder that advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples rights is not a passive activity and is not solely the responsibility of First Peoples, it is something all Australians can do together.

Throughout the week, students have participated in LAT (Learning Advocate Time) activities focusing on exploring Wadawurrung Country, Wadawurrung art, Native Title, Eddie Mabo, and other contemporary and relevant First Nations topics. I would like to thank all staff and students involved in this year’s Reconciliation Week activities for their energy and willingness to work and learn together in support of our First Nations community members.

Student Attitude to School Survey

Over the last few weeks, more than 85% of SCSC students participated in the annual Student Attitude to School Survey. This anonymous survey, developed by the Department of Education, aims to gauge how our students feel about different aspects of their schooling, including teaching practices, engagement, learner dispositions, school safety, and student-teacher relationships. The data is available in real time and provides us with the opportunity to review whole-school, year-level, and gender-specific feedback.

The exciting news is that SCSC students showed increased positive endorsement on every single measure compared to the previous year, a pattern that has now been evident for the past three years. We have surpassed all previous high points in this data, demonstrating that SCSC students are reporting more positive experiences of their schooling than at any previous time. While the comparative data is yet to be released, we are very confident that our results will continue to be notably higher than those of our ‘similar schools’ group, further widening the gap.

This result is a strong endorsement from our students, indicating their appreciation of our instructional practices, classroom routines, wellbeing supports, behaviour management processes, and relationships with teachers.

I would like to thank all of our students for their supportive feedback and congratulate all staff on the extremely positive school climate that has been established.

Staff Professional Learning Day and King’s Birthday

A reminder to all families that next week there are two student free days. Monday 8th of June is the King’s Birthday public holiday, and Tuesday 9th of June is our Term 2 Staff Professional Learning Day.

On Tuesday, staff will be focusing on wellbeing. This is an important day in our annual professional learning calendar, during which we invite experts into the College to share research, strategies, programs, and activities that promote positive wellbeing for both students and staff.

Creating a healthy and happy learning environment is one of our highest priorities at SCSC and is a hallmark of the ongoing growth and success we have experienced at the College over the past few years.

Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter, and thank you to all parents and carers for your ongoing support.

Take care,

Shane Elevato

Principal