Principal Team's Message

Our Reflections on Term 4

Term 4 is always an exciting term as students come towards the end of their current year level, and begin to look forward to the next year. So far this term, students have enjoyed a number of school events and excursions, including: the GBE Australian Online Symposium, the Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey hikes, snorkelling at Port Phillip Bay, future STEM leaders meetings, and a number of sporting events. Our VM students have led whole school community engagement projects raising money for The Salvation Army’s Christmas Wishing Tree Appeal; and Arts and Technology students are currently celebrating the success of the ‘Show Off’ of their talent and hard work this year. It has been great to see the students taking so much from the opportunities offered to them as they contribute to the school community.

Class of 2024

Over the last few weeks we have celebrated our graduating class of 2024 in a whole school assembly, their run through the school, and our traditional countdown to the last school bell for the students. The annual BBQ for Year 12 students, families, and friends was well attended as we celebrated the achievements, connections and experiences gained during their time at Sunbury College. The VCAA examinations are now completed and it has been wonderful to hear students reporting so positively about their preparation for these exams; a testament to the dedication and commitment of our staff in supporting them to do their best.

Student Preparation for class 

We continue to send a very clear message to students that there is great importance in being well planned, resourced and set up for classes. We ask that parents and carers continue to check in with their child regarding any equipment (pencil case, device, exercise books) that they may need for class and reference the recent work habits for ‘bringing equipment to class’. We are also reinforcing messaging to students regarding being out of class during class time. We encourage students to visit the toilet during their break times and communicate a ‘one in, one out’ arrangement that sees students leave the class one at a time when required. Students should be looking at their schedule at the start of the day and collect their things at the start of Periods 1 and 3 to avoid unnecessary visits back to lockers in between their classes. 

Schedule checker  

Two tablets have been mounted inside the S block, providing students with another opportunity to check their schedules during the school day. This is in addition to the Compass kiosks at the front office. Students need to know their Compass login details and must log out when they have finished checking their schedule. 

Head Start 

Head Start occurs for all 2024 Year 7 - 11 students between 18 - 29 November. This is a great opportunity for students to step up into their 2025 classes with a view to get to know their new teachers and classmates and get a head start on their 2025 learning. This is particularly important for our senior students, as they can access their VCE coursework and be well placed to undertake holiday homework and be prepared for early assessment next year. All students are expected to attend Head Start and we ask that parents support their child in transitioning to their new year level. From time to time we find that some students need some time to adjust to their new classes before they communicate a level of comfort: patience and persistence are key in these situations. We are fortunate to have a vast majority of our 2025 teachers in place for the Head Start timetable. 

2025 Booklists

The booklists for 2025 subjects are now available on the Sunbury College website for families to order the required learning resources from our supplier Campion Education. Orders placed by 20th December will be given the first choice of availability, best available postage and packing costs, and are delivered before the start of the 2025 school year. Orders can still be placed after 20th December, but Campion Education can’t always guarantee stock availability for these orders, and postage and packing costs may be higher.

More information about how to order from Campion Education has been made available via Compass.

PAT (Progressive Achievement Testing)

All Year 7, 8 and 9 students have now completed reading progressive achievement testing for English and Maths. Each PAT test provides important data on student performance, providing clear understanding to teachers of students’ current strengths and areas for development in their learning. This in turn informs our teaching and monitoring of student outcomes over time. We would like to thank the students for their endeavour and responsibility in completing these assessments, and to the staff who facilitated the tests during their classes.

Best Wishes

Becky Annetts, John Lane and Fiona Scott-Young

Principal Team