Welcome back to Term 4! We hope all of our students, staff and families have enjoyed a positive start to the term. As we head into the final months of the school year, there is so much to look forward to across Collingwood College, with celebrations, productions, camps, examinations and preparations for 2027 all well underway.

Celebrating our Year 12 Students

Next week marks a very special milestone as our Year 12 students finish their formal schooling. We are looking forward to welcoming them back to Collingwood College for a barbecue and an afternoon of celebration before their final graduation.

We would particularly like to acknowledge our Collingwood College 'lifers' – those students who began their schooling with us in Prep and have continued all the way through to Year 12. What an extraordinary journey! It is a privilege to have watched these young people grow and develop throughout their schooling, and we look forward to recognising this achievement next week.

To all of our Year 12 students, congratulations on reaching this significant milestone. We wish you every success as you prepare for your final examinations and the exciting opportunities ahead.

Production Week – The Drowsy Chaperone

Next week is also production week, and we couldn't be more excited to see our highly anticipated school musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, come to life!

A huge thank you to Sarah Adams and the incredible cast and production team, who have dedicated so much time, energy and creativity to this production over the past nine months. School productions are such a wonderful celebration of student talent, collaboration and commitment, and we are thrilled to see all their hard work come together on stage.

Don't forget to purchase your tickets through TryBooking here! We encourage our whole school community to come along and support our talented students.

Collingwood College on the International Stage

2026 has been a landmark year for Collingwood College, particularly with our authorisation as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School. Our Assistant Principal, Lori Michael, is travelling to Lyon, France, next week to attend the IB World Conference.

This is an exciting opportunity for Collingwood College to be represented on the international stage, connecting with educators and school leaders from around the world and bringing back new ideas and perspectives to strengthen our teaching and learning programs.

During Lori's leave of absence this term, we are also delighted to welcome back Travis Marke as Acting Assistant Principal for Term 4. Travis has been working at Wurun Senior Campus as a Leading Teacher and we are thrilled to have him spending additional time back at our Collingwood College home campus working in the Year 9 & 10 area.

Looking Ahead to 2027 – Early Commencement

This year, we are introducing an exciting expansion of our Early Commencement Program across the secondary school.

Traditionally, our Year 10 and 11 students transition into their following year's programs at Wurun Senior Campus from around Week 8, providing valuable preparation for their senior studies. In 2026, we are extending this approach to students in Years 7, 8 and 9. Some of our Year 6 students will also have opportunities to begin working with their Year 7 teachers for 2027.

This initiative is designed to support positive transitions, build relationships and provide students with a confident start to their next year of learning. We are excited about the opportunities this will create for our students as they begin looking ahead to their 2027 schooling journey.

Our Theatre Transformation

We are thrilled to share the incredible progress being made on our new theatre complex.

A significant amount of work was completed over the school holidays, and the transformation is becoming increasingly visible. We have been fortunate to take several tours through the developing spaces, and it is exciting to see the scale and quality of what is being created. We are looking foward to this complex open for the beginning of the 2027 school year.

The new theatre and additional learning spaces will provide outstanding opportunities for our students, enhancing the creative, performing arts and broader educational experiences available at Collingwood College. Stay tuned for further photographs and, hopefully, a video walkthrough in the coming weeks so that our community can share in the excitement.

School Facilities and Improvements

Alongside the theatre development, a number of other improvements have been taking place across our school. Students may have noticed the new flooring installed on the ground floor of our Arts Wing over the holidays. We have also commenced a program of toilet upgrades across the school, with further works planned throughout Term 4 and over the summer holidays in preparation for 2027.

Additional drinking taps have also been installed and are already proving to be a welcome improvement for students. These projects form part of our ongoing commitment to improving the learning environment and facilities for our entire school community.

Celebrating Senior School – Wurun Night of Excellence

We welcome our school community to attend the VCE Night of Excellence on Tuesday 27 October, from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm. This evening is an elevation of our Art Show, where students will be able to showcase their work from a broader range of learning areas.In addition to the usual amazing artworks and design displays we will have work from English, Humanities, Maths and Science available to view.Students are encouraged to submit any of their own work such as creative writing, poetry, photography, design that they may do outside of school.

Each year, we see students producing work of an extraordinary standard, with some going on to be recognised through the VCE Season of Excellence, including exhibitions and performances at prestigious venues such as the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Museum and Hamer Hall.

It is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate student creativity, dedication and achievement, and we encourage families from across the College to come along and enjoy the evening.

Camps, Learning and the Final Term

Term 4 is always an incredibly busy and rewarding time of year. Alongside finalising learning, preparing for examinations and supporting transitions into 2027, we have an extensive camps program ahead.

From next week, we will have students heading off on camps almost every week, enjoying opportunities to develop independence, strengthen friendships, build resilience and challenge themselves in outdoor environments.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the staff who make these experiences possible and to the families who support our camps program. These opportunities are an important part of the Collingwood College experience, and we look forward to hearing about the adventures and achievements of our students over the coming weeks.

Swing into Spring – An Outstanding Success!

Finally, we are delighted to announce that our Swing into Spring Fair raised an incredible $10,000!

This is an outstanding result and our most successful fundraising event to date.

As we shared in our previous newsletter, we couldn't have asked for better weather or a more wonderful day of community celebration.

A massive congratulations and thank you to our organising committee, marketing and publicity team, staff, students, families and volunteers who contributed so much time and energy to making the event such a success.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who attended, supported stalls, donated goods, volunteered or helped behind the scenes. Events like these remind us of the strength, generosity and spirit of the Collingwood College community.

Important Dates – Student-Free Day and Public Holiday

A reminder to families that Monday 2 November is a student-free day for staff Professional Practice Day. Tuesday 3 November is the Melbourne Cup public holiday. Students will return to school on Wednesday 4 November.

As we settle into the final term of the year, we hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather and the many opportunities that this time of year brings.

A reminder that, with the warmer days upon us, students should be wearing their hats and applying sunscreen as part of our sun protection practices.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of Collingwood College. We look forward to sharing a busy, exciting and rewarding final term with you all.

Kind Regards,

Angela Watters and Chris Millard