Assistant Principals Report 

As we come to the end of a busy but highly productive term, it is pleasing to reflect on the significant amount of work and learning that has taken place across Lyndale Secondary College. Students and staff have been actively engaged in a range of classroom activities, including CATs, SACs, ongoing teaching and learning programs, and the associated marking and feedback that supports student growth.

We are proud of the continued improvements we are seeing across the college. Looking ahead to Term 2, we are excited to begin implementing our new SWPBS (School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support) model. This will further strengthen our focus on promoting positive learning behaviours both in the classroom and in the yard, helping to build respectful and productive interactions across our school community.

It has also been fantastic to see strong engagement with our merit system. Both the Junior and Senior School Merit Shops have been busy, with students actively earning and redeeming merits through their positive contributions in class.

We continue to uphold high standards in the classroom, ensuring our school values are demonstrated both in class and in the yard. This supports students in earning the privilege of participating in excursions and representing the school.

Another highlight this term has been the noticeable improvement in punctuality and attendance. Our data shows increased attendance in classrooms, which directly supports greater learning opportunities for all students. The high expectations we maintain in our classrooms are continuing to shine through, reinforcing the importance of consistent effort and hard work in achieving strong outcomes. Our school is well above the state, similar schools and network with the number of students who attend school regularly! Keep it going Lyndale!

Overall, it has been a fantastic term, and we look forward to building on this momentum in Term 2.

We are also excited by the growing number of students undertaking VET (Vocational Education and Training) programs, providing them with valuable, real-world skills and qualifications that will support their future pathways. Our Cookery/Hospitality DUAL course have had a great time getting straight to work. Always a great smelling kitchen to walk down to on a Wednesday!

Year 11 VCE VM students have become barista’s, participating in the espresso course. One of staff’s favourtie days of the year when they get coffee delivered to their classrooms/staffrooms. We were all super impressed with this years group delivering drinkable coffees! We look forward to further projects where our students can be baristas in action at the school.

Kind Regards

Diana Kennedy

Youth Leadership Conference

On Thursday 19th March, 11 of Lyndale SC’s outstanding student leaders attended a Youth Leadership Conference, where they were inspired and motivated by the powerful message that young people can create meaningful change.

A highlight of the day was seeing our School Captain, Liv Hutchins, selected to take part in the student panel. Liv confidently responded to questions from the audience, providing articulate and thoughtful answers that made our school incredibly proud.

Adding to this, Year 7 student Haroon Malik was invited on stage to reflect on his key learnings from the day. He spoke with great confidence and insight, capturing the spirit of the conference.

It was a truly inspiring experience for all involved, and a wonderful opportunity to see our students leading the way.

Term 1 Reports

Please note that our Term 1 reports will be available for parents, carers, and students to view on Monday, 20 April (Day 1, Term 2) from 9:00 am. These reports will be published on Compass and provide an important overview of your child’s progress throughout the term.

Further information will be shared when the reports are published, including how to access them and why it is essential to discuss the reports with your child.

You may have also heard on the news that the Department of Education is planning to change the school templates used by schools for reporting, as soon as Semester 2 this year. The plan is to reduce unnecessary information by making them more concise and to also ensure different schools have a similar reporting format. 

NAPLAN 2026

Our Year 7 and Year 9 students did a wonderful job completing the NAPLAN assessments. We are proud of their effort and focus during the testing period even after the national technological issues experienced by many schools and our Year 9 cohort in particular! We look forward to receiving their results and using this data to help support every child to improve their learning outcomes.

NAPLAN reports

Later in the year, you will receive your child’s individual NAPLAN report. This report provides information about your child’s skills in:

• Reading
• Writing
• Conventions of Language (spelling, grammar and punctuation)
• Numeracy

The report also shows how your child’s results compare to the national minimum standards, which describe the minimum expected level of achievement for students across Australia.

School Holidays

Over the school holidays, students are encouraged to read and study the novel they will be exploring in Year 7–10 English next term (VCE and VCE VM students should have already read and annotated all their set texts).

Please note the following novels for Term 2:

• Year 7: Crow Country – Kate Constable 
• Year 7 EAL: Two Hands Together – Diana Kidd 
• Year 8: The Giver – Lois Lowry 
• Year 8 EAL: Parvana – Deborah Ellis 
• Year 9: The Art of Taxidermy – Sharon Kernot 
• Year 9 EAL: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne 
• Year 10: Night – Elie Wiesel 
• Year 10 EAL: Animal Farm – George Orwell

Kind Regards

Jessica Quinn

Wellbeing & Inclusion Team Update – Term 1

What a wonderful start to the year it has been at Lyndale Secondary College!

Our Wellbeing and Inclusion Team has hit the ground running, working together to support students as they settle back into the rhythms and routines of school life. A particular highlight has been welcoming our Year 7 students to the Lyndale community — it has been a joy watching them find their feet and begin their secondary school journey with us.

At all times, our team is here to support student engagement and to walk alongside young people as they demonstrate our core values of respect, resilience, and responsibility. It has been a busy and rewarding term, and the energy across the school has been wonderful to be part of.

Without doubt, the highlight of the term was our Cultural Celebration Day — a truly special event that showcased the richness and diversity of our school community. It was heartwarming to see students, staff, and families come together to celebrate their cultural heritage with such pride and joy.

The day was brought to life through an incredible array of shared experiences — foods from around the world, student dance performances, Persian and Chinese calligraphy sessions, and henna art. As one of our students so beautifully reflected:

"I love how people get to experience one another's cultures, and we all had a chance to learn about each other, and how unique different cultures are harmonised and get together, and people are just people being people, understanding and acknowledging that we are all different and not the same."

It is hard to imagine a more fitting summary of what makes our community so special. We look forward to continuing to build on this wonderful foundation throughout the rest of the year.