We have just gone through the process to appoint 2026 School Capatins. We had a strong field of applicants and the standard was impressive. Thank you to staff who supported the process and encouraged students to step up. 2026 School Captains are Maddie Howard, Paige Simmie, Kaylah Moon and Eden Beaumont. Congratulation to all students who applied and we wish our four captains well for their tenure.

Last week we received our 2025 School Performance Report. These reports compare each government school on a set of student outcomes. Rochester Secondary College was rated High for Wellbeing and Medium for Teaching and Learning, which gives us an overall High rating. We were one of five out of thirty-one “Similar Schools” to receive an overall High. It’s a strong result for our community and we’ll continue our clear focus on lifting learning.

To support improved learning across the school next year, we’re making some adjustments to our daily schedule. This will support consistent routines across classes and align with the new updated Victorian Teaching and Learning Model, bringing in clear lesson openings, explicit instruction, regular checks for understanding and purposeful practice. We’ll share more details with families via Compass over the next few weeks.

This week our Year 12s began their final exams with the first lot of exams have run smoothly. We also marked World Teachers’ Day today and took the chance to recognise the work of our staff. We’re fortunate to have a skilled and caring team at Rochester.

Looking ahead to 2026, early enrolments are strong. We expect around 80 new Year 7 students and a school population of approximately 380 students next year. Our Transition team is already meeting with incoming families and Grade 6 teachers so students feel ready for the move to secondary school. We’re finalising the timetable and class structures and are also recruiting for several roles to make sure we have the right mix across programs.

Recent appointments include Ellie Cuttriss as Years 9–10 Sub-School Leading Teacher, Matt Dole to a Graduate Teacher position, and Penny Bradshaw who will be teaching English and Humanities. Andrew Cassin will join us as a Teach for Australia Associate in 2026 and 2027, teaching Humanities and VM.

A reminder that Monday 3 November is a student-free day for staff professional practice. Normal classes resume on Wednesday after the Melbourne Cup public holiday.

We’re always looking to improve and we welcome feedback. If you’d like to share a suggestion or concern, please contact me via the school office. Thanks again for your support.

Matt Koutroubas

Principal

SWPBS

School Wide Positive Behaviour - Cool to Be Kind Award