Assistant Principal Report Senior School/Operations

 As we move past the winter solstice and into longer days, it’s the perfect time to reflect on Semester 1 and strengthen the habits that will set students up for success in Semester 2. For our Year 12 VCE and VM students, this marks the beginning of the final stage of your secondary school journey.

Success in past VCE cohorts has come from strong connections—with peers, teachers, support staff and families. Respectful relationships and shared goals created a supportive community, where students looked after each other and their environment. When we feel connected and supported, we’re more motivated to succeed—and to hold ourselves and others to high expectations.

CHALLENGE

The world beyond school may seem exciting, but the key is to leave prepared. Now is the time for our senior students to fill their toolbox with the skills, relationships, and confidence they will need to be ready for future opportunities. Parents and carers are encouraged to ask; Are your study skills working well?  Do you use your time productively? Are you pushing beyond your comfort zone? Are you collaborating with others to challenge your thinking?  The positive small changes you make to establish habits of learning will compound over the next semester to affect a significant improvement in your outcomes.

Parents and carers can support their senior students to establish small regular routines around study and revision.  Helping to test them using their flash cards; asking them to explain a new concept to you; asking ‘what SACs are you studying for?’, rather than ‘do you have any homework?’. 

STRIVE

Practice Examinations

Our Unit 3/4 students will undertake practice examinations during the first week of the September holiday period. These examinations are compulsory for all Unit 3/4 students across all subjects.

Practice examinations provide a valuable opportunity for students to build confidence and familiarity with the VCAA examination process. Writing under timed conditions, using any approved adjustments, and following the same examination routines and expectations they will experience in their end-of-year external examinations will help students feel more prepared and comfortable on the day. The feedback from these examinations should then be used to identify the skills and knowledge students have mastered, as well as the areas they need to focus on as they prepare for their final examinations.

Students are encouraged to take time to carefully review their responses and identify where marks were gained and where marks were lost. They should consider questions such as: Did I misinterpret the question? Did I misunderstand a concept? Did I make a careless error? Did I provide enough detail in my response? Did I write too much? Identifying and addressing these small errors now provides an important opportunity to strengthen their skills and knowledge and reduce the likelihood of making the same mistakes in their VCAA examinations.

The practice examinations are not simply a test of what students know; they are an opportunity to learn how to perform at their best under examination conditions.

Year 12 VCE VM Presentations

Our Year 12 VCE VM students will work towards completing their units and undertaking their final presentations to staff and families on September 15th.  This marks the final school days for these students as they commence their apprenticeships, traineeships, employment or TAFE pathways beyond school. We believe they are very well prepared for their future pathways and congratulate them on their sense of purpose this year.

Work Experience is a core part of the VCE Vocational Major pathways and allows students the opportunity to apply their skills, either learnt at TAFE or in their school-based coursework, in a real-world setting.  Staff have been visiting the year 11 and 12 VCE VM students at their work placements and have returned with a strong sense of pride in how our students are representing themselves and our school 

ACHIEVE

As the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT becomes increasingly common, it is important that students and parents understand Parkdale Secondary College’s expectations regarding their use in assessment tasks. All submitted work must genuinely reflect the student’s own knowledge, skills and effort, and any use of AI must be explicitly authorised by the teacher. Where AI-generated content is permitted, students must appropriately acknowledge and document its use. Students are also expected to acknowledge other sources and assistance received and must retain materials used in developing their work. These expectations are designed to ensure that assessment remains a genuine reflection of each student’s learning and achievement.

Students and parents are encouraged to review the College’s ICT Acceptable Use Policy, particularly the section on "Acceptable forms of assistance" below.

This past term our students have been actively demonstrating a strong sense of community and achievement through the hugely successful Parky’s Big Give, School Musical – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Senior Sports successes and the Science Fair. The feedback we receive from members of the community regarding our students’ talents, behaviours, sportsmanship and social conscience is fantastic, and we are extremely proud of how our students represent themselves and the school.

Course selection

All students have now completed their course selections for 2027.  The pathways and year level teams have worked hard to support students through the process, ensuring they considered their personal attributes, areas of interest and selected a range of subjects that will ensure they have access to a range of pathways and opportunities as they move through their final school years.

Awards assembly and breakfast

Congratulations to our year 11 & 12 students who were acknowledge at our mid-year awards assembly and breakfast.  These students were recognised for their outstanding achievement (Achieve Award); ability to demonstrate the Parkdale Principles (6Ps) to a high level consistently across all of their subject (Strive Award); significant improvement in their 6Ps, showing perseverance and a dedication to grow (Challenge Award) or contribution to the wider school and community to improve the lives of others.  It was again wonderful to connect with parents and students at the breakfast and acknowledge the parental support that sits alongside our amazing Parkdale students.

Athletics Day

The long-awaited final school sports carnival for year 12 students, and inaugural staff v students inflatables race was unfortunately cancelled due to rain, with the staff being just as disappointed as the students.  Year 11 students be ready, this challenge is going back on the calendar next year.

COMMUNITY

Uniform

Our uniform makes a positive contribution to the culture of the College through establishing a sense of pride and identity.  It enables cohesion and enhances the profile of the College and its students within the broader community.  Uniforms indicate we are a team, and 

This is a reminder that our expectation is that ALL students are in FULL school uniform every day, including their final exams.

In exceptional circumstances parents must provide a note.  Students out of uniform without a note will serve a detention at lunchtime.