Principal's Report

The Buzz Academy

Part of the school’s Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) for this year was to work towards developing an organisational climate that promotes role clarity, responsibility and shared accountability to support student learning. This fits directly under the Department’s Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0) Leadership element. Focusing on the shared processes and actions by staff and students that build a positive school climate for learning and wellbeing through practices and relationships based on high expectations, shared values and a culture of trust.

On Wednesday, staff were introduced to Tracey Ezard, who spoke about ‘The Buzz Academy’, and the support she and her team will give us to determine what work to focus on. Tracey, from a teaching background, is a speaker and author, dedicated to working with leaders to build a strong culture of trust, collaboration and learning. At the end of last year, staff completed the ‘Buzz Diagnostic’, a survey to collect baseline data. Tracey advised that after having had a term of implementing a range of new processes and practices, that it was worth completing the survey again. This will mean we are working with the most up to date data, as well as adding to the information from last year. This is very exciting work and we are privileged to have had Tracey join us to kick start the work this year.

Staffing Update

Yesterday, the staff celebrated April birthdays, but also said good bye and good luck to Belle Hungerford. Belle began parental leave today and I know the whole school community will wish her all the best with the upcoming birth.

We have been advertising 2 teacher positions, Music/Instrumental Music and English/Humanities, with no luck at this stage, but we will keep trying. In the meantime, we have been able to cover all the classes, so that they can continue on without disruption to our students.

The Instrumental Music program, including lessons is much harder to cover, requiring expertise that we currently don’t have. Music lessons will have to be cancelled from next week, until we find a replacement and Belle would have been in touch with families regarding the situation. Refunds for music lesson fees paid will be processed in due course.

Practice General Achievement Test (GAT)

Next week, the school will be running a practice GAT for all students who are enrolled in a Unit 3 and 4 subject. This will be corrected by an external company with feedback provided to the students.

The GAT is mostly about general knowledge and is not something that students can study for; but it is important that the students try their best on it, as it is used by VCAA as part of a final check on external assessment scores. The reason to practice is to make sure students are familiar with the format of the test and how it runs, as familiarity in what to expect can help to reduce stress or anxiety on the day of the real GAT.

Notice of School Council Meeting

Next week is our first meeting for this term, being Week 4. All community members are welcome to observe. The meeting will be held in Room 9 at 6pm.

If you are keen to be involved with School Council work, we have 2 sub-committees that you might be interested in joining: fundraising and facilities. These sub-committees meet generally in the week before a council meeting to discuss any progress or plans. Please let the Office know if you are interested.

Progress Reports

The Term 2, Week 4 Progress Reports will be available to families through Compass next Friday, 10th May by 4.30pm. These reports assess student learning behaviours in the 4 areas of readiness to learn, learning mindset, work habits and values (note: the Week 8 Progress Reports assess a 5th area; home study habits). All students should be able to achieve a level of 3 (out of 4), which is the expected level. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress from these reports, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the classroom teacher or the appropriate year level Student Engagement Leader.