Learning and Teaching

Ms Rachael Bown

Create Belonging

Students and staff are well into Term 3. It was fantastic to see so many families from our school community engaging in our Pathways Evening. The opportunity to speak with employers from our community and staff from the many subject areas in our school supported students to make informed decisions about their subjects for 2026. Ms Laura Considine will also be available during Parent–Teacher–Student interviews this week and next for families who wish to discuss a student’s pathway. Appointments can be made through the PST interview booking form.

This week, our students had the opportunity to deepen their learning in science during the lunchtime activities as part of Science Week 2026. I thank the staff in the Science team for giving up their lunchtimes to provide these fantastic opportunities for our students.

As always, there is a busy program of academic and extracurricular activities taking place across the College. Many of our students have already represented the College in sporting competitions, Eisteddfods, the Holocaust Incursion, Outdoor Education camps, and Reflection Days for our Years 9 and 12 students led by the Passionists.

Each of these experiences strengthens the sense of belonging, teamwork, and shared purpose that we value so highly at the College.

Strive for Excellence

Students have made a positive start to the semester, and this has been reflected in the first cycle of reporting. If you haven't accessed this yet, it can be found on PAM. For our Year 12 students, this marks their last full term of secondary schooling—whether you’re in VCE or VCE VM. This is the time to stay focused, support one another, and make every moment count. The finish line is in sight, and we’re right behind you every step of the way. Stay determined, stay focused, and finish strong—you’ve got this.

We’ve just completed week 4 of Term 3. My message today is: Every day and every minute counts. If students are well, they should be at school. At this point in the term, as assessment dates loom and we are well into our sport and planning for Founders' Day, it is a good time to stop and reflect on the need to use every minute wisely. We expect that students arrive at school on time and prepared to learn. Just a little bit late or a day off here and there doesn’t seem much, but…

If your child misses just…	That equals…	Which is…	…and over 13 years of schooling, that’s…
10 minutes per day	50 minutes per week	Nearly 1.5 weeks per year	Nearly half a year
20 minutes per day	One hour 40 minutes per week	Over 2.5 weeks per year	Nearly one year
Half an hour per day	Half a day per week	Four weeks per year	Nearly one and a half years
One hour per day	One day per week	Eight weeks per year	Over two and a half years

We understand that assessment loads, especially for Year 12 students, are heavy at the moment. The importance of staying well, planning ahead, and persevering are really important at this time.

Share Success

This year, our Years 7 and 9 students completed NAPLAN testing. We congratulate the following students who received certificates to acknowledge their achievements.

Achieving Exceeding Standard in Reading

Ava Armstrong
Max Cox
Samuel Crouch
Saffron Godfrey
Angelina Jiju
Isabella Lumley
Brody Mason
Anna Rabbits
Izabella Ramirez
Sophie Ronchi
Lavinia Ross
Tiffany Rudov
Elvia Sanchez
Oliver Sullivan
Zoe Webber

Achieving High Growth in Reading

Nayte Grogan
Youssef Ibrahim
Faith Milham
Mikayla Rand

Achieving Exceeding Standard and High Growth in Reading

Emma Beechey
Kittie Brennan
Clarissa Cahyani
Addison Duncan

Achieving Exceeding Standard in Numeracy

Max Cox
Tom Gilbert
Caleb Munro
Oliver Sullivan
Hamish Van Drunen
Caleb Willoughby

Achieving High Growth in Numeracy

Leila Grattan
Blake Hall
Owen Hunt
Youssef Ibrahim
Chloe Kovco
Jude McBean
Samuel Merlo
Maeve Nowak
Elvia Sanchez
Bella Stothers
Lahni Turner

Rachael Bown

Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching