From the Principal's Desk

 End of Term Update

As we come to the end of a very busy and rewarding Term 3, it is a great opportunity to reflect on the breadth of experiences and achievements across our school community. 

A highlight of the term was our spectacular school production, Grease. Students and staff worked tirelessly to deliver a professional, high-energy performance that showcased not only the talent of our cast and crew, but also the dedication and creativity that makes our school community so vibrant. 

Our Music students also had the opportunity to perform in and out of the school throughout the term. These performances provided an authentic stage experience for our emerging musicians and were warmly received by our local community. 

We once again offered students a range of memorable adventures, from the alpine camp to bushwalking, rock climbing, and canoeing, our students have certainly made the most of their natural surrounds. These experiences foster teamwork, resilience, and a love of the outdoors while developing valuable skills beyond the classroom. 

The Rugby and Cricket Academies have continued to flourish with our U18 and U16 boys Rugby teams narrowly finishing second in the Rebel Shield competition and our girls’ teams continuing to develop at a rapid rate. It has been fantastic to see the enthusiasm of our students, their engagement in training, and the steady improvement in their skills. The program is opening new opportunities for participation, teamwork, and achievement, and it is exciting to watch it go from strength to strength. 

Sport remained a strong focus throughout the term, with further interschool competitions allowing students to represent the College with pride and enthusiasm.

Our Year 9 students participated in the Geelong Tertiary Futures Program, giving them valuable insight into future pathways and opportunities to complement their Morrisby testing and interviews and best prepare them for the next important steps in their schooling and future pathways. 

Course Counselling for 2026 was successfully completed, ensuring students and families are well supported in making informed choices about their learning journeys. We were also delighted to welcome visiting students from our sister school in Indonesia, Sekolah Alam Cikeas, strengthening intercultural relationships and deepening our understanding of Indonesia and its culture and language. 

The College continued to provide diverse and meaningful opportunities for hands-on learning. Our VCE-VM students are engaging in programs various programs within the college including opening their own café onsite, while also developing their skills in the community such as their recent work with Parks Victoria at Serendip. These programs provide practical, industry-linked experiences that prepare students for future pathways, while building employability skills and connecting learning with real-world applications. 

This term also saw the release of the NAPLAN 2025 results, which confirmed pleasing growth in student literacy and numeracy outcomes from Year 7 to Year 9. These results highlight that the strategies and approaches we have in place are making a real difference to student learning. 

Importantly, this busy calendar has been matched by a continued strong focus on teaching and learning across the College, where excellent learning environments allow students to be engaged, challenged, and supported to achieve their best. 

For our students studying VCE Unit 4 subjects, the upcoming break provides an important opportunity to complete preparation for their remaining school-based assessments  (many opportunities onsite for students across both weeks for the holidays to be supported by their teachers) and to engage in active revision for the end-of-year examinations. At the same time, it is equally valuable that they find some space to rest and enjoy activities they love. Striking this balance will ensure that, when they return, they are both well-prepared and refreshed for the final stretch of their secondary schooling.

While it is not possible to capture every event in one report, it is important to acknowledge that Term 3 has been filled with many other successes. These include the achievements of our students in in the classroom, as well as the numerous excursions and incursions designed to enrich the learning experience across the College. These opportunities continue to broaden horizons, extend learning, and celebrate the diverse talents and interests of our students. I want to thank our staff, students, and families for their hard work, commitment, and energy throughout this term. The diversity of opportunities on offer reflects the strength of our community and the support we provide one another. I wish everyone a safe and restful break, and I look forward to the excitement and achievements that Term 4 will bring.

Student Collection and Car Park Access  

Thank you to families who have been communicating with us about student absences. We greatly appreciate this and have been working hard to ensure that students are at school as much as possible. Research confirms that there is a strong correlation between students attendance and their social and academic outcomes. All students should be aiming for a minimum of 95% throughout. 

Finally, I would like to again remind families of when they are picking students up during the school day that to minimise disruptions to learning, we kindly ask that student pick-ups be scheduled during our break times to allow continuity of learning. Wherever possible it is best if students know what time they will be picked up. If you do need to collect your child during class time we will not make unnecessary calls to classrooms, as we do not want to disrupt the learning of all students. 

Please see our break times below:

Recess: 10:14-10:35am

Changeover between session 2 & 3: 11:49-11:55am

Lunch: 1:09- 1:50pm

I would also like to give a friendly reminder to please drop off students to school outside of the school gates, the carpark next to the school can be an excellent spot for this. We have experienced issues of congestion in our staff carpark.

 Thank you for your assistance with this. 

Luke Skewes

Principal