Principal 

School Production – The ADDAMS Family

Many of our students have worked hard on the upcoming school production of The ADDAMS Family. This event will take place on the 20th and 21st of August at PRACC and I hope to see as many students, parents and carers as possible for this wonderful celebration of student talent and hard work. You can purchase tickets using the following link - https://tickets.pracc.com.au/Events/Lalor-Secondary-College-The-Addams-Family 

School Review

Lalor Secondary College is currently undertaking it’s 4-year school review signalling the end of the 2023-2026 strategic plan. The strategic plan has seen some key improvement strategies delivered such as the assessment review, consistency within the instructional model via several focus areas including teaching the instructional model to our students, the development of a whole school engagement framework and the introduction of the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0. The details for the review are outlined below, and I look forward to sharing the new 4-year strategic plan before the end of the year.

School Reviewer 

Leslie Tulloch – National Curriculum Services

Department of Education Representative 

Anthony Simone Senior Education Improvement Leader – NEMA – Whittlesea Schools Network

Challenge Partners 

Ben Johnstone/McCloud – Executive Director – School Performance 

Paul Dawson – Principal – North Geelong Secondary College

Arthur Soumalias – Principal – Rosehill Secondary College

Dates for the LSC School Review in Term 3.

Term 3:

Week 2: July 21 - Completed

Week 4:  August 4 

Week 5: August 11

During the 3 days it is expected that the school reviewer, SEIL and challenge partners will undertake classroom observations and speak to a range of staff, students, and parents to gauge the effectiveness of the school structures and key improvement strategies of the past 4 years. Those sessions will be run independently of the school leadership team with the information provided from those sessions then fed back to the school improvement team as part of the review process. That input helps guide the development of the next 4-year strategic plan.

The school has already undertaken the Minimum Standards and Child Safe Standards compliance assessment component of the review in Term 1. The processes and policies of the college have allowed the school to meet the compliance requirements. 

The curriculum review lead by Leslie Tulloch will require SIT to complete a Pre-Review Self-Assessment, as well as the Curriculum and Student Learning Minimum Standard compliance self-assessment. Having already commenced this process with the LSC leadership team we are certain to meet these standards.

There will be a parent / carer focus group as part of the review process held on Tuesday the 4th of August at 8.30am. Please RSVP via the following email address if any parent / carer would like to attend – kayla.dugdale@education.vic.gov.au 

Protected Industrial Action: Our Commitment to Students and Families

As you may be aware, members of the Australian Education Union (AEU) are currently undertaking protected industrial action as part of negotiations for a new Victorian Government Schools Agreement. One of the measures currently in place is a ban on participating AEU members performing work outside their ordinary hours of duty.

For many staff at Lalor Secondary College, this means duties will generally be undertaken between 8:30 am and 3:40 pm on non-meeting days and 8.30am and 4.30pm on meeting days. 

This action is intended to highlight the significant amount of work that school staff routinely undertake outside their ordinary hours to support teaching, learning, wellbeing and extracurricular programs.

As a result, families and students may notice:

• Parent and carer meetings being scheduled within ordinary working hours. 

• Emails and telephone messages generally being responded to during ordinary working hours.

• Assessment, correction and student feedback taking longer than usual to be completed. 

• Some meetings, administrative tasks and school activities being postponed, reduced or rescheduled where they would ordinarily occur outside normal working hours.

The following will remain our priority and are not expected to be affected: 

• High-quality classroom teaching and learning.

• Student supervision, safety and wellbeing.

• Support for students with additional learning or wellbeing needs.

• Approved camps, excursions and key school events where suitable arrangements are already in place.

• Urgent communication relating to student safety, wellbeing or welfare concerns.

   

Communication with staff

I would like to reassure families that Lalor Secondary College remains committed to maintaining open and timely communication. During this period of industrial action there may be occasions where staff are unable to respond as quickly as they normally would, as work is being undertaken within ordinary working hours only.

If you have not received a response within a reasonable timeframe, or you are unsure who to contact regarding a matter, please email corey.jewell@education.vic.gov.au.

Why is industrial action occurring?

The AEU has advised that members are seeking improvements through the new enterprise agreement, including:

• Competitive salaries for teachers, principals and education support staff.

• Improved recognition and conditions for education support staff.

• Measures to reduce workload and administrative burden.

• Greater time for planning, preparation, assessment and collaboration.

• Improved attraction and retention of staff.

• Additional support to meet increasingly complex student learning and wellbeing needs.

• Smaller class sizes and reduced face-to-face teaching loads.

• Full government funding of any agreed improvements.

These arrangements apply only to AEU members who choose to participate in the protected industrial action. The College respects the industrial rights of individual employees and will continue to manage school operations as effectively as possible while minimising disruption to students and families.

We appreciate your patience, understanding and continued support during this period and will provide further updates should there be any significant impacts on college operations.

Uniform Expectations – Term 3

Thank you to the many students who wear their uniform with pride each day, and to the families who support our uniform standards. The most common uniform breaches continue to be the wearing of hoodies, black undergarments (for example, long-sleeved tops worn under the uniform) and black tracksuit pants.

I would also like to thank students and families for the positive way you have responded to the reinforcement of our uniform expectations, particularly the removal of hoodies. Change is not always easy, and I appreciate the support the community has shown.

While hoodies have become a popular fashion item outside school, they pose a genuine safety concern within a school environment because they can conceal a person's identity. In any school, it is important that staff can quickly recognise who belongs on campus and identify anyone who should not be there. Student safety will always be our highest priority.

Over the coming weeks we will continue to strengthen our focus on students wearing the College uniform correctly. Wearing the uniform well is about far more than appearance. It builds pride in our college, creates a sense of belonging, reduces unnecessary competition around clothing, and teaches young people that there are times in life when meeting expectations matters. Whether it's wearing a school uniform, complying with workplace safety requirements or dressing professionally for a future career, learning to take pride in presenting yourself appropriately is an important life skill. It also enables staff to quickly identify intruders who do not belong on our school grounds, providing another important layer of safety for our students and staff.

If your child is experiencing difficulties meeting the requirements outlined in the College dress code, please contact a relevant member of the Year Level Student Support Team , who will be happy to provide support and guidance.

Where students do not adhere to the dress code:

• Non-uniform items (such as hoodies) may be confiscated and stored in the General Office. Parents/carers may collect these items at any time, or they will be returned to students at the end of the term.

• Students may receive an after school or principal detention.

• For ongoing or repeated breaches of the dress code, parents/carers will be contacted and invited to attend a meeting to discuss strategies for improvement.

We appreciate the support of families in maintaining high standards of presentation and ensuring all students represent the College positively within the school and wider community.

If anybody has any questions about the information above, please contact via the general office on 9463 7300

Best regards,

Corey Jewell

College Principal.