Principal's Message-

Laura Spence

Dear McClelland families,

As we reach the end of Term 2, I would like to thank our students, families and staff for another highly successful and productive semester at McClelland College.

One of the great strengths of our College is the breadth of opportunities available to students, both within and beyond the classroom. Throughout the term our students have participated in an extraordinary range of learning experiences, leadership opportunities, sporting competitions, careers programs, excursions, cultural activities and community partnerships. Whether it has been our students competing in sport, attending the courts, exploring the NGV, participating in ABCN mentoring programs, engaging in careers and pathway activities, celebrating Reconciliation Week, or leading initiatives through our VCE and Vocational Major program, there has been no shortage of opportunities for students to connect, learn and grow.

Our preliminary 2026 Attitudes to School Survey results provide encouraging evidence that our work to strengthen student wellbeing, inclusion and engagement is making a positive difference. Students reported improvements in several key areas, including managing bullying, sense of inclusion, respect for diversity and support during school transitions. Pleasingly, our Year 9 and 10 students also demonstrated improvement across a number of measures, particularly motivation, school connectedness and emotional regulation. While there is always more work to do, these results reflect the commitment of our staff and students to creating a positive and inclusive learning environment.

This term also included many important milestones for students. Our senior students completed practice examinations in preparation for their VCE studies, while Year 9 and 10 students undertook semester examinations, building valuable skills in organisation, study habits and assessment readiness. Across the College, students have continued to demonstrate resilience, perseverance, and a willingness to challenge themselves as learners.

A significant part of this semester has been the completion of our quadrennial School Review and the development of our new School Strategic Plan. The full SSP and AIP will be available to the community during Term 3 on the school website. Following extensive consultation and reflection, the College has established two key goals that will guide our improvement work over the next four years:

Goal 1: Improve the learning outcomes for every student.

This goal focuses on strengthening consistency in teaching and learning practices and building our collective capacity to use student learning data effectively to improve outcomes for every learner.

Key Improvement Strategies:

Deliver consistent implementation of agreed practices for teaching, learning and active student engagement. 

Build school capability to effectively use data to improve learning outcomes for every student. 

Goal 2: Strengthen wellbeing outcomes for every student.

This goal focuses on strengthening our wellbeing systems and supports to ensure every student feels connected, included, supported and able to thrive at school.

Strengthen the implementation of wellbeing multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) to promote connection, inclusion, wellbeing and learning.

Strengthen whole school capability to provide universal adjustments, support strategies and interventions to successfully meet the wellbeing needs of every student.

Importantly, the review panel recognised the many strengths already embedded at McClelland College, including our Instructional Model (EIM), curriculum frameworks, strong school values, and commitment to our Education by Design philosophy. Our future work will focus on refining and strengthening these practices, particularly in the areas of formative assessment, student engagement, pedagogical practices such as how we implement Checking For Understanding, Questioning, and Activating Prior Knowledge during lessons and the effective use of learning data to support student growth.

The coming years will continue to be guided by our values of Community, Ownership and Growth. These values remain at the heart of everything we do and will continue to shape our work as we strive to provide every student with the knowledge, skills and opportunities they need to succeed.

Finally, I would like to thank our families for your ongoing support and partnership throughout the semester. The success of McClelland College is built on the strong relationships between students, staff and families, and we are grateful for the trust and support you provide.

I wish all members of our community a safe, restful and enjoyable holiday break and look forward to welcoming students back for Term 3.

Laura Spence