Message from the Principal

Shane Gemmola

Acting Principal

Moving towards the half year break, it continues to be a busy and positive period across the college, with significant work underway in curriculum, data, facilities and school structure. 

Learning Beyond the Classroom 

This term has again seen our students engage in a rich and diverse range of learning experiences beyond the classroom. Across Languages, Performing Arts, Sport and Vocational Major, students have had the opportunity to connect their learning to real-world contexts, build relationships and develop as individuals. 

Highlights this term have included language and cultural immersion experiences in the city, interschool sport representation, a Music, Drama and Chamber Concert showcasing the talents of our performing arts students, VCE Vocational Major students engaging with the local community through meaningful projects including the Humans of Brunswick initiative, as well as hands-on environmental work in our school gardens. Wellbeing workshops have taken place for a number of year levels and it good to hear the feedback from students. We use this feedback to inform our practice, looking for opportunities to sharpen our approach to issues around engagement and wellbeing. These experiences reflect our commitment to broad, holistic education and we thank the many staff who organise and support them, and the students who engage so positively.

Our student production of Legally Blonde: The Musical is in its final weeks of preparation and the buzz is real. I've caught a couple of after school rehearsals and can tell you — it's sounding and looking absolutely fantastic. Don't miss out. Tickets are going fast, so grab yours now before they're gone!

World's Greatest Shave

The highlight of the term was without doubt our World's Greatest Shave event, held in the A Block courtyard. Students and staff packed in to support those brave enough to take the clippers to their hair — and what a moment it was! A heartfelt thank you to Karen, Freddie, Oscar, Shant and Greta for their wonderful act of generosity and courage. We're happy to report they are all sporting very impressive new looks! A big congratulations also to our SRC for organising such a terrific event. The original fundraising goal was $2,500 — we are thrilled to know that we have blown that figure out of the park!

Senior School General Achievement Test (GAT)

Our senior students recently completed the General Achievement Test (GAT) in Week 9 of this term -  an important component of the VCE assessment framework for all students undertaking VCE Unit 3/4 studies. 

The GAT is a pen-and-paper test of general knowledge and plays an important role in the quality assurance of VCE assessments. It also provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate they meet the Victorian Literacy and Numeracy Standards expected at a senior secondary level. No special study is needed; past study of subjects like English, Mathematics, Science and History prepares students for the GAT by building their general knowledge and skills in writing, numeracy and reasoning.

It was genuinely pleasing to observe the maturity and commitment with which students approached the day. The Senior School team deserves significant credit for the thoroughness and professionalism with which the GAT was organised and managed — the process ran smoothly and students were well prepared and well supported throughout.

Year 10 & Year 11 Exams

Year 10 and Year 11 students also completed their mid-year exams this term. Students approached these assessments with focus and maturity. These exams serve as an important checkpoint - providing valuable data on current progress, identifying areas for growth, and offering an opportunity to recognise effort and achievement. Thank you again to the Senior School team for their excellent organisation of this process.

NAPLAN Results

Schools recently received their preliminary NAPLAN data and we are pleased to report strong NAPLAN results across all domains for both Year 7 and Year 9 students this year. The results reflect the hard work of our students and the commitment of our staff to quality teaching and learning. the Teaching & Learning team have met to consider how best to communicate these results to the community — not just as a data set, but as a meaningful body of evidence that informs our ongoing work. A key focus of this is around growth: understanding where students have come from and how far they have progressed, and identifying where we need to focus our efforts going forward. The results have reinforced what we already know about the importance of differentiation in our classrooms. Strong results across the cohort remind us that we must be teaching to stretch our high-achieving students — providing real challenge and extension in every class. At the same time, the data highlights students who need additional support, and the importance of purposeful, targeted teaching to give those students every opportunity to grow. 

The principle is clear: every student, in every class, deserves teaching that meets them at their point of need and then challenges them to progress further. The capacity to both support and extend learners exists within our school and should be evident across every learning area, in every classroom, every day.

Don't forget! Coming up next term....