Principal's Update
Dear parents and community,
Haven't the first three weeks just flown? It has been somewhat of an unusual week with the storm coming through Tuesday afternoon and power challenges for many staff and our community. While the majority of power has been restored, there are still some staff and families in our community without power; our thoughts are with you, and we hope things are restored as soon as possible.
The storm aside, our college has had a great start to the year. So many people have commented on how well our Year 7s have settled in and I would like to thank the Junior School Team for the effort they have put into our transition process and the care and attention they have provided our new students. Following some learning we undertook last year, our Year 7s all commence the day with ‘Circle Time’ in Home Groups, which builds relationships, fosters connections and provides a solid foundation for the school day ahead. If you have a Year 7 child at home, you might like to ask them about it.
Year 7 camp was a highlight last week and I had the pleasure of attending on Monday. The students had a great time and I trust they took my advice – to use the opportunity to make some new friends from other primary schools, and to get to know the staff at our college.
Literacy and Numeracy Intervention
There is some really exciting work happening in our literacy intervention space, as we adopt the latest evidence-based practice for accelerating student learning. Our previous system has served us well and was best practice at a point in time, but as new evidence emerges, we continue to stay at the cutting edge. Led by two of our Executive Team Leaders, Erin Waters and Lisa Knowles, their team are building phonological awareness, fluency and comprehension for our students who need it, as soon as they walk in the door. On the back of our work over the past few years, I continue to be proud of how we invest in students with gaps in their learning, particularly literacy and numeracy, as well as how we specifically target and extend our most capable students – all part of our Literacy and Numeracy Enrichment Programs.
Canteen and Cafe
Some of our community may be aware that there are some exciting projects happening at the school. Our canteen is under new management with a revitalised menu and online ordering now available. We’re in the process of exploring new commercial equipment, which will allow us to further expand our menu offerings. You may have heard from students, we are also building an onsite café, due to open in Term 2. This will be open to our staff and Year 12 students initially, and we are proud to be partnering with Fat Cat Coffee to supply our barista coffee, frappes, and other drinks.
Junior Toilets
Last year we sought feedback from our students on a range of topics, and the toilets came up as a point of concern, particularly for our junior students. Based on student suggestions, we are in the process of redesigning our junior toilets. There will no longer be a central area before you enter a cubicle, but rather we are constructing solid cubicles, fully enclosed, that open out onto an external wall. The doors will have automatic closers, and Compass Card access to unlock the door, while each cubicle will have its own basin and hand dryer. Students told us this design would make them feel more comfortable, and that’s a good enough reason for us!
NAPLAN
For families in Year 7 and 9, NAPLAN will soon be upon us. NAPLAN was moved from the traditional Term 2 timeslot last year into Term 1, and this will now be the norm into the future.
NAPLAN is a measure of a student’s capability in Literacy (Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar), and Numeracy. We tell our students not to stress about NAPLAN – it’s not everything… but equally, it is something and we want all students to do their best. There is a correlation between how students perform at Year 9 NAPLAN and how they go onto perform at VCE, so maximising learning in the middle years is just as important as trying hard in Year 11 and 12.
It is also an opportunity for our students to demonstrate their learning from the past two years, and particularly for our Year 9s, showcase the great work they have done in our classrooms. Each of the last three consecutive years have produced our best-ever NAPLAN results, and I look forward to seeing the growth of our current Year 9 cohort.
Lastly, our School Council Nominations for 2024 are now open. I encourage any interested parents or community members to complete a nomination form. Our School Council plays a key role in overseeing the governance of the college and influencing the college's strategic direction. Contact our office on 5127 9200 for more information.
Adam Hogan
College Principal