From the Principal

 In this report I would like to outline some of the work that has been happening at Auburn High School. Staff and students are well over halfway through Semester 1, with staff seeing high levels of achievement in our students. As a collective, staff professional development has focused on getting to know the students well so that differentiation and engagement can be maximized. Our GANAG instructional model is powered using high-yield strategies, and multiple staff development sessions have been spent reviewing our teaching to ensure consistency. On Monday, 13th May, we held a day of professional learning where all staff invested time in collaborating on teaching strategies and learning more about the Victorian Curriculum 2.0. This is the updated version of the Victorian Curriculum that will be introduced over the next two years. We will also use this as an opportunity to update our curriculum documentation and lesson planning templates aiming to enhance parent and student access to information about what is being taught in classes.

As part of our new Strategic Plan, I have asked our Leading Teacher of Data-Driven Practice to survey staff, students, and parents in relation to assessment and reporting practices. This is important in two key strategies, teaching and learning, and parent engagement. Timely feedback and precise reporting are proven to have a high impact on learning outcomes. I am interested in finding out more from the different groups in relation to types of feedback effectively used throughout a teaching unit. Our students study up to seven subjects, and our teachers teach up to six classes. Workload is a significant topic in both student and staff school experiences, so value for effort is an important concept in managing school life.

Financial resources and the management of our budget are a key part of the school leadership. I would like to personally thank Jo Hayes and Fiona Thomas for their commitment and leadership in creating our annual budget. This was approved by School Council this week. Our accounts payable staff, office staff and education support staff are also doing a stellar job managing the day-to-day operations. Parent voluntary payments are a crucial part of our school income. Currently 53% of families have contributed and if this percentage increases to 80%, it is worth an additional $120,000 towards programs for our students.

 Our school expands each year, thanks to the trust of our local families, and therefore the pressures on our Business Management and Human Resources increase significantly. All the team members have done a great job completing professional learning and creating an effective and efficient work environment.

Staffing in our Library, Health and Physical Education and English/ Humanities continue to be a challenge. We were actively recruiting in these areas and are also working with Melbourne University to find potential additions to our staff team. Interviews continue this week for these positions.

Education Support staff have been added to our staff team. There have been exciting additions to the ES staff at the new building, in our Wellbeing team and in our science preparatory room. These staff are invaluable in their support of careers, year level communities, and science staff and ensured that student services and learning were optimal.

The opening of the new building continues to be a success. The students and staff enjoy the open spaces, design, and learning environments. The bonus of having 230 students in this building is that there is much more space for students and staff in the main building. The new bathrooms are a highlight as well, with an additional 25 cubicles online for our students and staff.

There are some upcoming projects including landscaping around the new building and cosmetic improvements of the interior spaces in the main building. The new building will be complemented by an active space (basketball court area) and some outdoor seating spaces in garden settings. In the longer term, there will be planning for the continuation of our Master Plan. The new building is stage 3 of a 5-stage plan.

A significant project in the wellbeing space is underway in 2024 as we begin to create our Whole School Wellbeing Plan. The aim of this plan is to coordinate all the fantastic work our wellbeing and teaching team do to boost student and staff wellbeing. 

There have been some significant social issues and topics raised in our school and in the general community over the last several months. For example, the number of violent incidents has had an impact on how safe our community feels generally. The school has received wellbeing funding this year and is investing it by engaging additional counsellors, external service providers (Pat Cronin Foundation, and Time and Space family events), and creating year level E4L topics that address relevant topics for each age group. In addition, I have contacted principals of Boroondara schools to investigate a combined response to some of the common challenges our students, staff, and parents. Each school had expertise and wisdom that can be shared amongst the community, and parent events, open to parents from all schools, are being planned for Term 3.

As you can see there is an amazing amount of proactive, and positive action at Auburn High School. We continue to work together to create a high-quality school for our local families. 

Last but not least, happy Education Support Staff Day! We are so grateful for the work these integral staff do behind the scenes and the important part they play in the smooth and effective running of our school.