PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Dear Parents & Carers,
Term one is always such a busy term with so much going on around the college. I hope you enjoy this edition of the newsletter that showcases a range of things happening in the final weeks of this ten week term.
World Challenge Expedition to Borneo.
Last week an intrepid group of Year 10 and 11 students set off on the adventure of a lifetime to Borneo. The team are in the safe hands of Ms Rachel Barney, Ms Tahlia D’Amore and Sam, the World Challenge Expeditions team leader.
This international travel experience is much more than a leisurely tourist holiday! Our students will be working on a community aid project, trekking through steamy jungles (carrying their own equipment), immersing themselves in local culture, connecting with indigenous communities and learning about the deep connection between the people of Borneo and the natural environment.
I won’t say anything more than that at this stage, but we are very excited to hear their stories and see the photos when the team return. Look out for future articles in upcoming newsletters.
New Zealand Principal Presentation.
Last Friday, Lara Campbell and I presented to a team of thirty Principals from the Canterbury West Coast region of New Zealand. The NZ Department of Education are exploring a range of system-wide initiatives to support school improvement, many of which are similar to aspects of the Victoria Department of Education.
The NZ Principals had visited a number of Melbourne schools and worked with educational leadership experts focusing on driving school improvement. Lara and myself were invited to present to the team on their final day in Australia and share our leadership journey since late 2023. We were asked to focus on our college strategic plan, how we are leading change, the introduction of a new instructional model, our guaranteed and viable curriculum, and the successful outcomes we are experiencing with our learners.
Our presentation was immediately after a keynote address from Professor David Hopkins, Chair of Education Leadership at the University of Bolton whose theme was ‘Unleashing Greatness’. It was certainly an honour to be included in this event and we look forward to forming ongoing professional partnerships with New Zealand schools into the future.
Term 1 Participation.
It’s been great to see our students embrace challenge this term by participating in the wide range of activities on offer across the College. Event participation at Year 7 camp and excursions across all year levels has been notably higher than in past years. For the first time in many years we have had two international trips (Indonesia last year and Borneo now) and will soon have a team of students and teachers head off to central Australia. Attendance at Athletics Carnival was also higher than usual, especially at Year 10 as participation in these events now contributes our ‘Year 10 Promotions Policy’.
I’d like to say a BIG thank you to all our students for a great term of participation, embracing challenge and achieving excellence!
Safe Traveling To and From School.
Over the last few weeks the College has received an increasing number of phone calls and emails from community members outlining a number of safety issues they have witnessed or needed to intervene in to address problems of students in SCSC uniforms acting unsafely or behaving inappropriately on their way to and from school. This has included unsafe riding of e-bikes and scooters, and occasionally trespassing onto private property.
Can I ask all parents and carers to remind our students of the need to act responsibly when traveling to and from school and live up to our college value of ‘respect’ whenever they are moving through our community.
Thank you for reading. Have a safe holiday break. And a Happy Easter to all those who celebrate.
Take care,
Shane Elevato
Principal.