Principal's Update

The 2025 school year has commenced, and I would like to commend our students for the positive manner in which they have returned to school following the break. It is extremely pleasing to see all students wearing the college uniform with pride and following the college values as they settle back into their routines. 

As is normal at the commencement of every school year, there has been an emphasis on reminding all students to follow college expectations and maximise their opportunities for learning. It is important that students come prepared to learn with the correct materials for every class. Sending students back to their lockers during classes for equipment or books interrupts the flow of the lesson and students lose out on critical instructional time. Learning behaviours such as being ready to learn is reflected in student GPA reports and I encourage students and families to let their homegroup teacher know if they require any support with books or materials for their subjects.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind all students and families of the importance of attending school every day. Families can find additional information about the importance of attending school and ways to support your student to go to school via this following link https://www.vic.gov.au/attendance-and-missing-school

Additionally, I encourage families to develop a partnership with their student’s homegroup teachers and Mini School leaders. A strong school and family connection has positive outcomes for all students. If you are unsure of the process you need to follow to report your child’s absence, or how to access Compass, please reach out to the relevant Mini School, or call the General Office on 5127 9200. 

Our college student leaders did a stellar job at our first whole school assembly in Week 2 despite the extreme heat. Two of our College Captains, Daniel Edebohls and Haylee Wilson, attended the first School Council Meeting for 2025 as student representatives and demonstrated their maturity and leadership potential when they presented their first student report and Term 1 fundraising ideas to the Council. I am excited to watch the confidence and capacity of all our college leaders grow this year.

I would like to welcome all our new students, including our largest Year 7 cohort to date. Thank you to those families who were able to attend the Year 7 Welcome BBQ on Tuesday the 11th of February. I enjoyed meeting and welcoming some of our newest families to the college. 

As our enrolments have increased, we have welcomed a significant number of new staff to the college this year. They have reported how impressed they are with the way they have been supported by staff, families and even more pleasingly, by the friendliness of our students. Thank you for making them feel welcomed into the Lowanna community. 

Melissa Rock, current Principal at Yarragon Primary School, has joined our Executive Team for Term 1. Melissa brings a wealth of experience in coaching and Explicit Teaching. Students have come to expect to see Melissa in classrooms observing teaching and learning. During Term 1 I will be working closely with Melissa to develop a model for Explicit Teaching which is a statewide focus of the Department of Education.

Nominations for the 2025 School Council 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 and serves as an opportunity for community members to have a voice in some of the decisions made to improve the outcomes for our students. Please contact our office on 5127 9200 for more information and to collect a nomination form. 

For families in Year 7 and 9, NAPLAN will soon be upon us. Students in Year 7 and Year 9 will be spending some time in English and Maths classes preparing for the tests. 

NAPLAN is a measure of a student’s capability in Literacy (Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar) and Numeracy. It is important for students and families to understand that NAPLAN is just one of many ways of testing to measure student learning growth. However, we want all students to do their best on the days of the tests. There is a correlation between how students perform at Year 9 NAPLAN and how they go on to perform at VCE, so maximising learning in the middle years is just as important as trying hard in Year 11 and 12. 

NAPLAN is also an opportunity for our students to demonstrate their learning from the past two years, and particularly for our Year 9's, showcase the great work they have done in our classrooms. The detailed analysis of student results also provides our teachers and leaders with the opportunity to pinpoint and focus on areas for improvement as well as to determine any additional supports or programs that the college may need to implement.

In 2025, College Leadership will be continuing to plan and develop teaching and learning programs to improve student outcomes. We have some exciting opportunities for students and our wider community to engage with throughout the year, as well as some that will commence in 2026. I will be communicating regularly with our community as these initiatives and programs are launched. Meanwhile, we will continue to improve and maintain those areas where we have already seen growth such as our literacy and numeracy interventions.

Julia Niamh  

Acting College Principal