Principal Update

Dear Western Port Secondary College Community,

Womin Djeka and welcome to another edition of the Western Port Word, filled with messages of pride, progress and the achievements we've made as a college this term.

As we close the third term, I am filled with immense pride reflecting on the many achievements we have celebrated as a school community. It’s been an exciting and productive term, with significant milestones in both academic and co-curricular areas, marking a clear path towards even greater things for our students.

A standout event this term was ‘The Snow’ production, which was an overwhelming success. The enthusiasm and engagement from all involved make us optimistic about the future of performing arts at our college. We also had our annual RUOK day which included a focus on conversations and ‘checking in’ with each other. A huge thanks for the Hastings Rotary Club for donating and cooking a sausage sizzle for our students to help mark the day.

In terms of academic excellence, I am thrilled to share that our college has been recognized as a State finalist in the Education Excellence Awards across three categories: School Improvement, Secondary Principal and Koorie Education. This recognition reflects the dedication of our staff and the strength of our partnerships, particularly through the Koorie Emerging Leaders in Schools (KELiS) program. Our commitment to inclusivity and fostering leadership opportunities within our Koorie community is a point of pride for us all.

Our focus on Classroom Mastery and the Science of Learning continues to yield impressive results. Across the board, we have seen a marked improvement in data sets from students, teachers, and parents/carers, all of which demonstrate an increasingly positive school climate and strong engagement with our school improvement strategies. However, the most significant outcome improvement in data is the above state level growth we’ve seen in our Year 7 to Year 9 students, particularly in Reading and Numeracy. The high and medium growth our students have experienced is a direct reflection of the intentional and deliberate work being done across the college, especially in our teaching and learning programs.

This academic success has not gone unnoticed, and we’ve had the privilege of hosting many visitors who have been keen to learn from our progress. Notably, we’ve welcomed Jenny Donovan, CEO of the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO), as well as Regional Executives and philanthropic donors from the Mornington Peninsula Foundation who have been significant supporters of our work in teaching and learning, and their ongoing commitment to our inclusive education space is deeply appreciated.

Thank you to our entire school community, our students, staff, parents and supporters for your continued dedication to excellence. We look forward to finishing the year strong and continuing this exciting momentum into Term 4!

Enjoy a safe and relaxing school holiday break.

Kind Regards,

Chris Quinn

Principal