Principal's Message-

Laura Spence

Dear students and families,

We are halfway through Term 4, which means exams, finishing off Semester 2 subjects, and getting ready for Headstart. Headstart is an exciting time of year for students, when they might otherwise be getting a little bored, they jump into a new year level, new electives, and lots of other exciting starts. Please check in with your child to see how their end of Semester 2 is going (finished all their CATs?!), and how they are feeling about their new classes coming up.

Part of getting ready for Headstart and 2026 in general has included the selection of our new school captains. We had a brilliant group of students apply for the roles, submitting a written application, being interviewed by a panel, and making a speech to their peers.  Whilst we had to make the difficult decision in selecting two captains and two vice captains, I can assure you that the quality of leaders we have moving through the school, the future of our community is in great hands.

The final step of our Year 12 cohort’s journey is almost complete, with most of the VCE exams now undertaken. Our VM students have graduated, and we will see all of the students and families back for their Valedictory Presentation on November 20th . Back in Week 1 this term we held Celebration Day as our Year 12s finished classes. The day concluded with a whole school assembly, and farewell guard of honour of all students as the 12s took their final walk through the school to the front gates. The students’ behaviour was respectful and showed genuine gratitude for their time at McClelland, a credit to their families and every teacher and support staff who had this cohort from Year 7 through to Year 12. Regardless of the outcomes of exams, we know every student in both VM and VCE have committed their absolute best outcome this year, and with the support of our Sub School and Careers teams, have exciting and quality pathways in front of them.

Families will notice 2026 College Charges have been emailed home today. As usual you will be aware government education costs are voluntary, and we appreciate all contributions made towards your child’s education and facilities. Our college has had a steady trend over the past five years where our SFOE index (school family occupation education) has trended down, taking us below the state average, meaning our community has less financial disadvantage than the state average. This in turn impacts our funding, as each year of change we receive less equity funding. This data is collected at enrolment when families tell us their occupation and school leaving level. If you think this requires updating, please contact the front office (for example if you were previously working in a category A or B occupation and now are a C or D, or not currently working), as our knowledge of these changes support our funding. There are other examples of our data collection which impact funding, so if you think there are any updates please contact us, especially related to family contact and living arrangements. Where we notice gaps in family data, we may contact you to request the information if you wish to provide it.

I hope everyone has a smooth and enjoyable run home this term. We will move through exams, Headstart, end of year activities and ready for Christmas in a flash. Thank-you families for your support and positive communications with the college, we regularly receive emails and feedback in person from students and parents about how much they appreciate our teachers, activities, etc, which is always a lovely moment to receive.