Principal's Report

There are moments in the school year when you pause and realise just how much is happening all at once. A conversation in the corridor about future pathways, a group of students returning from camp a little more confident than when they left, a classroom buzzing with the excitement of an immersive history activity. Schools are busy places, but beneath the busyness is something deeper: young people gradually discovering who they are, what they care about, and the many ways they might find their place in the world.

This term has already been full of experiences that remind us how much learning happens beyond the walls of the classroom.

Over the past few weeks, many of our students have been out in the world learning together. Our VCE students recently attended their study camp, focusing on their studies while building the connections and mutual support that are so important in the final years of schooling. The Outdoor Education class also had their first major camp as part of their assessments. These camps are a powerful reminder that success in the senior years is not just about individual effort, but about the communities students build around them.

Our Year 9 students have also been stretching themselves in different ways. The Morrisby testing program has given them a chance to reflect on their strengths, interests, and possible future pathways. While no single test can define a young person’s future, opportunities like this can spark conversations about the many directions life might take, and the wide range of possibilities available to them.

The Year 9 cohort have engaged with their 9Life activities and excursions, connecting learning to the wider community and the world beyond school. Students have been experiencing a range of outdoor education activities including sea kayaking, city experiences conducting surveys and learning about the city of Melbourne, teeing off at the Dorset golf club and a myriad of other activities. Experiences like these help students see themselves as active participants in their communities and understand how their learning connects to the lives they are beginning to imagine for themselves.

Meanwhile, our Year 8 students stepped back in time for their Medieval History Day. It was wonderful to see students embracing the sights, sounds, and stories of the medieval world. Days like this remind us that learning can be immersive, creative, and joyful — and that sometimes the best way to understand history is to experience a small piece of it.

Next week, marks a very important and very big week for our college. On Tuesday, our school review begins. The school review process occurs every four years and is a process through which the Department assess how well the school has met its goals from its last Strategic Plan and then sets a new Strategic Plan for the next four years. We are looking forward to this process as it is a great opportunity to reflect on all that we have achieved in the past four years and look forward to where we can continue to improve and to further enhance opportunities and experiences for our students. 

In addition to our review, next week students in Years 7 and 9 will begin the NAPLAN assessments. NAPLAN provides a broad snapshot of literacy and numeracy across the country and can help schools identify trends to better support students.

At the same time, it is important to remember what NAPLAN is — and what it is not. It is one moment in time. It cannot capture the full richness of a young person’s learning, their creativity, kindness, curiosity, or the many ways they grow throughout the year. It does not measure the friendships formed on camp, the confidence gained through trying something new, the excitement of discovering an interest, or the resilience built through challenge.

Our message to students is simple: approach NAPLAN with calm and confidence. Do your best, take your time, and then continue with the important work of learning, growing, and enjoying school. These tests provide information, but they are only a very small part of the bigger story of a young person’s education.

And it’s that bigger story of curiosity, compassion, and community that we see unfolding every day across our school.

Later this term, we will be holding our first Parent Teacher Day for the year. This is happening on the 26th of March which is the second last Thursday of term. We encourage all families to book a time to meet with our teachers. We offer interviews both face to face and online for families who have to work and while mostly they are quite short, the opportunity to speak together around supporting our young people to do their best is one that cannot be taken for granted and we would absolutely love to see you here. Bookings for this day will be released with the upcoming progress reports so please keep an eye out for this and get on and book your opportunities to meet our staff.