Principal's Report 

Welcome back! I hope all families and students had a restful break and that students have settled in well to Term 3. It has been a busy start to the term as always, with many students engaged in co-curricular activities such as inter-school sport, the AAFC Winter Bivouac Camp, and tree-planting for Murnong Day and the Community Tree Planting Day.

Term 3 is when we begin forward planning for 2025. It was wonderful to see so many families join us online for the Parent Information Sessions. We have also completed our Year 9 into 10 and Year 10 into 11 Course Counselling sessions. Feedback has been very positive, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our Course Counsellors for the support and guidance they have provided to students and their families. We strive to create an environment that empowers students to make well-informed decisions about their academic future and pathway, that takes into account their interests and aspirations. We look forward to the next stage in the course selection process as students finalise their choices and submit their preferences for next year.

Cast 1 and 2 have been hard at work preparing for our upcoming production, The Sound of Music. We wish all staff and students the best of luck for this four-day performance run in August. Tickets are available on our website. We know there is nothing better than performing in front of a crowd, so we look forward to seeing you there! Thank you to Anne Corry, Lindy Mumme and Siobhan Judge for all their support in preparing students for this event, along with Ellyce Calder (Vocal Coach) and Tony Hicks (Orchestra). We know that all their hard work, endless encouragement and thorough rehearsals will be worth it come opening night!

NAPLAN results for our Year 7 and Year 9 students have recently been released.  This is the second year of the new reporting system, using proficiency levels to replace the previous banding system. NAPLAN continues to measure student achievement in Numeracy, Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation. A reminder that the new 4 proficiency levels are:

• Exceeding
• Strong
• Developing
• Needs Additional Support.

This information will provide our parents and carers with details about how their child is tracking against their peers and provide an indication of their skill levels against national averages. While NAPLAN results are an important data set, they are only a snapshot of the journey of a young person and does not define them as individuals. The data is just one set that helps teachers challenge and support students at their point of need.

Our college is conducting a survey to find out what parents and carers think of our school. The Parent and Carer Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education that is designed to assist us in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage all families to participate. Our college will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. All families are invited to participate in the survey.

The Parent and Carer Opinion Survey will be open from Monday 29th July to Friday 30th August 2024. The survey will be online, takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the survey period on computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages.

Thank you for your support of the college and we look forward to our continued partnerships, working together to empower, inspire and elevate the potential of our young women.