Student Engagement & Management

It has been another very busy term at Lyndale Secondary College, with plenty of learning, excursions, events and opportunities for our students. As we come to the end of Term 3, I wanted to share some of the work that has been taking place across the College and some of the areas we will continue to strengthen moving into 2027.

Strengthening SWPBS (School Wide Positive Behaviours) at Lyndale

I recently attended an SWPBS workshop where school leaders had the opportunity to hear about some of the wonderful work being undertaken in schools across the region. It was a valuable opportunity to hear about new ideas, strategies and approaches that we can consider incorporating into our own SWPBS framework at Lyndale.

We have now introduced our SWPBS matrix and made this visible throughout the College so that our expectations are clear and consistent for students and staff. Please see the matrix below.

Our SWPBS matrix, together with our framework for responding to inappropriate behaviours, is supporting us to create greater consistency in how we respond to student behaviour. Most importantly, it keeps the focus on teaching and learning. We want our teachers to be able to spend their time teaching, and our students to have classrooms where they can learn with minimal disruption.

We will continue to review and develop our SWPBS approach and look at what we can incorporate from the excellent work being undertaken in other schools.

Careers and Pathways

I have attended two workshops focused on Careers and Pathways, with principals and school leaders from across the SMA region coming together to discuss how we can strengthen pathways for our students.

One of the key challenges identified across schools is the need to build greater understanding and value around the different pathways available to students, as well as supporting students to understand how they can progress towards their future goals.

This is an area we will continue to strengthen at Lyndale in 2027. Our Future Ready program already provides students with a range of information and experiences around careers, courses and future pathways, but we see an opportunity to build this even further.

We want our students to understand the choices available to them, feel confident making decisions about their future and, importantly, understand the steps they need to take to reach their goals. This will be an important focus for us moving into 2027.

Building Towards a Lyndale Yearbook

This term we have also been working to raise funds towards our goal of providing every Lyndale student with a yearbook.

We were very grateful to our staff and students who supported our Toastie Truck fundraiser. While we have not yet raised enough funds to provide a yearbook to every student, the option for families to purchase a yearbook will still be available, and the final product is continuing to be developed.

The bigger picture behind this initiative has been about showing our students that opportunities and initiatives do not simply happen on their own. They require people to get behind an idea, contribute and work together to make it happen.

We hope this is the beginning of other initiatives in the future that bring our school community together and create opportunities and memories for our students.

Preparing for the 2027 Laptop Expectations

As we prepare for the introduction of the laptop ban in 2027, we will begin transitioning students to these expectations during Term 4.

From Term 4, laptops will not be permitted before school, at recess, during lunchtime or after school. This will give our students and staff an opportunity to adjust to the new expectations before they are fully implemented in 2027.

We want to encourage students to make the most of the many lunchtime activities already available at Lyndale. We will also be providing additional opportunities, including card games and other activities, so students have a range of alternatives during break times.

We recognise that some students may find this transition challenging, and Term 4 will provide us with an opportunity to support those students and help them adjust.

At the same time, we believe it is important to acknowledge some of the issues we are seeing associated with laptop use, both inside and outside the classroom. We want to ensure that technology supports learning rather than becoming a distraction from it, and that students have opportunities to engage with one another and participate in the broader life of the College.

PE Uniform Reminder

A reminder to families that students are expected to wear the correct PE uniform on PE days. This includes the Lyndale PE top, rugby jumper or bonded jacket, black Lyndale or plain black pants/shorts and appropriate runners.

If your child is unable to wear the correct PE uniform, they should attend school in their full school uniform and change for their PE lesson.

We are noticing some students wearing items such as bike shorts or pants and shorts with prominent logos. These items are not part of the approved Lyndale PE uniform and should not be worn to school.

Thank you to families for supporting us with this expectation.

A Positive Start to the School Day

One particularly pleasing area this term has been the improvement in student punctuality.

While we still have work to do, we have seen a clear decline in the number of students arriving late to Period 1 compared with where we started the year. We will share more detailed data with our community next term, but we wanted to acknowledge this improvement now.

We know that many families have worked hard to establish morning routines and support their children to arrive at school on time, and we genuinely appreciate that support.

Being on time means students are ready to learn from the beginning of the lesson. It allows teachers to maximise their teaching time, reduces interruptions for other students and helps young people develop the important value of punctuality — a skill that will continue to be important throughout their education, employment and adult life.

Looking Towards Term 4

It has certainly been a jam-packed term, with a huge range of excursions, events, programs and learning opportunities taking place across the College.

Thank you to our students, families and staff for the continued support you provide to our school. There is a great deal happening behind the scenes to continue strengthening Lyndale, and we look forward to building on this work throughout Term 4 and into 2027.

As the weather begins to improve, we hope everyone enjoys a well-earned break over the holidays. We look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for a positive Term 4.

Diana Kennedy

Assistant Principal

Student Engagement and Management