Assistant Principals' Reports 

DREW KING

Assistant Principal | Junior School

Term 2 was another busy time in the Junior School at Dromana College. Our year 7 cohort started with a trip to the Moonlit Sanctuary as part of their Science studies in the world of biology. Students were required to research an animal of their choice, finding out information on the type of environment, ecosystem, classification and human impacts on the species. It was an interesting day for everyone involved, however, after the feedback from many of the students, they want to return to the Melbourne Zoo or maybe look into a local business closer to the school called “The Funky Farm”. 

  Our year 7 sporting teams were packed with enthusiastic students heading out to play football, soccer, netball, and badminton.  All teams showed great skill and persistence. I would also like to extend my congratulations to all of you for actively participating in a wide range of extracurricular activities, enhancement programs, and sporting events. Your enthusiasm and dedication have not only built on your own school experience but have also contributed to the vibrant and dynamic culture of Dromana College. 

A special congratulations to our first-place winners, all of whom are girls' teams in soccer, netball and football. Your hard work and teamwork have set a high standard for everyone.  Additionally, congratulations to our second-place winners: boys' netball, boys' football, boys' soccer, and boys' badminton. Your efforts and perseverance are truly commendable. We must also celebrate the outstanding regional performances of our cross-country runners: Will Thompson, Callum Vandelft, Kealey Brewster, and Indi Fortnam. Your dedication and athleticism have brought pride to our school community.

Year 8 was full steam ahead. Term 2 has been a dynamic and engaging period for our Year 8 students, filled with a variety of activities and achievements. Our Japanese Food Night was a huge success at the beginning of the Term. Our students had the opportunity to make and eat Japanese cuisine, enhancing their cultural awareness and language skills. It was such a great night, with a real sense of community and adventure among students, parents, and teachers.  

Year 8 also saw the LEAP World Challenge Incursion, which was a highly educational, fun, and motivating experience. Students were encouraged to think globally and work collaboratively on their problem-solving skills in small groups. 

We also had some of our Year 8 aerobics teams get through to the State Championships. This remarkable accomplishment reflects the girls’ dedication, hard work and team spirit. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and the way they represented our College. A huge thank you also to our wonderful staff and parents for supporting and training the girls, especially Brittany Felsinger. Britt has worked so hard to get the team through. All the best in Queensland during term 3.

Towards the end of May, our College held the Year 8 Parent Information Evening. This event saw an exceptional turnout, making it one of the best attended information evenings I have ever been part of. The enthusiasm and support from parents and students were greatly appreciated. Well, done, to our Year 8 Coordinating team for delivering such an informative and smooth session. The attitude to school surveys were also conducted this term, providing valuable insights into the student’s perspectives and experiences at our college. These surveys are instrumental in helping us improve the school learning environment and address any concerns, ensuring a positive and supportive atmosphere for all students in years 7-12. 

Finally, congratulations to all the Year 8 students who participated in a variety of inter-school sports achieving notable success. Both the girl's and boy's football teams secured wins, showcasing their talent, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Congratulations to all Year 8 students for their hard work and personal best this term.  

The year nine focus for term two has been all about careers and future pathways through My First Job incursion. My First Job is a platform, for teens looking to start their work journey, where they can find and prepare for their first job. Workshops were then run in the library with year 9 students over two sessions. The students also participated in their year 10 subject selection process with their pastoral teachers to start putting their subject interests into place to start their senior school pathway.  The last day of term finished with a BBQ to celebrate a successful term for our year 9 students and teachers including all the wonderful efforts in our year 9 interschool sporting teams.

As we look forward to Semester 2, I am excited to see what new heights our students will reach and what new achievements will be celebrated. Continue to uphold the values of Dromana College, strive for excellence, and support one another as you navigate the rest of the school year.

Wishing everyone a wonderful and safe winter break. 

Kind Regards,

Drew King.

SIMON JONES 

Assistant Principal | Senior School 

It has been a long but productive and busy term. Senior students have completed a challenging exam program which is valuable and important preparation for final year 12 exams. The VCAA GAT was also held on Tuesday the 18th and around 330 senior students sat these exams. The GAT has 2 sections with a break in between and is quite a marathon, spanning 4hours and 15 minutes in total. The GAT is used as a moderation tool and to derive study scores in the event that students are unable to sit final exams due to medical or other unforeseen reasons. The students did a fantastic job across the exam period and approached them with the diligence required. We have now commenced semester 2 so new units of work have begun. For our year 12’s, the rest of the year will go very quickly with our Vocational Major and Further Learning students finishing at the end of term 3 and the rest completing their studies in readiness for final VCAA exams. It is imperative that students remain focussed and continue to work towards these deadlines and goals.

We have also undertaken course counselling and subject selection for all students in years 10-12 in recent weeks and all students should have submitted their online selections by now. If not it is important that they speak with their coordinators as soon as possible. The level of parent participation in the year 10 counselling sessions was exceptional and we thank all those who made the time to attend. 

Our year 10 students will be either going on the Central Australia Camp or participating in work experience, starting in the last week of term. Both programs will provide great learning experiences for our year 10’s and we wish them all well. A highlight of the term was undoubtedly the College Production, The Addams Family. If you saw it I am sure that you would agree that it was a brilliant show, which show-cased the incredible talent of our students across all areas of the performing arts and across all year levels. Congratulations to all staff on students who were involved.

I wish everyone a safe and warm mid-year break and look forward to seeing everyone back at school for the start of term 3.

STEPHANIE PEARCE

Assistant Principal | Teaching and Learning

Term 2 is always a busy and productive period at Dromana College, and this year proved to be no exception. Earlier this term, we received our preliminary NAPLAN results for 2024. These results provide a good indication of our school's performance before the formal results are released in mid-July. The dedication and commitment to learning shown by both our Year 7 and 9 cohorts will undoubtedly be cause for celebration next term when results are available for families. As a school community, we are extremely proud of the continued growth our students experience in literacy and numeracy and I congratulate our entire teaching staff for their collective efforts in supporting students in developing these key skills for success.

It is wonderful to see so many students being recognised as part of our Dromana College Merit Program. This program celebrates students who demonstrate our college values of Respect, Responsibility, Personal Best, and Integrity in their learning and extracurricular pursuits. Seeing so many students from Year 7-12 receiving daily recognition is a true testament to the outstanding young people at Dromana College. At the end of this year, we will again celebrate our top students from each year level.

For staff, Term 2 has been significant for professional development. All staff participated in a series of professional learning workshops covering areas such as catering for high-ability learners, data-informed differentiation, high-impact teaching strategies, and support for improving writing in the junior and VCE classroom. These workshops were internally developed and led, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the workshop leaders for their time and dedication to strengthening our professional learning culture. Our commitment to learning and reflecting on our practice ensures we are always meeting individual learning needs.

Despite only just beginning Semester 2, our students will soon start considering their 2025 programs. It is exciting to note the breadth of subjects now available across Years 7-12, as well as the investment in all pathways to help every student reach their goals and engage with their interests. In 2025, we are excited to be offering a multi-trade pathway, as well as carpentry at Year 9 and 10 in response to student feedback. Environmental Science will now be offered as a Unit 1 and 2 subject, and in middle years Health and Human Development there will be a renewed focus on health for youth.

As a school, we are currently familiarising ourselves with the Victorian Curriculum 2.0. The updated curriculum aligns more closely with the Australian Curriculum and will give Victoria's students the best opportunity to thrive in a world of increasing change and rapid technological advancement. Across Terms 3 and 4, our staff will work collaboratively to update their teaching and learning programs, ready for implementation from 2025. This work prioritises Mathematics and English to ensure a strong foundation in numeracy and literacy.

I thank all students for completing Semester 1 with focus and purpose. Semester 1 reports are now available for students and their families to review.

Have a safe and enjoyable break with friends and family, and we look forward to more success and celebration after winter!

MATTHEW MCLAREN

Assistant Principal | Wellbeing

Changing the narrative on the homework battle. 

Taking the hard-work out of homework?

Have you asked your child, “Have you got/done any homework?” 

These words can be a battle in a number of households. Dromana College is on a long-term journey to change the narrative about homework. 

In 2022, the then Year 9 and 10 Student Leaders decided to investigate the area of homework for the ‘Teach the Teacher’ program where students lead staff in their professional development. Students led at least two professional development workshops to collaborate with staff to investigate an area of school improvement through discussion and problem solving.

As part of this process, these students surveyed their peers, teachers and the wider school community, including parents/guardians and carers. This data indicated there was a range of opinions and perspectives on the concept of homework. Students then completed workshops with staff and consulted further with students to rewrite the school’s homework policy. This new policy added the concepts of study and revision to the homework space and crucially separated them into distinct definitions. 

This policy defined homework, study and revision as follows:

Homework will usually consist of unfinished classroom tasks assigned to students by teachers meant to be carried out outside of school hours. In addition, homework tasks can be small tasks or research activities to prepare students for upcoming lessons.

Study is the process of regularly and promptly consolidating learning that has occurred in the classroom; it is usually completed outside of class time but may also be modelled by a teacher or students in class. Study will usually involve summarising information, chunking information into manageable concepts, using dual coding or visual diagrams, and retrieving information over time. The concepts studied by a student will usually be assessed with a Graded Assessment Task (GAT) for Years 7 to 10 and School Assessed Coursework (SAC) for VCE students.

Revision ensures knowledge and skills are regularly retained and refreshed over the long term. This means retrieving information or practising skills that are not the current focus of class time or study. Revision is essential if students are to do well in examinations and continue to improve through the process of life-long learning.

In 2023, student leaders finalised this policy and worked with Alex Woolley to develop practical tools to clarify how to study and revise. These tools were the Senior School Study & Revision Matrix. These resources are soon to be available on the college website with exemplars to help students at home.

In 2024, all VCE University Pathways students received year-level presentations and ongoing in-class mentoring with studying and revising to build confidence and a culture around the use of these strategies. 

In the second half of 2024, we aim to develop a junior school version of a study and revision matrix that focuses on underlying literacy and numeracy skills. Year 10 students will also be formally inducted on how to use these tools during semester two so they are adequately prepared for their entry as VCE students during Jumpstart at the end of 2024.

So, in the future, if students are up to date with their homework, the question could be, “What study can I help you with?”  or “What study strategies are you currently working on?”

An empowering dialogue that supports positive and confident actions by students to improve their learning and progress is crucial to them achieving their personal best. 

Matthew McLaren Assistant Principal (Wellbeing) & Alex Woolley Leading Teacher (Student Voice & Agency)