Principal's report

Dear Gisborne Secondary College Community,

It has certainly been a full-on but fantastic term. There is always so much to celebrate and reflect on here at Gisborne Secondary College, and it continues to be a privilege to witness the incredible work taking place across our school community.

We are now well and truly moving into 2027 planning mode, with many exciting ideas emerging about how we can continue to drive improvement and take our College to the next level. A key focus moving forward will be ensuring we have clear and consistent expectations across the College, while continuing to strengthen our teaching and learning practices to support positive growth in student learning outcomes and achievement data.

The focus this term, and last, has very much been on getting back to basics and continuing to establish clear, College-wide expectations to ensure our learning environment is positive, safe and supportive for all students. While raising expectations can sometimes be challenging - particularly as students adjust to greater consistency and accountability - we are already seeing the importance of having a shared understanding of what we expect from everyone within our College community.

Our College community once again demonstrated its generosity and commitment to supporting important causes, through our participation in giving to our local Food Bank and raising funds for Wear It Purple Day. Our College raised a whopping $1,039. Students and staff worked together to promote this important day of awareness and to reinforce our commitment to creating a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone! The funds raised will contribute towards fixing and relocating our inclusion flagpole to the front of the Wellbeing Hub, where it will proudly fly the inclusion flag, representing the diversity and inclusion of all members of our community.

Term 3 Curriculum Day – Extending Our Students

The focus of our Term 3 Curriculum Day was centred around one key question: How do we extend our students?

The day focused on analysing our College-wide data and curriculum, while also upskilling staff in identifying students with high ability and ensuring they are appropriately extended in their learning, while continuing to support their health and wellbeing.

It was a particularly positive day, highlighting the success of our first year of the ASPIRE program and the fantastic learning and outcomes that have emerged from this initiative. Staff also had the opportunity to reflect on their own classes, curriculum and planning, and to consider how they can continue to provide appropriate challenge and extension for all students.

Another component of the day focused on compliance and staff capability. Twenty-three staff members completed reaccreditation in First Aid, Asthma and Anaphylaxis, supporting the College in meeting its compliance requirements and ensuring we have appropriately trained staff across the College.

In addition, eleven carefully selected staff members, representing a range of areas, experience and expertise across the College, participated in a Workplace Psychosocial Safety focus group. The College participated in this fantastic program, which will provide valuable data and documentation to help us better understand how we can support staff psychological health, safety and wellbeing within our workplace.

Overall, it was a jam-packed day filled with positive discussion, reflection and learning.

Trade Hub Official Opening

On Friday 28 August, with less than 48 hours' notice and little warning that the Premier would be attending, we certainly put on a show as we proudly hosted the official opening of our incredible new Trade Hub. The event provided a wonderful opportunity to showcase our College and officially cut the ribbon on this amazing facility, which will provide significant opportunities for both our students and the wider community.

The Trade Hub has enabled the College to deliver high-quality teaching and learning across a range of areas, including VET Building and Construction, Woodwork, Systems Engineering and Product Design, just to name a few. A very big thank you must go to Amanda McKie, Nick Maxwell, our maintenance team and the Technology team for the incredible amount of work that took place behind the scenes to ensure the building was ready and operational for our students.

This facility is an amazing resource for our College, and will support so many students to explore and pursue their areas of passion, while opening up exciting future career opportunities and pathways. We are incredibly proud of this facility, and look forward to seeing the many ways it will continue to support the learning, aspirations and futures of our students.

I would also like to extend a big thank you to all staff, students and families for their continued support during my time at Gisborne Secondary College.

I have been asked to remain as Acting Principal until the end of the year, and I am absolutely honoured and incredibly thankful for the opportunity.

I said it on day one when I arrived at GSC, and it remains very much my view today: there is something very special about this place. The people, the students, the staff and the wider community all contribute to making this College what it is, and I feel genuinely thankful and honoured to be part of it for the time I am here.

GSC Principal Sarah Rose has asked me to pass on a message to the community on her behalf......

'Dear Families,

I am writing to let you know that I have made the decision to formally resign from the position of Principal of Gisborne Secondary College. This was not an easy decision, as it has been an honour to lead the school community over the last 6 years, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my work with both students and families alike. I have moved into a role at the Department of Education, which is proving to be a great new challenge for me. It’s been lovely to run into students and families out and about in the Macedon Ranges, and I look forward to these continued connections over time. 

Wishing you all the best,

Sarah Rose'

I wish everyone a well-deserved and relaxing term break, and I look forward to what will no doubt be another crazy, jam-packed and exciting Term 4!

Kind regards,

Suzie Harrison

College Acting Principal