From the Leadership Team
Although Term 3 was only nine weeks long, it has been a significant and productive term for students, staff, and families.
A special thank you goes to Mr Ford, who acted in the Assistant Principal role while Ms Narayanen was on leave. His contributions were greatly valued and he was a wonderful asset to the Principal Team. Thanks also to Ms Archer, who stepped into the Wellbeing Leading Teacher role for the term. It is fabulous to have such strong leaders at Glen Eira College who are willing to step up in support of our students and community.
Sadly, we farewell Mrs Chislett who has been an outstanding leading teacher, from her efforts in writing the English SEAL program to supporting students in debating competitions. We wish her all the best for all of her future endeavours.
A particular highlight this term has been seeing the VCE Vocational Major students in action. Working alongside their teachers and education support staff, they have reinvigorated and landscaped the Wellbeing Garden - a project that has brought fresh energy to an important space in our school. (See images in this edition.)
We were hrilled to see the Sunday Herald Sun published an article ranking GEC as the:
- 17th best public High School in Victoria
- 74th best public High School in Australia
This is out of a field of around 1100 schools nationally. The field includes selective schools (e.g. 5 in VIC., 20 in NSW). The data used for the ranking is from myschool.edu.au / ACARA.
Teaching and Learning
This term, our teaching and learning focus has been on strengthening Explicit Teaching practices across all classrooms. Teachers have worked on:
- Crafting targeted learning aims
- Developing clear and measurable success criteria
- Embedding advanced organisers into starter activities to activate students’ prior knowledge and support deeper learning
Teachers have also been collaborating in triads, observing each other’s practice and collecting non-judgmental, evidence-based feedback. This model has encouraged professional dialogue, reflection, and shared growth, supporting consistency and stronger instructional practices across the school.
Looking ahead, our Cup Eve Curriculum Day (student-free day) will be dedicated to continuing the vital work of updating and aligning our curriculum with the Victorian Curriculum 2.0. This work will help ensure our programs remain rigorous, future-focused, and responsive to the learning needs of our students.
Student Conferences – Thursday 28th August
Thank you to all parents and carers for your support and participation in our recent Student Conferences. These conferences are an important opportunity for us to strengthen collaboration between home and school and to empower students to take an active role in their own learning. Your involvement helps us continue to improve student learning outcomes together.
Here are some reflections from the conferences:
Parent comments:
“Having the students provide input to the conferences was excellent. The teachers and my child were engaged in the conference.”
“It was good to get the children to reflect on their own progress and discuss with their teachers. The preparation sheet provided good guidance. Very valuable advice was given by the teachers.”
Student comments:
“It allowed me to reflect on my own learning in the semester so far. It then made me more aware of how to improve for the future.”
(Year 10 student)
“I discussed my strengths and weaknesses and my teacher gave me feedback, which helped me improve in those areas.”
(Year 9 student)
A teacher comment:
“I really liked how the students were given the opportunity to express positives, challenges, and improvements. It gets students to think about their own learning and reduced the mental load for teachers on what to say when students lead with their own experiences.”
Term 4 School Wide Positive Behaviour Priorities
Next term, with regard to student behaviour and our school wide positive behaviour matrix, our focus areas will be:
- Acknowledging and celebrating positive behaviours
- Come to class on time
Wear full school uniform with pride - Hoodie Blitz
Acknowledging and Celebrating Positive Behaviour
Students who receive a positive note will go into a digital raffle to win a $10 canteen voucher, distributed at year level assemblies. In addition, the class with the highest number of positive notes by the end of Week 8 will celebrate with a special pizza/subway lunch.
Come to class on time
At Glen Eira College, we want every student to have the best opportunity to learn. Students who frequently miss the beginning of class also miss the explicit teaching that sets the foundation for their learning. No matter how many professional learning sessions our teachers undertake, if students arrive late, they are missing valuable content that cannot be replaced. We have to get this right.
If your young person is often late to school, we encourage you to talk to them about their morning routine. A few simple questions can make a big difference:
- What time is their alarm set for? Does it need to be earlier?
- What time are they going to bed? Are they getting enough rest?
To support punctuality, the following process is in place:
- Three late arrivals to school or class will result in a lunchtime detention with a Year Level Coordinator, where students will reflect on the reasons for their lateness and create a plan to improve.
- If a student does not attend this 20-minute detention, it will be escalated to a 30-minute detention with a member of the Principal Team.
- Continued non-compliance will lead to a family meeting to work together on a solution.
By working in partnership, we can support all students to be present at the beginning of each class and maximise their learning opportunities.
Wear full school uniform with pride - Hoodie Blitz
We are currently seeking feedback on our uniform policy, with Acting Assistant Principal Chizuko Inoue leading the Uniform Committee. Any proposed changes will be taken to School Council for approval.
In the interim, the following procedures apply:
- Any student wearing a hoodie to school will have it confiscated by staff and returned from their Subschool Office at the end of the week.
- On a second confiscation, the hoodie will only be returned at the end of term.
- A family meeting will be organised for students who refuse to hand over incorrect uniform items.
We are so proud of the many students who consistently do the right thing, showing respect, responsibility and kindness day in and day out. Your positive choices set the tone for our school community, and we are excited to find new ways to celebrate and acknowledge these wonderful behaviours in the future.
Warm regards,
Jane Thornton
on behalf of the Leadership Team
Bell Times Last Day of Term
We have a 2:30pm finish on Friday 19th September, as it is the last day of term.
Lessons will be 52 minutes long.
Bell times:
Period 1 - 9:00am
Period 2 - 9:52am
Recess - 10:44am
Period 3 - 11:06am
Period 4 - 11:58am
Lunch - 12:50pm
Lunch changeover - 1:14pm
Period 5 - 1:38pm
End of day - 2:30pm
Mark Oudshoorn
Assistant Principal