Assistant Principal's Report 

Hi everyone, I am writing this report in week 3 of term 3, 2022. 

In the first three weeks, already so much has happened. It’s fantastic to see our students being given (& taking up) opportunities to challenge themselves in new environments. Year 8 students have started learning how to Collabor8 on real world problems; four year 9 students are attending the School for Student Leadership this term; two more year 10 students are attending the John Monash Science School and the majority of year 8-11 students attended the careers expo in week two. Year 12 interviews were held on July 25th to allow senior students and their families a chance to ‘check-in’ with their teachers to see how they were going and what they needed to do in the final months of their secondary schooling. We wish our graduating students well during this busy time. 

Careers Expo

It was great to see so many families attend the 2022 Careers Expo held at Memorial Hall on July 20th. A big thank-you to all the presenters and staff and community vendors who ran stalls on the evening. Hopefully our students have a clearer idea of what they may like to pursue in their future and what pathway will help them make ‘the next step’. Course counselling sessions are well underway to select subjects for 2023.  

Reporting 

Semester Reports were published the last week of term 2 and should be used to celebrate achievement and create conversations about how to plan for future improvement. Congratulations to the many students who achieved learning growth in semester 1. This term will see progress reports completed in weeks 5 and 10. The Progress Report rubric identifies the learning characteristics that students should display to be successful with their learning. Please use the rubric as a guide for conversations with your child about how they are going. Also in week 10 this term will be Student Led Conferences (SLCs) where students present an overview of their learning to their parents/ guardians and a teacher. Bookings for SLCs will be available on Compass soon- stay tuned! 

Assessment

NAPLAN results should be available this term for year 7 and 9 students and their families. Attitudes to School Survey (AToSS) results will also be made available to provide us with a ‘pulse check’ of how we are progressing towards our four year School Strategic Plan (SSP) targets of improving student learning, student engagement and student wellbeing. Students involved in the Tutor Learning Initiative (TLI) will complete a similar survey in the coming weeks to monitor the progress of the program. 

Curriculum 

A new semester means new subjects for most students. It has been pleasing to see and hear that students are applying a growth mindset towards engaging in their new subjects. While semester 2 has just commenced, planning is already in full swing for developing the curriculum for 2023. This includes many VCE subjects implementing new study designs from VCAA, while also planning for 2023 subjects that will commence during Headstart in December this year. In the meantime, our timetabler and year levels will be creating the timetable for 2023 that aims to maximise student choice. 

Wellbeing

The Covid pandemic is still impacting on the health of the community, combined with a bad flu season. Mask wearing is again ‘highly recommended’ to protect ourselves and our families by limiting the spread. Air purifiers are in every classroom and office space to slow the spread, but the best way to avoid transmission is to wear a mask in crowded spaces, test regularly and stay home if you are unwell. 

If you require more RAT tests, please collect them from the front office. I wish everyone a healthy and productive term ahead😊.

Finally, on a personal note, I have accepted a new role as acting Assistant Principal at Yarram Secondary College. While I am excited to learn about a new role in a new school and meet new people, I will miss the wonderful people that I have come to know during my 10+ years at Maffra Secondary College. 

Thank-you to the staff, students and families who has made my time here so memorable. I wish everyone a healthy and successful end of year and look forward to hearing how my students continue to succeed in the future. 

Nathan Wallace

Assistant Principal