Welcome to our last edition of Score for 2021

Last week we held our Orion awards presentations onsite during the day so we could maintain the health and safety of our community. While our whole school presentation evening could not be held this year, we still celebrated the achievements of our students. I congratulate all of the students who were presented awards on the day and Mr Chris Knight, for his planning and hosting of the event.

While not all students can receive awards, there were many more students who deserved to be congratulated on their hard work and dedication to their studies this year. These students have been successful in demonstrating positive attitudes towards their learning, growth in their academic outcomes or excelling in other areas of their education. A short video of the highlights will be posted on our Facebook page and a presentation booklet will be published for all award winners to share with their families.

High Performing School Announcement

In the absence of NAPLAN testing in 2020, PAT testing was used by the Department of Education and Training to measure literacy and numeracy learning growth and the effectiveness of the tutor learning initiative. Last week the results of the Department analysis of the data collected from across the state was released and we received a message of congratulations with the following:

“Of the 12 highest performing schools across the state, 3 schools are from NEVR.

Scoresby SC (Reading and Numeracy)
Wangaratta HS (Reading)
Wangaratta West PS (Reading and Numeracy)”

Jennifer Small, Acting Executive Director School Improvement North-East Victoria Region (NEVR)

Congratulations to our teaching staff, parents who supported student learning during remote learning and most importantly our students who continue to engage and strive for continuous improvement.

Orientation Day

Last Tuesday we officially welcomed our new 2022, Year 7 students as they engaged in their first full day of activities at the College as part of their Orientation Day. I would like to congratulate Ms Emily Phibbs, Head of Junior School, Mr Sam Eddy, Year 7 Coordinator, and the team of staff who led the day. Transition programs that are well planned and implemented can set up solid foundations for students to settle into their secondary environment. Based on the observations, our Year 7 cohort for 2022 are well placed for a great start.

Senior Student Leadership

Recently I have had the pleasure of interviewing our prospective student captains for 2022. Working with students is one of the most enjoyable aspects of my role and provides purpose and motivation for the work I carry out daily. What impressed me most about the interviews, was the genuine commitment each of the candidates had for representing their fellow students and the pride they have in their college.

The process for selecting our College Captains has taken place over the past few weeks and included nominations, candidate speeches, interviews and voting by student and staff. The end results were very close as all the candidates were worthy of taking on these important roles. I thank all candidates who were nominated, and I am pleased to announce the following appointments:

College Captains

Aimee Bugeja

Sam Dhillon

Vice-Captain

Mason Rimmer

College Rotary Interact Club Captain

Paige Corvell

VCAL Captain

Lachlan Barton

Senior School Leaders

Tommy Bleakney

Amy Mitcham

Madeline Willems

Maya Faddoul

End of Year Activities

I would like to thank staff who coordinated activities for the end of year activities program. We have offered the students an array of activities that could be conducted on site and concluded with community service this week. Community service is an important element in fostering skills and attitudes for giving back to the community. Arcare Aged Care will be receiving the decorations and cards produced by students later this week.

2022 Uniform

The uniform policy has been published on our website and previous editions of ‘The Score’. Students have been informed of requirements, including the specifications for the dress and skirt length to be at knee length. It is also important to check the details regarding the requirements for shoes to be black leather lace ups, mandatory use of the College school bag, jewellery and only natural hair colours.

I recommend that you do not leave purchase of new uniforms or carry out any required adjustments to existing items prior to the start of the school year. If you are ordering items, the sooner you order the more likely your items will be at the store and not the warehouse when you need them. Parents who are eligible for CSEF are able to seek assistance through State Schools Relief by contacting Mrs Vicky Kamfonas prior to Thursday 16 December 2021.

End of Year

As this is the last newsletter for 2022, I would like to take this opportunity to thank members of College Council, students, parents and carers, business and industry partners and other members of our community for the support in what has been another challenging year with the pandemic.

I particularly would like to thank Mr Chris Knight, members of the leadership team and teaching and non-teaching staff for their dedication and efforts towards student learning and supporting student wellbeing. Their courage to take risks and commitment to improving student outcomes in and out of lockdowns has been a crucial element in the on-going success of the College.

I would also like to publicly recognise the service of several departing staff who have given to our college and wish them well in the next exciting chapter of their lives:

Ms Fiona Matthews and Mr Andrew Young who are both retiring after being long term staff members at Scoresby Secondary College. Both were acknowledged for their extensive contributions to education by College Council on Tuesday evening last week.
Ms Casey Lawson transferring to Viewbank College
Mr Ben Phillips transferring to Mount Erin Secondary College
Ms Erin O’Sullivan transferring to Ringwood Secondary College

We will be welcoming new and returning staff for 2022 at the start of the school year. Students in VCE have already met some of the new staff who were able to be released from their current schools for part of the VCE Head Start Program.

I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday period and look forward to continuing our work together.

Mrs Gail Major

Principal

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