College Principal's Report

Welcome

Term two has been one of the most significant terms for schools, families and society. Every member of the community has been impacted by COVID 19, some more so than others.

The transition to remote and flexible learning and then returning to on-site schooling has relied on staff commitment, responsiveness and innovation. Changes that we’ve been through don’t happen without a lot of hard work at every single level. I’ve been particularly impressed with, and grateful for the work of the school teachers, support staff and our leadership team for the support provided. This, together with the hard work put in by so many of our families, has underpinned students learning, engagement and well being throughout this very challenging time.

Feedback received by the Department is that students and communities are immensely grateful for all that our school-based staff have done over the past few months. I would like to echo this public support for your achievements this term. Thank you.

For me the highlight has been welcoming back our students and witnessing their genuine desire to be here as these photos show.

Whilst most students have coped well, we are aware of the increased anxiety in a very small number of students. Our Student Services Team have been proactive in supporting these individuals. Early intervention is key to preventing symptoms escalating. With the term break, I would recommend that families seek the support of local medical professionals if your child appears to be having trouble sleeping, shows signs of not being themselves or increased anxiety. Evidence shows that anxiety related problems may not always appear immediately and could appear later or for some individuals years later.

This terms break, we have made a conscious decision to not set any school work for students (other than students undertaking VCE or VCAL over the term break). It has been a long term and our teaching and learning programs are on track with when compared with timelines from previous years. This break from school will provide families to focus on quality time together without the pressure of homework.

Sadly, we are not out of the woods yet. Recent days have seen an increase in the numbers of people contracting COVID-19. It may be reassuring to our community to know that our staff and students have all been observing the recommendations provided by the authorities. We have good supplies of sanitiser and continue to have additional cleaning and sanitising throughout the school day.

Student Illness

Students and staff who are unwell have been requested to stay at home. This is even more important during this pandemic. If we identify a student who has been sent to school unwell, a report is made to indicate that the student has not been kept home. Where a student develops symptoms during the school day the illness is recorded as per normal processes. In both cases, students are isolated until they can be collected. If your student is to be collected for being unwell, families are to contact the college when they arrive as adults are not permitted on to the college grounds (as per Department directive). It is also essential that emergency contact numbers are accurate on our system. If you know you have changed your details and not informed the college, please do so as a matter of urgency.

Fortunately, our community is proactive in keeping students home who may be unwell and a majority have voluntarily undergone testing as a precautionary measure. Whilst the wait for the results may take a few days, it is helping us to maintain our safe environment.

Curriculum Day

Friday 24 July is a curriculum day. The focus of the day will be the further development of our professional learning communities. Professional Learning Communities (PLC's) is an evidence based approach to school improvement where groups of teachers work collaboratively at the school level to improve student outcomes. We commenced introduction of this approach with literacy and numeracy and it has been one of the major contributors to the significant growth in student outcomes for NAPLAN and VCE. We are fortunate to have secured the support of Chris Dosser, one of the Department leaders in this area to work with staff on the day. Students are not required to attend school on that day as all staff will be engaged in the program.

2021 Enrolments

Our College is growing and while our numbers school numbers may not be large, we offer every opportunity to our students that a larger school would offer. We currently have enrolments coming in for Year 7 for 2021. If you are moving to a new house or are not returning next semester, please contact the college so we can organise the relevant paperwork for transfer.

Information Evenings

Traditionally we hold on site information evenings for parents/carers of students entering Years 9,10, 11 and 12 the following year. Due to COVID 19 restrictions, these sessions may be conducted online. The key information related to subject selections and major activities will be provided, therefore we are seeking your support to participate in the relevant sessions for your child/ren.

Annual Implementation Plan

The end of the first semester is a good opportunity to reflect on the three overarching goals and targets that we set as a College and the progress we have made towards achieving them.

Goal 1: To improve the achievement and learning growth of all students.

Goal 2: To improve student engagement, voice and agency, inspiring students to be empowered learners.

Goal 3: To build leadership capacity to create high performing teams for whole school improvement

We are well on track towards achieving our goals, already reaching many of the targets including: Scoresby Secondary College Instructional Framework being used by all teachers, maintaining high expectations, continuous curriculum development and review by teachers for all subjects, professional leadership coaching for existing and emerging leaders, growth mindset program for students, parents and staff, expanding student voice and agency, and development and implementation of a new student services team model.

Members of Education Policy Committee (EPC), a sub-committee for College Council, recommences in Term 3. Members receive reports on our progress towards the goals, in addition to hearing updates about teaching and learning and providing input into policy development. If you would like to join EPC for the remainder of the year, please contact the general office.

Uniform

As the weather is has been extremely cold, students should be wearing warmer clothes. The College jumper is very warm especially when combined with the jacket. The winter uniform is compulsory. A reminder to check all items are correctly fitting, are of the appropriate length and items are not lost over the break. Students should be returning on day one having checked the policy in their planner on the requirements. A number of students have been reminded about adjusting their skirt length to knees and to not bring incorrect school bags to school. There is a trend for some students to want to test the boundaries following breaks. Some key areas of the policy to note are the requirements for natural hair colours, one piercing per ear (no other facial or tongue piercings and minimum makeup). Save the expense and avoid permanent changes which conflict with our policy such as non-natural hair colours, lash extensions, multiple piercings etc. These all would need to be returned to natural status for school return. There are two weeks to prepare and make sure socks are correct colours and style (covering ankles) and shoes are ready for day one (not left at someone’s house or don’t fit). If you are experiencing problems with uniform supplies please email the College scoresby.sc@education.vic.gov.au

Term 3 has presented challenges to all school leadership teams and school communities. I am extremely fortunate to have had the incredible support of my Strategic Leadership Team Mr Chris Knight, Ms Michelle de Boer, Ms Emily Phibbs, Mr Tony Stirling, Mr Murray Cronin and Mrs Vicky Kamfonas as we have navigated the impact of the pandemic, supported community members, implemented the Department of Education’s directives, and the advice of the Chief Medical Officers on top of their normal roles. This team, together with all teachers and support staff, like many families have experienced a very intense few months. We have learnt much from these challenges and we will return in Term 3 refreshed and ready to support our students, staff and parents for another successful and event-filled term. I wish everyone a safe, relaxing and enjoyable holiday break.

Mrs Gail Major

Principal

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