Dear Families, Students and Community Members,

Return to Onsite Learning

We are excited to have had all of our students return to onsite learning from June 15 and it has been a smooth transition back. Our senior students enjoyed having the whole campus to themselves for one week prior to this date and now all teachers and Years 7-12 students have quickly adapted back to classroom teaching and enjoying the face to face “in person” time. The majority of students are doing the right thing in the wearing of masks indoors and I ask for parents' continued support with this mandated requirement, along with the wearing of masks on public transport.

I would like to congratulate all of my staff for their outstanding work throughout the remote learning period. All staff (leaders, teachers and ES) demonstrated their ongoing commitment to our students and the high quality instruction, support given and feedback to students delivered via remote learning, including the work of our support staff, was fantastic.

It again highlights the need for everyone to be so adaptable and flexible again this year and be prepared for quick transitions in and of remote learning for short periods of time. Our learning program continues whether onsite or offsite.

GAT

The General Achievement Test (GAT) has been rescheduled to Thursday July 29 for all students studying a VCE unit 3/4 sequence. This will be held in the Gym from 10.15-1pm. Further details will be communicated directly to students by our Director of Senior School, Ms Jo Greenhalgh.

Article in the Herald Sun

It was fantastic to see our school recognised and named as one of the top performing SEAL schools in the state based on our Year 9 NAPLAN writing data 2017-2019. This is not only a wonderful endorsement of our SEAL program, but is also a terrific reflection of ALL of our Year 9 students' performance in NAPLAN over these years and the dedicated work of all teachers Years 7-9 on our whole school literacy focus on writing.

School Photos

Our student photo packs arrived into the school last week and have been distributed to students. If your child hasn’t received or brought their photos home, please contact the Office for assistance. There has been a delay with the student ID cards. If they haven’t arrived by the end of this week for distribution they will be given out to students during the first week of Term 3.

Course Counselling VCE, VETiS & VCAL 2022

Our Years 9-11 students will be involved in course counselling sessions with a member of the leadership team during Week 2 and 3 of next term onsite or remotely, where their subject selections for 2022 will be finalised in consultation with their parents via Google Meet if they are available at the scheduled time. Congratulations to all students who followed the process of entering their pre-selections online before the end of this term.

Each student will be allocated an appointment, during which time course selections will be finalised and strategies put in place to ensure achievement and effort over the remainder of the year are sufficient to guarantee places in chosen subjects. We look forward to students continuing their education with us next year but need everyone to meet appropriate deadlines in order for our planning to be completed accurately. My thanks must go to all staff who will give their time to ensure this process is a success.

Letters will be going out to students/families this week with your appointment time. Please contact Director of Senior School, Joanne Greenhalgh if you do not receive this notice.

The following article may be of interest: What subjects do I chose for my last years of school? Today’s graduates may average five separate careers around many different employers in their working life. This means an important skill these days is flexibility and the ability to adapt. Click link to read: https://theconversation.com/what-subjects-do-i-choose-for-my-last-years-of-school-126194

The Victorian government is transforming the delivery of senior secondary education with the introduction of a single senior secondary certificate that will offer greater access to quality vocational and applied learning pathways for all students. In 2023, the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) will be replaced by a new two year Vocational Specialisation within the VCE. In 2022, there are no changes to the existing certificates. Students can enrol in a Foundation, Intermediate or Senior VCAL or the VCE. In 2023, all Year 11 and 12 students will be enrolled in one of three arrangements: the VCE, the Vocational Specialisations within the VCE or the Foundations Pathway certificate. Students who start their intermediate VCAL in 2022 will transition into the Vocational Specialisation in 2023.

Please see the attached article from DET if your child is interested in the VCAL pathway. This will be explained further for students selecting VCAL in their course counselling appointment.

Events Rescheduled

Our Year 12 Formal scheduled for this Friday night will be rescheduled to a night in Term 3. The Years 10-11 camp to Queensland scheduled for this week has been rescheduled to 21-25 October. All camps and excursions planned for Term 3 can proceed and interschool sport resumed last Friday.

The trivia night has now been postponed until Term 3 and even, if it has to be held after the production, we are confident parents will still support the event to raise money post production. Over 100 tickets have been sold and we look forward to this going ahead at the Mordialloc Bowls Club. We will confirm a date once we have the updated guidelines for Term 3.

School Production

Tickets for our performance nights for our School Production “We Will Rock You” will go on sale soon. This is still scheduled to occur Tuesday 27 – Saturday 31 July. Even though students have missed a number of rehearsals during lockdown, they will be attending some extra rehearsals during the holidays and on Sundays in the lead up to the performance nights.

My sincere thanks to my staff producing the show and supporting our students - Adelle Stevenson, Mara Sears, Cameron Young and Claire Bruce and our three former students directing the show Hannah Blavo, Natalie Wood and Imogen Kane.

Facility Development

With some delays due to wet weather, yesterday the first floor installation was complete with the slab being poured. Next, the first floor structural steel installation will occur. Over the holidays the framing for the roof will start and we will return in Term 3 to see the new building really taking shape.

Guest Speaker for Year 7

This week, Andrew Potter our SEP coordinator and one of our Year 7 Coordinators, organised for Anneli Maley to speak to our Year 7 cohort and Basketball Sports Excellence program students. Anneli is a WNBL player and Mental Health Ambassador within the Wellbeing unit of the Eltham Basketball Club. She spoke to our students about her sporting journey, her battles with depression, her road back to basketball and how she uses mindfulness and other strategies to help her wellbeing on a day to day basis.

Mobile Phones feedback survey

The Department of Education (via ACIL Allen Consulting) is seeking your insights on the success of the introduction of the Mobile phone policy/ban in Victorian schools in February 2020. Students and parents are invited to provide feedback via these surveys that will take 5-10 minutes to complete and will be open until Friday 23 July.

Students: https://survey.websurveycreator.com/s.aspx?s=5f27b5ff-faf0-4757-b9ee-120356318ce3

Parents: https://survey.websurveycreator.com/s.aspx?s=873dbaf7-7bcb-4ac7-9c2d-d3c3807e0450

Information provided in these surveys will only be accessed by ACIL Allen Consulting and only communicated in a summary form.

Student Attitudes to School Survey

We value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction and are conducting a survey to find out what your child thinks of our school. The Attitudes to School survey is an annual student survey offered by the Department of Education and Training to assist schools in gaining an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school.

Our school will use the survey results to plan programs and activities to improve your child's schooling experience. This will be the 17th year that the survey has been offered, now in its fourth year of being online. Students in Years 11 and 12 completed the survey prior to the lockdown, and students in Years 7-10 will complete it before the end of term. The survey takes approximately 30 minutes to compete and all responses to the survey are anonymous. The survey results will be reported back to the school during Term 3 and will be communicated to parents through the Annual Report.

End of Semester One Reports

The end of semester one reports for all students will be available via the parent and student portals on Friday July 16th (instead of the last day of term 2) for parents and students to access. The date was extended due to the remote learning period.

Acting Principal duties

If the borders are open I will be on Long Service Leave for the first few weeks of Term 3. If I am able to travel interstate, Marina Walsh will be Acting Principal in my absence.

I wish everyone a safe and relaxing holiday break.

Michelle Roberts

Principal

Wellbeing Support for Students and Parents over the holidays