Dragon e-newsletter

Principal's Message

New Principal 2020 Announcement - Welcome Trudie

At School Council on October 31st, a discussion was held regarding the future direction and leadership of our school. My current role as Acting Principal ceases on the last day of the 2019 school year and I return to my base in South Melbourne as planned. 

At the meeting, senior Regional staff met with the School Council where it was resolved that to assist the school in continuing its improvement journey, which commenced post the School Review in Term 2, that the appointment of an Executive Principal at the school would best support the school at this stage.

To this end, Ms. Trudie Nagle has been endorsed by the School Council and the Region to commence in the position of School Principal - effective from the end of Term 4, 2019 - to coincide with my departure. This will allow the school community to have clarity of leadership in the lead up to the commencement of  2020 school year. Prior to this formal commencement date, Trudie and I will work together with our existing school leadership team to guide the school during this changeover period.

Trudie has extensive leadership experience both at a secondary and primary school levels and has a proven record of leading schools to improve student performance and engagement; most recently demonstrated at Bairnsdale Primary School.  Bairnsdale PS has been highlighted at a number of Regional Performance Reviews as one of the best performing schools in the Region.  

On behalf of our staff, we welcome Trudie and look forward to working together to ensure a smooth and seamless transition from one principal to the next. It is a very exciting time to be part of our wonderful school and there are many bright days ahead for our students, staff and parents as we move into the next phase.

Review Day Monday, November 4 (Pupil Free)

I firstly want to apologise to any parents and students who may not have been aware of our upcoming Review Day on November 2nd. As a 'newbie', I made an assumption that this day was a bit 'historical' in terms of being pupil-free (the day before Melbourne Cup). As such, I did not publicise it enough in my last newsletter. I am sorry if it caused any inconvenience at your end. Put it down to a rookie error. Many secondary colleges in Melbourne take this day as pupil free and help families have a long weekend together instead of being on-off with student school days and weekends.

All staff will be gathering in the Malgobila room to review our last 4 years of school performance and plan together for the next 4 years. We will examine the data that indicates our performance and focus on key areas of improvement. We will also have the privilege of meeting our new principal Trudie Nagle.

With Trudie's appointment in 2020, exciting times lie ahead for our College and our Review day is critical in planning for success.

I would like to thank all parents for their support in allowing days like this to occur. I know, as a parent myself, that pupil free days can be tricky at the family end. The greater good is quality teaching and learning and future planning. Thank you.

Timetable 'Blocking' Changes for 2020

A letter was sent to students explaining some exciting, yet challenging, changes to the way our school is set up in 2020. For many years, we had under-served students with time-on-task in the key areas of Literacy and Numeracy. This resulted in a dip in outcomes from the students which has to be addressed with some urgency. We will allocate more resources to ensure our students are literate and numerate upon leaving the College. This requires changes to our 'blocks' in timetabling. I have included some dot points below which hopefully help parents' understanding. The majority of parents I have spoken to (and the staff as well) see the enormous benefit of these changes. The downside is that every change leads to some pain as we transition to a new system. In leadership, the greater good is what we keep our eyes on. Too many students not reaching literacy and numeracy benchmarks cannot be left unchecked so these changes are important and we hope for widespread support.

Find our rationale below:

  • There is a need for improvement in VCE results and Literacy and Numeracy at all year levels
  • Greater confidence is needed as to where subject pathways lead through VCE and VCAL
  • Extensive research of like schools, and high performing schools with similar socio-economic communities, has shown that greater directed teaching and learning time and streamlining the subjects offered increases the scope for learning that improves students’ understanding and outcomes
  • This enables staff to have more time to be spent enriching critical, evaluative and creative thinking skills, and social and emotional capabilities which are increasingly important in the ever-changing dynamics of the 21st Century workplace
  • Working with Regional Advisors, we have proposed a model where Years 9-12 subjects will run with four sessions per week instead of three and Years 7-8 Maths and English sessions will increase to four sessions per week
  • The increased lesson time will enable teachers to explain and consolidate students’ understanding of difficult concepts, allowing greater progress in these vital areas needed for future employment
  • VCE teachers will also be able to better prepare students for assessments such as exams and spend time helping individuals with their progress
  • Streamlined subject offerings should provide more confidence in choosing a pathway from Years 7-12 and enhance confidence about where a pathway may lead in terms of employment and/or higher education

The proposed changes include: 

  • fewer electives at Years 9-10
  • no study block at VCE
  • removal of timetabled Pastoral classes at Years 7-10
  • one less Humanities session per week at Year 7
  • one less Science session per week for Year 8 students

Charlie Dog at School

A Dog named Charlie will be coming to Bairnsdale Secondary College for two or three days a week with our School Nurse. It’s well-known (and scientifically proven) that interaction with a gentle, friendly pet has significant benefits.  Therapy dogs can help with; empathy, kindness, respect, relationship building, behaviour, self-confidence, reading responsibility, control, anger, meltdowns, communication, lowering blood pressure, anxiety and much more! We are aware that bringing in Charlie requires safety checks and these have also been undertaken along with the development of a policy to protect the interests of everyone. Find below some details of the arrangement with Charlie who has signed a contract to agree to the terms and conditions (I am joking with the last part).

FAQs 

Is Charlie safe around children?

Yes, Charlie is currently working 3 days a week with children at another local school. He lives at home with 4 children and attends Bairnsdale Scout Group weekly as the Scout Group Dog. Charlie has been assessed by Playful Paws Bairnsdale to have a gentle and safe disposition and will be attending a Therapy Dog Training Course in the New Year.

 

What if my child is allergic to dogs?

Charlie is well-groomed and bathed regularly. Children who are allergic to dogs do not have to have contact and the school will monitor this closely. 

 

Do the dogs live at the school?

No, Charlie lives at home with the School Nurse, Sophie Brown. 

 

How healthy is Charlie?  

Charlie is fully vaccinated and up-to-date with all flea and worm treatments. If, for whatever reason, he is unwell, he will remain at home. 

 

Will Charlie disrupt the classroom?

No, Charlie will be with his handler or staff member at all times and is not permitted to wander around the school unattended. When in class, he is settled on his mat in a ‘down stay’ position unless otherwise directed by the handler. 

 

Does my child have to be around with Charlie?

We understand that there may be some families who do not want Charlie to work directly with their child.  Please contact the BSC Office directly if you do not want the dog to be in contact with your child and this can be noted.  Should you have any further queries about Charlie please contact the school.

Snakes

I come from the city, so this is weird....but, there are snakes near the school in the swamp area. We have taken precautions by warning students, putting up signage and temporary fencing....but...can you have a word with your child to ensure they do not go into the swamp area for any reason whatsoever? The snakes we have seen are large and foreboding....well, to this city slicker at least!