Principal's Report           

Welcome Back to Term Two

It was pleasing to welcome back students and staff after the Easter break and welcome new students and families who have commenced at our college, this term. I hope students, staff, their families, and friends have had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday after a very busy term one. 

The COVID situation in Victoria continues to affect many families, businesses, and the economy and education is no different. I am therefore asking that everyone continues to follow all recommended COVID guidelines. Maintain testing and if your child has symptoms please stay home to recover as we now have the added risk of flu season upon us.  I will continue to ensure that the College continues to follow all recommended guidelines, and when students test positive, that they are fully supported by their teachers and our where needed our Student Services Team for any wellbeing support. Tests will be sent home with students again in Tuesday 10 May.

In recent weeks there have been many articles about the teacher shortages across all school sectors (government, independent and catholic school). This week we have experienced days where we have experienced high staff absences and could not access any replacement staff. I want to take this opportunity to thank staff onsite for working extraordinary hours to not only cover extra classes but also for providing the continuity of learning we strive to deliver. I am hoping for the staff, who were required to isolate, take medical leave for other flu like symptoms or other valid reasons are recovering well and can return soon.

Farewell

Last year and again in term one, Mr Chris Knight was released to take on acting leadership roles in other schools. We therefore knew it was only a matter of time before he was asked to take up a higher leadership position in another school and accept it as an ongoing position. 

It is therefore with mixed feelings I announce that Chris will be leaving us at the end of next week, proud that his leadership skills have been recognised by the department and others, but incredibly sad to see Chris leave us. Chris joined Scoresby Secondary College the Assistant Principal in 2015 and has been a significant member of our leadership team and the Scoresby Secondary College community for over seven years. 

Chris models the qualities and practices we desire for our students, he has been open to continuous learning and taken on many challenges to grow to be the exceptional leader he is today. Whilst students, families, staff, and myself will miss Chris, I am sure you will all agree the promotion is well deserved.

School Review

Thank you to all members of the community who contributed to the Pre-Review Self-Evaluation Report. The report has now been sent to the reviewer in preparation for our review days on site commencing the end of this month. Following the review, we will be developing the Strategic Plan which will outline the goals and priorities from 2023 – 2026.

Welcomed Return

In the last newsletter I announced Mr Tom Santos would be leaving us, it was therefore a surprise to students to see him back this week. After teaching in another school closer to home for the first week he asked to return and in negotiation with the other school I was able to welcome Mr Santos back to Scoresby.

“To be able to teach students who are respectful and want to learn I now realise is well worth up to two hours a day to travel.” 

Mr Tom Santos

Teaching and Learning

Term 2 is always a very important time as it brings together much of the learning undertaken throughout term one as teachers test for student understanding and application in major assessment tasks and in the case of our senior students, prepare them for their mid-year examinations. It is also the term in which NAPLAN is conducted in all schools across Australia. 

It is therefore paramount that as a College we balance our learning values of rigour, responsiveness and relevance in addition to student wellbeing.  This can only be achieved if our families keep our student services team informed of any concerns that may arise.

 As parents you should be proud of your children as they are showing great pride and continue to work hard as they prepare for their final assessments prior to the end of semester. Our teachers, tutors and other support staff are continuing to work with students who may require catch up following last year’s lockdown in addition to extending our top achievers. 

They are being responsive to globalisation and using latest research and innovation in what they teach, they are incorporating the acquisition of skills, knowledge and attributes for the student’s futures and for students in Years 7-10 the changes which will take place in senior secondary education in Victoria from 2023.

Open Day Success

Wednesday 27 April was our Open Day and Night and what an outstanding success it was. The school facilities, programs, staff and students were showcased to hundreds of visitors. We were very pleased to hear the number of comments about how impressive our students are, how proud our staff were working at Scoresby, the quality of every teaching program, and the positive energy in our College. A special thank you to all staff, students and parents who contributed to producing such a dynamic evening, and to our student leaders who led the evening welcome and tours.

ANZAC Day

ANZAC Day is a significant event set aside for remembrance of those Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought and died at Gallipoli in 1915.  It is important as a school to continue to educate our future generations about our Nation’s history.

To commemorate on the day, one of our college captains Sam Dhillon read a beautiful rendition of, In Flanders Field - By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae - 1945 which was filmed and placed on Scoresby Secondary College’s Facebook page.

College Uniform

Thank you to students and parents for the positive response to students returning in full school uniform at the start of the term. We only had a small number of students we needed to follow up and it is so positive seeing them represent our college so well in the community.

Mrs Gail Major

Principal