Principal's Report

School Council News

On Monday 27th March School Council met for their Annual General Meeting and regular monthly meeting.  It was great to be able to welcome Council members Shannon Burke, Melissa Stojkovski and Leilani Masoe to our team for 2023.

I am pleased to be able to announce our School Council Office Bearers for 2023:

• School Council President – Stuart Lord.  Stuart has committed himself to another term as School Council President and brings a wealth of local knowledge and experience in the role to support our work in 2023.
• Vice President – Janet Taylor.  Janet has served as both a parent member of School Council and as a community representative.  We welcome Janet to this new role as Vice President in 2023.
• Treasurer – Melissa Stojkovski.  Melissa joins our School Council as a new member in 2023 and we appreciate her willingness to jump straight into the heavy lifting in the role as Treasurer.

As part of our regular meeting cycle School Council approved the 2022 Annual Report to the School Community and this document will shortly be published on our school website.  Council engaged in discussion around our ongoing school improvement work, with a focus on teaching, learning and the ongoing development of a positive climate for students and staff.

A new addition to our Uniform was approved by Council and we look forward to the inclusion of an Epping Secondary College Polar Fleece in the near future.  The Uniform sub-committee will also be continuing their work around our school polo tops and exploring the options available to phase out our white polo and replace this with a newer, more contemporary and practical polo.

Finance Policies and documentation were reviewed, endorsed and approved.  This included the 2022 Financial Commitments Summary, Cash Handling Policy, Electronic Funds Management (EFT) Policy and Parent Payments Policy.

On the Facilities side of things, Council heard about the works underway to install table tennis tables, more downball courts and hookey boards around the school yard, as another option for our students at recess and lunchtime.  Upgrades to our tennis courts, cricket pitch, gym toilets and food technology rooms also formed part of the discussions.

Finally, great news for our Year 12 students, Council were able to approve the Year 12 Formal, to be held on Friday 16th June at Emerald Receptions in Thomastown.

NAPLAN – Year 7 & 9

Over the past fortnight, students from Years 7 and 9 have participated positively during the 2023 NAPLAN Assessment Program, with testing being completed at the end of last week. The College would like to thank Ms Ranjeeta Anand – Leading Teacher: Curriculum & Assessment, the IT Team and all other staff for ensuring our students were prepared and connected to the NAPLAN testing program.  In the coming months, the College and parents/carers will receive the results for students from both Years 7 and 9. The new reporting format for 2023 including the new Proficiency Standards for all students will provide more meaningful reporting to parents and carers.

The numerical NAPLAN bands and the National Minimum Standard will be replaced by the following 4 levels of achievement: 

• Exceeding 
• Strong 
• Developing 
• Needs additional support

From this year, parents and carers will get earlier, simpler and clearer information about their child’s NAPLAN achievement based on new, more rigorous national standards.  The standard for proficiency is set at a challenging but reasonable level.  If your child is in the Strong or Exceeding category, it means they have demonstrated proficiency and that their literacy or numeracy skills are where they should be at this stage of their schooling. If your child has not yet achieved proficiency, then they will either be in the Developing category or the Needs additional support category.

This information provides both the College, parents/carers and teachers opportunity to have meaningful conversations between them about how our children and young people are developing the foundational Literacy and Numeracy skills they need.  For further information visit the National Assessment Program website https://www.nap.edu.au/ 

National Assessment Program: Science Literacy Main Study 2023 – Year 10

Epping Secondary College has been selected to partake in the National Assessment Program: Science Literacy Main Study, which will be held during Term 2 in May. A group of Year 10 students will be randomly selected to undertake the study, along with other Year 10 students from all Australian States and Territories.

In an increasingly technological environment, students who can understand natural phenomena and apply scientific method to make sense of what they experience are at a significant advantage. By interpreting information on scientific issues, asking questions, conducting investigations, making decisions and communicating their findings, students develop their problem–solving skills and can participate more fully in the world around them. This evaluation, offered by assessment, recognises science literacy as essential to this process. 

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is responsible for developing and overseeing the National Assessment Program. As a College, our participation in this program enables continual improvement towards future curriculum and planning whilst providing our students the opportunity to partake in a national testing program.

Brad Moyle

College Principal