Message from the Principal
Karen Harris
Principal
As always, it has been a busy and exciting beginning to the new year.
I am really pleased the school year has started with minimal interruptions due to the Covid pandemic, with fewer students and staff affected than anticipated. Our planning is optimistic with events such as school tours and auditions for the whole-school production having already commenced.
School Council
The process for nominations for the 2022 School Council has commenced and is advertised via the Compass Newsfeed.
I take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to all School Council members for thier support throughout 2021. In particular, I wish Tara Dennison and Paul Ting (School Captains 2021) all the best for the future, but I trust that the newly formed Alumni Association will mean that they keep them in touch with us going forward. The Alumni Association will be co-lead by Paul Ting.
School Strategic Plan
This year is the last year of our current four-year strategic plan and we will complete our School Review process in Term 4 this year. Data collection to inform this process will commence in Term 3. This is always and exciting time for a school to reflect on its achievements, to identify any barriers to success and to set the priorities for the next four years.
2021 Year 12 Results
Our 2021 Year 12 results were cause for great celebration as a school community at the end of last year. I am so proud of the VCE and VCAL students who undertook their entire VCE and VCAL years during the pandemic - and so proud of our school community for the support they provided to these students. Please see the Pathways page of this edition to find out more about the destinations of our 2021 graduates, along with the feature article on Dux 2021 Vy Vu and graduate Ally Long's selection to participate in VCAA Season of Excellence -Top Class showcase.
Learning Support Lesson -
Year 10
This year we have introduced the Learning Support lesson at Year 10. The feedback from students so far has been really positive and the observations of those of us who have been to the Learning Support sessions will be invaluable in terms of identifying things which can be implemented through classes or Home Group in lower year levels. Read some feedback in this edition.
Changes to Senior Years -
VCE & VCAL
There are a number of changes ahead for the senior years over this and subsequent years. It was recently announced that all Year 12 students will sit the General Achievement Test this year and that Literacy and Numeracy attainment will appear on end of year certificates. This is also the last year that students could enter Year 11 to the current VCAL Program. These students will complete a VCAL certificate next year in Year 12, but incoming Year 11 students in 2023 will undertake either VCE or VCE – Vocational Stream. VCAL from 2023 is limited to Foundation VCAL only.
There will be timely information regarding senior pathways communicated to Year 10 students and families during Terms 2 and 3.
Achievement
Three current Year 12 students have been selected by the Victorian Curriculum & Assessment Authority to showcase their work in the VCAA Season of Excellence - Top Designs Exhibition.
We are very excited for Alessandro Mortimer, Natasha Murthy and Xavier Cohen who will be exhibiting work that they completed in 2021 in VET: Integrated Studies. Their inclusion in the exhibition acknowledges and celebrating their most remarkable learning achievements.
Included in this issue is an article which describes the work undertaken by Natasha Murthy - an exciting and topical project designed to measure student engagement in classroom. Highly recommended reading!
As we look forward to a promising year ahead, we are committed to supporting all students in reaching their educational goals. We look forward to working with students and their families to mark another successful year at Brunswick Secondary College.