From the Desk of the Principal's Office

I am delighted to welcome Diarmaid Fennessy to our staff in the role of Assistant Principal. Diarmaid comes to us with a strong background in Curriculum and Student Management where has led whole school innovations in learning programs that have improved both engagement and outcomes for students. I look forward to his contribution to the school and our community over the coming years.

LEARNING & TEACHING

The most recent highlight for the school’s learning program is the awarding of a Premier’s Award to Mae Czechowski from our class of 2022. Mae was awarded this prestigious award based on her achievements in Art in 2022. The award recognises her as one of the top 3 Art students in the state. Her work is currently on display in the Top Arts exhibition at the NGV. You can view her work and her commentary HERE

In recognising Mae’s achievements, a special congratulations to Matt Simmons, her Art teacher in 2022, and the whole Art team who work so hard to create a learning environment that allows our young artists to reach their potential. This is work that should not, and is not, underestimated by the school and the department of education. It was lovely to see so many award winners celebrated on our Instagram feed. Congratulations to all the award winners. I encourage all our parents and community members to follow the school Instagram account to view the regular updates and examples of the diversity of learning that occurs at the college. It has regular examples of the work our staff and students are doing in the course of their time as learners with us and celebrates what is achieved at SSSC. It is a celebration of the hard work of the staff and students.

ENGAGEMENT & WELLBEING

I was delighted to have witnessed a reduction in the number of students who are being identified as having trouble maintaining their engagement and achievement in their learning program when the staff analysed the most recent progress reports. This is an endorsement of the work being done by our classroom teachers, the year level manager teams, and the wellbeing team in keeping our students on track whilst they are at the school. It is a timely reminder that in this stressful and frantic term that there is always someone that students and families/guardians can reach out to at the school. It is often the mentor who is the first point of contact, but students can also reach out to the manager teams and wellbeing teams for support if they feel they are not keeping up with their work or are feeling overwhelmed. The school is also continuing its engagement with the Berry Street Education Model with are fresher for the leadership team and more whole staff training organised for later this year and the start of 2024.

I wish all our year 12 students the best of health, and the ability to concentrate on their learning as they move towards the end of the year.

Daryl Bennett 

Principal