Principal's Message

Dear parents, guardians, students, staff and community members, 

A warm welcome back to you all for term three (even though it has been icy cold and wet!).  

Thank you

As you are aware, last term I stepped out for nine weeks in an acting role as Senior Education Improvement Leader for the South East Victorian Regional Office. This work saw me on the ground supporting 26 schools in the Cardinia network. It was an absolute pleasure to support these schools with their improvement journey. Through this work, and through my networking at the regional office, I’ve also learned some new tricks and information that I’ll be bringing back to Kambrya. In addition to this though, time spent away from home always gives you new perspective, and gives you a new appreciation of what you have. In my case, it reaffirmed what a fantastic school we have all created here together, and I thank you all for it. I know it’s not always perfect, and there will always be things to improve, but overall we have every right to be very proud of the positive school climate and strong focus on student learning and wellbeing that we have developed. A significant majority of our data is amongst the highest in the state, relative to both the experiences of our staff and students, and in regards to student learning outcomes. There is a lot to be grateful for.   

In my absence, there were a number of staff who stepped up. I felt confident when I left that they would do it well, and I felt reassured that the school was in good hands. They certainly lived up to that, and then some! I would like to sincerely thank Mr Martin McDonald for holding the fort as the Acting Principal. It is never an easy task, and he took it by the horns. I would also like to acknowledge the great work of: Mrs Lisa Murphy who stepped up into the Acting Junior School Assistant Principal role; Mrs Loes Parma who stepped up into the Year 11 VCE Student Engagement Leader role, and Ms Sarah Day for stepping up into the Year 11 VCE Assistant Student Engagement Leader role. They all did an exceptional job. I’d also like to thank all of the staff, students and parents for providing your support to these leaders as they transitioned to the role.

Important announcement regarding 2024

In case you missed my letter last week, there has also been some significant news regarding 2024. You may recall that during term one I wrote to you all and advised you that I will be taking long service leave for the entire 2024 calendar year (my wife and I are taking our two little girls around Australia on a big lap adventure). I also advised you that the Department of Education South East Victoria Regional Office would be running an independent and merit based recruitment process for an Acting Principal to lead the college whilst I am away. That process has now been completed. It gives me great pleasure to advise you all that Mr Martin McDonald has been successful in his application, and he will be the Acting Principal of Kambrya College for 2024. Martin has been a stalwart for school improvement since he began here in 2013. He understands the strategic intent and the nuances of the college, and he has many strong and productive relationships with staff, students and families alike. He is in an excellent position to provide continuity and stability for the college in my absence, whilst also continuing to drive the constant improvement that we aspire to. He understands our past, and he has been a linchpin in many of our successes. He knows our current reality as a college, and he knows where we are heading next and how we aim to get there. 2024 will be another huge year at the college, with our enrolments forecast to grow beyond 2000 for the first time in our history, and significant building works underway as we construct facilities for 18 new classrooms. I have full confidence that he will lead the college well, with the support of our fantastic staff, School Council, students and parents. It is fair to say that I am taking my leave with a strong sense of reassurance that the college is in good hands!

On behalf of the entire school community, I congratulate Martin, and I wish him all the very best in this exciting phase of his career. I ask all of you to please rally behind him and give him the same unwavering respect and support that you have provided to me.

Capital works updates

There has been significant work occurring at the College over the past few months, and there is plenty more ahead too. We’ve constructed a brand new Student Health and Wellbeing Centre, with nine consulting suites. We’ve also constructed a new Careers Centre to host our team. We’ve also relocated five portable classrooms, and our large hangar, to other places in the school in order to make room for the construction of our big new building. We’ll soon be refurbishing the new library, and fitting it out with all new furniture and technology. I’d like to acknowledge the hard work of Mr David Wilson our Business and Capital Works Manager, and the school maintenance team, for their hard work to keep these important projects moving. There has been some very complex manoeuvres and tight deadlines to meet!

Camps

As I pledged earlier in the year, we are running all camps for the year, despite the costs of new time in lieu arrangements etc. Our senior students recently returned from their big adventure camp to Central Australia. By all accounts it was a magnificent journey, and staff and students had a great time exploring our red centre. Sincere thanks to the staff who went above and beyond to attend this camp. Whilst it’s a great experience, I can also assure you that it is the most exhausting camp you can attend as a staff member! 😊  Sincere thanks to Mark Artin, Bryanna Sillekens, Jordan Dubrulle-Sarkissian, Catherine Lange, Debbie Blee, John Rafferty, Crystal Chinn, Cassandra Stephens. This term we also have our Year 7 and Year 8 camps heading out to inner and outer Gippsland. I look forward to hearing all of their stories!  

Production

Our annual musical production is about to hit the stage! This year it is Matilda. Hundreds of students and staff (and some parents too) have been working tirelessly to pull it all together. We wish them all the very best over the coming weeks as they bring this very special event together.   

2024 planning and school zone

We are well underway with our planning for 2024. This includes the course direction and subject selection processes. Please ensure that you meet the deadlines for submitting forms etc for subject selections, so that we can get the clearest possible numbers for our planning purposes. We again expect more than 400 students to enrol at Year 7 next year (all in zone). As much as we would love to be able to cater for students from further afield, our school zone must be consistently enforced. To be clear, we do not accept students outside of zone for any special programs, including Select Entry Accelerated Learning Program, the Athlete Development Program, the Musician Development Program, or the Achieving Individual Milestones Program.       

Visit from our German Sister School

After a long hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, it has been great to see that teachers and students from our sister school Altkönigschule, from Kronberg in Germany, have visited us for the last two weeks.   They were highly complimentary of their experiences here with us. We are looking forward to sending some of our staff and students to their school next year for a cultural exchange. I would like to sincerely thank all of the amazing Kambrya College families who volunteered to play host to the students in their homes for the two weeks. Thanks also to Mr Pip Edwards and Mr Leo Stauber for hosting the teachers in their homes. A very special thanks to Mr Stuart Anderson who went above and beyond to organise this fantastic exchange.   

Bike helmets and pedestrian safety

A firm reminder that all students must wear bike helmets; it is the law. Students must also obey all traffic laws and signals, and the instructions of crossing supervisors. Students should also be particularly careful when wearing headphones, and should not do so when crossing roads. Parents/guardians, please discuss and reinforce these expectations with your children. We have had enough near misses, and I dread the day when I receive a call about a fatality.

Wishing all families a great weekend. 

Regards,

Keith Perry

Principal