Principal's Report
Principal Report
During week 2 of this term we sent all of our Year 10 students out on Work Experience. This is both a nervous and exciting time for many of our students who take on a variety of new skills in many different environments. The feedback from the wider community has been really positive with many employers glowing in their praise of our students. The following is just one example of an email I received from an employer.
I have had the pleasure of supervising Zyrille this week in my STEAM classroom. I wanted to write to you to let you know that Zyrille has been amazing. She is conscientious – she has attended all my yard duty sessions, even though I have told her that isn’t necessary, she asked to stay in the classroom during lunchtime today to complete a display she has been working on for me, and she always makes sure she knows where to meet me (or other staff) before each session begins. She has such a lovely nature and has worked hard to positively interact with all staff and students, despite being quietly spoken.
It truly has been an absolute pleasure to have her in our school, and she is setting a great example for Lalor Secondary College.
Thank you for your time, and thank you for letting us have Zyrille for the week – she is welcome here any time!!
Kirsty Branagan
STEAM Coordinator
Mernda Primary School
Ph: 9717 7900
Well done to every Year 10 student who went out into the community and did our school proud. The entire school is very proud of the way you conducted yourselves during this time. A big thank you to Ms Bussell and Ms Cujic who have been tireless in their efforts to ensure this week was well planned and the students felt very supported.
A reminder to those parents who have received information related to the parent opinion survey. The individual survey links have been sent out to parents via email and can be completed online taking around 10 minutes to complete. I encourage all parents who receive the correspondence to please take the time and share your opinions about how the school is going. It is information that the school finds vital in helping plan for future decision making. If you have any questions about this survey or would like more detail, please refer to the previous newsletter or contact the general office or myself. The survey closes on the Sunday the 18th of August.
Thank you to those parents who attended the VCE, Year 10 and VCAL information evenings over the last couple of weeks. While the students undertake sessions during the day outlining the information received by parents, it is important that the school continues to find opportunities to develop an ongoing partnership with all parents as their children move through the college. This partnership is critical to ensuring that the students at the college get the best out of themselves. This week we will have the Year 9 information evening on Thursday the 15th August. I look forward to seeing as many parents as possible on these evenings.
Starting from the 19th of August and finishing on the 6th of September I will be taking up the acting Senior Education Improvement leader’s role for the Banyule / Nillumbik network. This means that Laura Forster will be acting Principal during this time and all queries related to the role should be directed to her.
If you have any questions or queries in relation to the information above please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Best Regards,
Corey Jewell
College Principal
Mobile Phone Policy
On Wednesday the 26th of June, the Minister for Education James Merlino announced mobile phones will be banned for all students at Victorian state primary and secondary schools from Term 1 2020. The aim of this policy is to reduce distraction, tackle cyber bullying and improve learning outcomes for students.
The policy is being introduced because teachers and parents regularly raise concerns about the use of mobile phones during school hours as a cause of constant distraction in classrooms. Rolling out this state-wide policy will provide consistency for principals, teachers, students, parents and school communities.
As part of this new policy, students must switch off their phones and store them securely from the start of the school day until the final bell. When emergencies occur, parents and guardians can reach their child by calling the school.
The only exceptions to the policy will be for students with medical conditions or disabilities which require the use of a mobile phone, at all other times phones must be stored securely.
Throughout Term 3 the department will work with schools to develop detailed advice and resources ahead of the policy being introduced next year. These materials will include advice and support in communicating with your communities, case studies of schools that have successfully implemented a ban, school policy templates and practical advice on implementation.
There will be a review at the end of 2020 for this policy.
If anybody has any questions please contact me at your earliest convenience.