College Principal's Report
Principal's Report
Welcome to this edition of Score
It is hard to believe we are almost half way through Term 4 and there are only six weeks until Christmas. It is with great pride I look at where the year started and the achievements that are often at the forefront at this stage of the year. There are many opportunities for the wider school community to come together to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of our students within our wonderful College and beyond. Some of these are highlighted in this newsletter with more to take place before the end of the year.
Scoresby Secondary College Recognition
I am extremely excited to announce that Scoresby Secondary College is to be featured next week by University of Melbourne in a presentation in New Orleans. The presentation is based on extensive research they have been conducting at the College over the past two years and profiles our transformation to success.
Transition 2020
Last week we officially welcomed our future year 7 students to Scoresby Secondary College for their literacy and numeracy testing and next week we will welcome their families at the 2020 Year 7 Information Evening. Transition activities have been a major focus this term for not only for students entering the College but also for students who are transitioning into apprenticeships, employment or other pathways.
Reenrolment
Reenrolment forms must be returned and processed prior to December. If you have not yet returned these subjects cannot be confirmed and students cannot commence. In the reenrolment kit, the uniform information refers to the previously announced knee length requirement for dresses and skirt for 2020. It is therefore disappointing I have become aware of small number of students indicating to staff they are not going to conform to the new policy. There have been multiple opportunities for students, parents to have input into the uniform and other policies. It would be appreciated that parents and carers ensure all uniform items for 2020 comply with the policy provided. Staff would prefer to be focussed on teaching and learning when we resume next year rather than uniform breaches.
Art Show
Next Tuesday evening is our annual Arts and Technology Showcase. I would encourage all members of our community to come and witness first hand the work that has been produced by many of our creative and artistic students. There will be many displays of work and performances by not only students from Scoresby Secondary College, but also from Ferntree Gully North, Mountain Gate and Scoresby Primary Schools. There is a great deal evidence confirming that participation in the arts can have a powerful impact on student achievement in other areas of the curriculum and for their wellbeing.
Student Voice, Agency and Leadership
‘The number of Australians aged 65 and over is expected to increase rapidly, from around 2.5 million ten years ago to 6.2 million in 2042. That is, from around 13 per cent of the population to around 25 per cent.
What a frightening statistic. It need not be if we can have student leaders like our own. Student leadership development is what many schools focus on. At Scoresby Secondary College we are now recognised as leaders in the development of student voice and agency which underpin quality leadership.
So what does this mean?
Student voice is not simply about giving students the opportunity to communicate ideas and opinions; it is about students having the power to influence change. Authentic student voice provides opportunities for students to collaborate and make decisions with adults around what and how they learn and how their learning is assessed. Student agency on the other hand refers to the level of autonomy and power that a student experiences in the learning environment.
Student voice and agency are intrinsically linked. Agency gives students the power to direct and take responsibility for their learning, creating independent and self-regulating learners.
Research shows student voice leads to improved educational outcomes. We have already seen this first hand in our NAPLAN growth following the inclusion of tasks with business and industry and the introduction of other strategies including providing student voice through feedback surveys. What has differentiated our College from other schools is the lead role our staff and students are taking in evidence-based development of student agency. This will continue to evolve and we look forward to providing future updates.
Sporting Achievement
Sebastian Bennet was recently selected to play in the International Pee Wee Ice Hockey Tournament which is being held this week. We look forward to hearing about the event when Sebastian returns to school next week.
Teaching and Learning
The staff at the College are to be commended on their professionalism and commitment to student improvement with the final delivery and assessment of coursework at all year levels. It is a busy assessment and reporting period. Testing at years 7-9 and examinations for years 10 and 11 and 12 provide students an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the skills and knowledge they have covered over the course of the year. It also provides valuable data on the level to which we have delivered our guaranteed and viable curriculum. Evidence is showing that we are well on track and our Year 10 students entering VCE are well prepared for the challenges their final years present.
Building Program
The building program to replace the external brickworks with a new cladding is well underway with minimal disruption to teaching and learning or College operations. The Senior School and science wing will be completed by December. The works will then move to the arts and technology wings and is anticipated to be completed by the start of the school year. As you can see from the photos, the solid steel frames provide a much stronger structure than the original brickwork which, as reported previously, was cracking with age.
Subject Payment Process
Scoresby Secondary College Council approved the parent payment charges for 2020 and these are now due for payment. Information regarding the parent payment process and policy was distributed with reenrolment kits which should have all been returned to the College.
Underlying the success and quality of the wide-ranging academic and the co-curricular programs
available to meet student needs is the financial support that ensures we have the materials and facilities to run these programs successfully. Families should note that in the case where a student has chosen to enrol in a subject which incurs a subject charge, that payment is due together with the overall payment. In the cases where that fee is not paid, students will be allocated to an alternative subject that does not attract a charge. Please make your payment or contact our Business Manager Mrs. Vicky Kamfonas if you would like to arrange a payment plan.
Travelling to and from School
All students are reminded that good behaviour and traffic safety are still vital every day when
travelling to and from school. We have had some recent incidents which have resulted in injury and reports of students not meeting the College high expectations for behaviour.
I would encourage parents and carers to discuss the following points which we routinely discuss at assemblies and other forums:
- observe road safety rules to and from school each day;
- observe all road laws, in particular cyclists must wear helmets;
- when crossing the road, it must be done with care and use cross