Principal's Report
Semester 1 Complete
The first academic semester recently came to an end with our junior students finishing up a range of electives and our Year 10 and 11 students completing their first exams under conditions that simulate the VCAA Year 12 exams. This was the first time since 2019 that exams were held in our Performing Arts Centre under formal exam conditions.
It has been wonderful seeing students engaging in classes in our new Food, Year 8 and Design Technology centres. The impact on student learning has been profound and they have been making the most of the new equipment and spaces.
Student Semester 1 reports have now been published and are accessible via Compass.
If you have any questions or concerns about your child's report then please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher, mentor teacher or coordinator via Compass. A list of coordinators and other key staff can be found via the below document.
We will be holding our Semester 1 College Values Awards on Thursday 20 July and Friday 21 July in the Performing Arts Centre. Invitations to the families of award recipients will be communicated in the first week next term.
Landscaping Update
Following the recent completion of our new buildings, the College is working with the Victorian Schools Building Authority to complete major landscaping works around our Performing Arts Centre.
These works will include a raised outdoor amphitheatre, vegetable boxes, four square courts, shade sails and seating areas.
Market Day
On Thursday 11 June, our Year 11 Vocational Major and VCE Business Management students held our annual Markey Day at lunchtime.
Following weeks of preparation and marketing strategies, our students made a profit of $2400, with proceeds going to the local charity, the Isabella & Marcus Foundation. The charity was chosen by the students and is a not for profit that raises funds for childhood brain cancer research.
It was great seeing staff and students having so much fun for a great course. After setting a very high target, one group managed to raise over $400 to get Mr Clark and Mr Jack to shave their heads. Despite feeling that they had set a safe target, Mr Clark and Mr Jack stuck to their word, to the appreciation of the 100s of students watching on!
Recent School Leavers in the News
Recent graduate Gus Fiedler was recently highlighted by the ABC for the video clip that he produced for the Melbourne based The Bel Air Lip Bombs. Check out Gus's work via the clip and article below.
https://www.abc.net.au/rage/features/wild-one-the-belair-lip-bombs-say-my-name/
2024 Course Counselling
Families will have received correspondence via Compass and email early June regarding the processes for 2024 course selection. In addition to considerable support at school for students, we will be hosting information evenings to support families:
Tuesday 11 July (5.30pm-6.30pm)
Year 8 into 9 (PAC)
Year 9 into 10 (Year 9 Centre)
Year 10 into 11 (Senior Centre)
Laptop Donation from This is 'IT'
Last week, our College was the fortunate recipient of 40 refurbished laptops via an organisation called This is 'IT'. CEO of the not for profit, Andrew Simmons, visited the school to donate the computers, which have come via the City of Kingston.
The laptops will be supplied to senior students in the form of scholarships to supplement our fleet of computers that can be borrowed by students to ensure that every student is able to effectively engage in the curriculum.
If you would like to know more about this initiative, or have laptops sitting on shelves in your office, that you would like to donate to a worthy cause, please contact Andrew Simmons, CEO at South East LLEN and co-founder at This Is IT, via email or phone.
0488003036
Traffic Management
With an increase in our student population over the last few years, there has been a noticeable increase in the traffic before and after school.
If you are driving to school to drop off or collect students it would be appreciated if you could:
- Use the roundabout or carpark to turn around, avoiding the use of neighbours driveways.
- Consider picking up students in Whatley Street (over the bridge) or Milroy Crescent (back of school).
- Encourage your child to walk or ride to school
- Avoid parking in front of the gate for Driveway 2 so that this can be used for kiss and go.
Other Tips
- Park in bus lane if you are visiting between 9am - 2.30pm
- Avoid parking in front of the gate for Driveway 2 so that this can be used for kiss and go.
Students on Bikes
This term we have had a couple of incidents involving students riding to school. One incident involved a student being hit by a car and another one where a student hit a pedestrian walking out of a driveway. While everyone was OK it is an important reminder that students riding to and from school should:
- wear helmet at all times
- exit school grounds carefully
- ride on bike paths and lanes where available
- avoid riding erratically
- not use mobile phone or listen to music
Professional Learning Communities - Improving teaching and learning at the College
During Term 1 and 2, the teaching staff at the College have been working on a cycle of inquiry as part of the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) initiative. The focus of the PLC initiative is linked to our Annual Improvement Plan (AIP) and aims to improve student academic achievement.
Our teachers have been working together in small groups of 3 to 5 people. As part of the PLC work, we have been evaluating student assessment data, developing improvement goals and plans, implementing changes to our teaching practices, monitoring the improvements in student learning, and then reflecting and sharing the results of the PLC work with other teaching staff. The diagram below shows the PLC process developed at the College and highlights the steps in the Cycle of Inquiry.
The PLC initiative at the College has also been recognised by the Regional Office at the Department of Education. In 2023, our College has become a PLC Link School for the Bayside Peninsula Area (BPA) and we have been hosting Open Days where staff from other schools in the BPA can visit our College.
During the Open Day sessions, the staff from other schools learn about the implementation of the PLC Cycle of Inquiry at PRSC, discuss our College processes and documentation of the PLC work, observe our teaching staff completing their PLC work, and share best practices in the areas of teaching and learning. This work has been very successful, and we have seen increasing numbers of staff from other schools attending the Open Day meetings across Term 2. The photographs show our PLC Open Days with staff from schools observing our teachers during their PLC work at various points in the PLC cycle.
The PLC initiative at the College is helping to support our students and we have seen improvements in learning areas such as literacy, numeracy, and student feedback. The PLC work is ongoing at the College and we will be starting a new Cycle of Inquiry in Term 3. The teaching staff are excited and engaged to continue with this important work.
Charter Bus Services
Following a recent serious incident involving a school charter bus in Melbourne's west, the Department of Education has advised schools that students travelling on buses organised by the school should be wearing a seat belt. While this does not include the PTV buses it does impact our Charter buses that service Edithvale and Sandhurst.
Given the potential financial impact for the College and families of arranging new buses, our College Council has arranged a tender process and will communicate the outcome this process to the school community once known.
Private Property & Accidents at School
The Department of Education requires parents/guardians to be reminded each year that:
- they are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance/transport and any other transport costs; and
- parents/guardians can purchase insurance policies from commercial insurers
- the Department of Education does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and it has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property.
Mr Daniel Dew
College Principal