Principal's Report
'Creating Futures Together'
Newsletter: Principal Report
10/02/23
‘Creating Futures Together’
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to 2023! It has been an excellent start to the year as we welcome our new Year 7 cohort and their families as well as those who have joined us at other year levels. I would like to begin by acknowledging the outstanding work of the General Office team. They are your first port of call and support you and your children every day.
In 2023, we also have some wonderful new staff who have joined us:
- Jodi Costanzo: Commerce and Humanities educator who has worked extensively in leadership positions and as a Professional Learning facilitator for subject associations and other forums
- Jessica Zhu: Our new Mandarin educator as well as English
- Laura McClure: Maths Educator
- Kirsty Siu: Science Educator
- Rene Raulin: Product Design Educator and our new Technology Leader
- Rhiannon Lainsbury: Inclusion Officer
- Melita Sammut: Inclusion Officer for Food and Human Development
- Emily An - Maths and Science Teacher
We welcome their expertise and passion for Teaching and Learning to Wheelers Hill.
Last week over one hundred students attended our Year 7 Transition Camp at Alexandra. There were lots of tired but happy faces on their return. Such opportunities for students to connect with their new cohort, make friends and build skills and knowledge outside of the set curriculum, are only possible because of the commitment of staff to support such events.
My deep gratitude to all staff who attended and my greatest admiration for those resilient professionals who have turned around and attended Year 10 Camp as well! Again, our Year 10 Camp was designed to build resilience and connection as students make their transition to Senior School. The Year 10s are to be commended for their excellent behaviour, which was noted by the camp facilitators. We know that as many students undertake Unit 1 and 2 sequences it does require that extra level of maturity and commitment to learning. I truly believe that it is a partnership between families, students and educators as we create futures together.
The changes to Senior School, including the invitation to Year 11 students to use the VCE Centre for study, are designed to refocus our study culture. We know that if young people are to achieve their potential, then they need every opportunity to collaborate with their peers and teachers. To this end, all Learning Spaces have been set up as collaborate spaces to ensure that they have every opportunity to build knowledge and skills.
Our key words are:
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Creativity
- Respect
- Excellence
If we are to meet our Learning and Wellbeing goals as established in the Strategic Plan and AIP, then every learning opportunity in every class is important. All subjects build resilience and wellbeing so please support us to ensure that our young people are ready to learn. To consolidate this culture we are re-designing our Cycle 1 and 3 reports which will now be known as Progress Reports . Students will be assessed by teachers on a range of learning behaviours so that there is greater focus on how students are progressing as learners. The students will be assessed using the following ratings:
- Consistently
- Usually
- Sometimes
- Rarely
There will also be a rubric which provides an overview of the qualities that the academic progress ratings demonstrate. These judgements are not intended to equate exactly with the Victorian Curriculum Progression Points which teachers assign at the end of the semester when they have had access to all of the student’s learning over the course of the semester. All summative results and teacher feedback will be accessed via the Compass student dashboard. The Progress Reports will be uploaded to Compass at the end of Term One so that families will have the opportunity to discuss them before our Learning and Wellbeing Conferences in Term Two, which will be onsite.
| Follows protocols for learning in any context | The student demonstrates and exhibits positive learning behaviours, including using class time, resources and content appropriately and conducts respectful relationships with peers |
| Seeks feedback and clarification from Teacher | The student collaborates effectively with the teacher and other educators on how to improve their learning in a respectful and mindful way |
| Completes all Learning and Assessment Tasks | The student completes all learning activities, tasks and assessments to the best of their abilities in a timely manner |
| Demonstrates independent learning behaviours | The student can self-manage their learning in a self- directed way in a variety of contexts |
Academic Progress
| The level of learning performance that the student has demonstrated in tasks including Learning Activities, Assessment Tasks, CATs, SACs andSATs based on the WHSC Assessment Schedule for 7-10 and VCE. This is a holistic judgement based on a range of evidence: Very High High Medium Low Making Progress Needs Support Not Applicable |
| 2023 | Report Type |
| End of Term One | Progress Report 1 |
| End of Term Two | End of Semester One Student Learning Feedback |
| End of Term Three | Progress Report 2 |
| End of Term Four | End of Semester Two Student Learning Feedback |
Another significant change for all schools is that NAPLAN for our Year 7 and 9 students will now be held in Term One so that educators and families will have earlier access to the important data. Andrew Dixon will be facilitating the testing schedule this year which will run from Wednesday March 15 to Monday March 20. All sessions will be conducted in the Bunjil Centre to ensure consistency in conditions. If you have any questions about the schedule, please don’t hesitate to contact Andrew Dixon at the College.
On Friday March 24, we will have our long anticipated Trivia Night which will be held in the VCE Centre. It is a family friendly occasion and alcohol free. Participants are welcome to bring food. Bookings will open soon. All money raised, fantastic items will be up for auction, will support our extra-curricula programs. Finally, our Open Day will be Wednesday March 28. All families are welcome to attend with 2 official presentations and tours during the day. More details to follow.
School Council Elections will be held in March where we have four parent/carer positions up for election. School Councils play an incredibly important role in in supporting the principal to deliver educational opportunities for students and provide an essential safety net of good governance. Nominations will be called for and then elections held. Please consider whether you would like to stand. Council meets on the third Wednesday of each month. There is also the opportunity to join our Education , Family and Friends and Finance committees. More important information will be provided soon. I would like to thank all serving members of the current Council for their work in supporting WHSC.
I am really looking forward to working with you this year as we build resilient and positive learners. I am incredibly proud of our team of educators and educational support staff who really are here to nurture, guide and educate your children. Let’s make it a great year for Wheelers Hill.
Take care
Fern Brisbane
College Principal