Principal's Report

Term 1

As we finish off Term 1, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our students, families, community and staff for their efforts in Term 1 2022. This has been our first full term of face to face teaching since 2019, although it has certainly not been easy.

Unfortunately the effects of COVID still impact on our daily lives. This term, we have seen significant student and staff absence due to COVID, and the requirement to quarantine when a household contact. I would like to thank all students, families and staff for their work in remaining connected to learning when quarantine and isolation occur. I am proud of the effort, perseverance and skill of the teaching and support staff to connect with students through remote tools such as Teams and Compass while still teaching face to face in the classroom. Thank you to our teachers for this work, and thank you to the students who continue to connect from home and work hard from home when required to. 

We also know that coming out of the past two years has been difficult on our young people. This is for two reasons. Firstly the social development of teenagers and the impact on social development from two years of disruption, and secondly, the academic development of students following two years of remote learning. We know that as the term has progressed, our ongoing work in supporting the building of relationships of students with both their peers and their teachers is developing. I am so proud when I walk through our corridors during class time, and through the school grounds at recess, lunch time and after school, that our students are settled, building and maintaining connections with their peers and feeling great about school. I am particularly proud of our students who have been involved in a series of restorative conversations and relationship building programs for their commitment and openness to building relationships within the school. 

The second aspect, that of academic development is one that we are taking a longer view on. While remote learning was effective, nothing can and ever will replace face to face learning, with clear explicit teaching in a  classroom setting. For some students, there might be small gaps in their learning in particular subjects, for some students it might be the stamina of completing CAT or SAC tasks, or studying for exams, while some students need more focused, targeted support.  Both as a school, and as an education system across Victoria, we are aware of the differing needs of all of our students in their learning. We are committed to working with every student in order to both build the stamina of learning, and  extend the knowledge, skills and concept development required in all subjects. 

Dr Stephen Livesey Scholarship Ceremony

On  Thursday 7 April, we held our annual Dr Stephen Livesey Scholarship Ceremony in our Performing Arts Centre.

Dr Livesey was a student at Reservoir High. He was just like or current students, he had high hopes and aspirations for his future and he worked hard while he attended Reservoir High School. After graduating in 1969, Stephen moved on to the University of Melbourne. By 1985, not only had he completed his PhD, but also became a qualified Doctor with a Bachelor of Medical Science and a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery. 

In 1986, Dr Livesey  co-founded LifeCell Corporation, a Texas-based company to deliver transplantation technology. By 1993, he was the Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of LifeCell and the inventor of its transplantation technology. In 2003, Stephen returned to Australia to conduct research in Stem Cells and spinal cord repair.

For the past 17 years, Dr Livesey has sponsored a significant scholarship for students who have achieved success in both the VCE and VCAL.

This year, we were also joined by Jim Li,  past recipient of the Livesey Scholarship. Jim still lives locally and presented to the students on tips to be successful in their studies both at school and at university. Jim shared his own journey since graduating from Reservoir High School. Jim is now a Solicitor working in Property Law and Legal Advice. 

This years recipients of the Dr Livesey Scholarship are; Lacey Lu, Alicia Verga, Sweeney Marshall and Hayden Ray. This scholarship will support these students as they pursue pathways in Dentistry, Physics and Social work. 

School-wide Positive Behaviour

We are very pleased to announce that Reservoir High has been selected as a Victorian Positive Behaviour School. This is due partly to our focus on building  positive relationships through 'Being Kind, Being Safe and Being Fair',  for the work in the our Rewards and Recognition program in the sub schools, but also for our growth in developing school wide positive behaviour. 

Our development will include whole staff training, developing more avenues of student voice and agency and promoting whole school positivity. 

Term One Feedback 'Reports'- now available on Compass

Since 2020, Reservoir High  has operated continuous reporting. This includes comments and progress results for CATs and SACs in Years 7-12 and the progress reports on Approaches to Learning. I encourage all families to log in to Compass to see the progress of your child. Click on the Learning Task tab to see feedback for completed tasks. We do know that COVID may have interrupted the completion of some tasks this term, so if you have any queries, please contact your child's teacher at the start of Term 2.

Staff Changes

The end of school terms often sees changes in the staffing of the school.I would like to wish Mr Stephanie Karavasilis all the best in her new role at Swinburne Senior as she moves into teaching VCE Art. We thank you for your work with our Junior students in Term 1 this year. 

I would also like to announce that Ms Natalie Manser, our Assistant Principal has been successful in a promotion position at Wantirna College. Natalia has been with us since 2021 and has led our work in Teaching and Learning and the Junior School. We have benefitted from Natalie's high level knowledge and understanding of Teaching and Learning approaches and wish her all the best in her new role.