Principal's Report
April 2023
The term has been a busy one with many events and activities being at the core of our work with our school community. All events helped send a clear message that high expectations are set for all students and that the partnership between school and home is extremely important to help support each student.
Swimming Carnival
In week 4, the Annual Swimming Carnival was very successful this year. I was very pleased to see over 500 students attend, participate, and encourage their teams to do well. It was also quite evident that both students and staff had a very good day supporting their team and getting into the spirit of the day. I would like to acknowledge Mr. Tom Cullum, who organised the event with the support of the HAPE team and all the staff who contributed to the organisation and supervision on the day.
Thank you to all our VCAL students, VCAL staff and Nicole Hardham whose effort on the day raised a substantial profit which they will allocate to a fund of their choice later on. Congratulations also goes to the Pyke House team for their wonderful effort in winning the event.
Year 7 Transition Information Night
In week 5 of this term, we had our Transition Information Night for the new 2024 Year 7 students and their families. It gave our Leadership staff and School Captains the opportunity to introduce to these parents and students our college, and to outline to them the many proactive and positive programs that we have to offer. The feedback received from these families was incredibly complimentary for the college. Thank you to all who attended.
NAPLAN
In weeks 7 & 8, our Years 7 & 9 students completed their NAPLAN tests for this year in both Literacy and Numeracy. Just like last year, our students completed their NAPLAN tests online.
NAPLAN Online uses an adaptive test design, which presents questions that better match student achievement levels and provide more precise results for teachers and schools. We look forward to receiving and seeing the outcome of these tests much earlier this year than we have ever done before. We do anticipate that this will be of more benefit for our student’s learning and our teachers lesson preparation.
HARMONY WEEK
Our thanks and gratitude go to all the staff and students who were involved in our recent Harmony Week Celebrations.
The time and effort in helping the college run a very successful week is greatly appreciated by all of us. The feedback I received from students at the end of the Cultural parade was incredibly positive and very flattering to all. For the students and staff who also participated in the events, whether you were dressed in traditional outfits or whether you were dancing in traditional dances or just simply supporting by being present at the events, I also thank you for your enthusiasm and support. I know I speak on behalf of the students and staff in the audience, when I also thank you for the enthusiasm you put into the week.
Student Progress Reports- New format
As of this term, the College has adopted a new progress report format based on the grade point average concept. Progress Reports, or GPA’s, will now be used to report a child’s learning behaviours. These will be reported at 3 different times over the semester, and available on demand through the Compass Parent Portal. Progress Reports will also be published within semester reports.
The GPA is an average of the ratings each student achieves on our learning behaviours on the Progress Report. Each of these areas is allocated a score based on the level of performance.
- Consistently (4)
- Often (3)
- Sometimes (2)
- Rarely (1)
- Not Yet (0)
For each subject, the scores are tallied and averaged by the number of subjects studied. This then gives a score or GPA. The highest possible score of 4.0 would be generated by achieving “Consistently” in every area in every subject.
Reports are now able to be accessed on Compass. By all means, please feel free to contact the college if you require any assistance in accessing your account.
AIP 2023 and the School Report 2022
The final copy of the College’s 2023 Annual Implementation Plan has been attested by both the College’s School president and SEIL. A copy is now available for all community members on our website.
John Mitsinikos
College Principal