Principal's Report

Sustainability Awards

Congratulations to the Green Team and Mr. Venkat Kalva for being nominated for Student Action Team of the Year and Teacher of the Year at the Resource Smart Awards on June 13. A team of students, Mr. Kalva and Mr. Lilly attended the awards ceremony at the MCG which were hosted by Mr. Craig Reucassel, who hosts the ABC TV show War on Waste. Whilst the team did not return with the awards, they are all very proud to be included with a very small group of outstanding school communities who are actively promoting sustainable practices.

Teacher Appreciation

A highlight of being a Principal is receiving positive feedback from students and parents about the wonderful staff at Brentwood. Recently I received the following email from one of the Year 9 parents:

"I am writing regarding the recent year 9 Duke of Edinburgh camp which returned last Friday.  I wanted to let you know what a wonderful experience was had by my child.  She has not stopped talking about the many memories and new friendships she has taken away.  It completely surpassed our expectations and hopes for the program……..We are so appreciative of those teachers who clearly put such a lot of time and passion into what they do and as a parent, I just wanted to formally thank the teachers and the school for providing these experiences for our kids."

The purpose of sharing this is to highlight just one example of many where teachers go above and beyond. There were a total of four teachers who took time away from their families to provide 50 Year 9 students with an experience that will stay with them for many years to come. These experiences are a key part of the many learning opportunities for students that help develop them as both learners and people.

It is important to also note that another team of staff took away the cast of Wicked to an intensive Performing Arts camp. The outcomes of this camp were not only bonding as a group and creating a strong sense of belonging, but to challenge the students to master scenes from the musical. This requires a high level of teamwork, practice and dedication; all of which are essential skills for our students in developing themselves.

I am very proud of the staff at Brentwood and their willingness to volunteer their time for the benefit of the students in our community. They do this because they get great joy in seeing them learn and develop, however it does require them to sacrifice time with their own families. So whilst they do not need or want to be thanked, I would encourage members of our community to acknowledge teachers with a simple message of thanks when they go above and beyond and you notice the impact it has on our students.

Exams

This week students in Years 9 - 12 all participated in various exams. This can be a stressful time for many students, however, I hope that each of them were able to use the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned over the first half of the year. I would like to congratulate students on their efforts in preparing for the exams and completing them to the best of their ability. In addition to demonstrating their learning, these exams are an opportunity for students to practice sitting exams in preparation for VCE exams later in the year or in the years to come.

Principal Leadership Conference

In the week of June 3 to 7 the Principal Team participated in a statewide conference with Principals and School Leaders from across the state.  The theme for the conference was 'leading learning for excellence'. As a Principal Team, we had the benefit of hearing from local and international educational leaders and researchers who were able to share both current research and developments that can help our school continue to improve the learning outcomes of our students.

Some of the themes that we explored during the conference included preparing young Australians for a rapidly changing world of work presented by the Foundation for Young Australians. There are a number of research papers that are very relevant for our students and families on their website at www.fya.org.au. Dr. Simon Breakspear's presentations helped shape our approach to teacher professional learning whilst Richard Gerver from the UK inspired us to lead change by sharing his achievements as a Principal who has had an impact across the world. Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener provided a structure for enhancing our work on a strength-based learning culture where the focus is on solutions rather than problems whilst Dr. Barbara Blackburn focused our attention on maintaining rigour, motivation and engagement. We also explored the current research on the impact of screen time and learning technologies which will help us shape new school policies in the future.

Whilst these learning opportunities are powerful for the Principal Team, so too are the professional learning programs that all staff at Brentwood engage in across the year. They not only help evolve our practice to enhance student learning but also demonstrate our community values and vision for learning.

John Ballagh, Principal