Principal's Message

Good morning all.

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to reflect on the first two weeks of the 2020 school year. I have been made to feel very welcome by both staff and the students of the College. My challenge at this time is to wrap my head around all the systems and processes in the College, plus work out who exactly does what! At the minute I feel like each day needs at least 40 hours in it to get the work done! I know that this will settle down as we progress into the year.

The College has kicked off the year in spectacular style. After a short introduction at year level Assemblies on day 1 and sorting out some essentials, students have been in class and working.  I attended the Senior Hub assembly and spoke to the student group about expectations, the rigour of the College and the opportunity to choose different pathways after the completion of their Year 12 program.

I have had the absolute delight of meeting with our 2020 School Captains this week – what an engaging, insightful and intelligent group of students. We discussed the role of College Captain, why they chose to seek out this role, the process for selection itself and lots more. We plan to meet once per month to strengthen the connection and keep me abreast of 'all that I need to know and hear' from our student body.

The week before school officially began, I spent a week in Melbourne with Kylie Greenaway (Assistant Principal) and Kristin Bury (Data Analyst) at the DET Bastow Institute, engaging in the Data Wise Program delivered by Harvard University from the USA. The huge commitment, especially given the timing, was worth 'every minute', and the learning will be a valuable resource as we continue our journey of whole school improvement for the College.

Remembering that Friday 7th February is the anniversary of the Black Saturday fires, it is appropriate to reflect on the dreadful summer that has just passed. I feel as though each of our families have been impacted in some way. Sadly, we have had staff and families that have lost homes. Many others lost assets or have been impacted through relationships with friends and family members, or simply living with that horrid smoke for weeks. I saw humans suffering from fatigue and the stress / trauma of the event. The DET has implemented many support services into the area and we assure you that, as a College, we are focused on all possible ways that we can support our students.

We were able to offer the  ADF use of the school for two weeks prior to the commencement of the school year. That provided a practical and significant support the broader East Gippsland community. The connection with the ADF have been very positive - in fact two VCAL groups will soon be travelling to Orbost to observe how a fully functioning ADF kitchen operates, which is set up in a paddock and services over 500 personnel. The learning opportunities for our VCAL students regarding team work, planning and organisation will be invaluable. I look forward to hearing from our VCAL students about this fantastic opportunity.

So - you will hear me say 'onwards and upwards' as we establish a platform for the constant improvement agenda for our College and students. Our key target areas are:

• excellent teaching and learning in every classroom every day
• raising student outcomes
• targeting improvements in VCAL and VCE completion rates
• lots more!

Wish us luck! I invite all members of our College community to join us on the the journey to come.

I look forward to meeting you all. 

Trudie Nagle

Executive College Principal

Bairnsdale Secondary College