From the Principal

Welcome to all students and families - returning and new. It has been a great start to 2023 for students and staff. Our wonderful Parents & Friends association organised second hand uniform sales with many families being able to take advantage of the opportunity. Thank you to the team of hard working parents who were on hand to help.

This year we have reduced the number of pages in our newsletter as the statistics were clearly telling us it was too long. We hope that you will have the time to read through the newsletter - your feedback is welcome.

Breakfast Club - Students are welcome to enjoy a free breakfast in Room 2 and the outdoor wellbeing areas Monday, Wednesday and Friday form 8.15am to 8.30am. Thank you to Kelli Lawson for all the work involved in this important program.

Google Classroom summary pages - Parents / carers, Years 7 - 12, have been sent invitations to receive Google Classroom summary pages – this is optional.

We will complete our 4 year Strategic Plan Review this term. It is a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect on the success of the past 4 years, look deeply at areas for further improvement and set challenging goals for the next 4 years. The review is led by a DET appointed reviewer, Trudy Thompson, and we are looking forward to working with her. There will be opportunities for student, parent and staff input. We also have a school council president and 2 challenge partners on the core team working through the process with us.

The Department of Education has determined the key focus areas for schools in 2023.

2023 Priorities Goal

In 2023 we will continue to focus on student learning - with an increased focus on numeracy - and student wellbeing through the 2023 Priorities Goal, a learning Key Improvement Strategy and a wellbeing Key Improvement Strategy.

KIS 1a. Learning - Support both those who need scaffolding and those who have thrived to continue to extend their learning, especially in numeracy.

At GEC our focus will be to: Build staff capacity in the use of Universal Design for Learning to deliver high quality learning for all students.

Embed a school wide numeracy plan.

KIS 1b. Wellbeing - Effectively mobilise available resources to support students' wellbeing and mental health, especially the most vulnerable.

At GEC our focus will be to: Build a sense of belonging to GEC for all students.

Participate in the Regional Action Plan- Attendance and Wellbeing.

The Glen Eira 5

‘The Glen Eira 5’ is a document that articulates the practices behind the promises we make as a staff, students and parents of GEC.

5 promises teachers make to our students;

maintain a safe learning environment.
know how you learn and what direction your learning should take.
make classes engaging.
listen, encourage and support.
involve the wider community in your learning.

5 promises staff make to one another;

share resources.
support one another.
work collaboratively to improve student learning.
be consistent in applying policies.
learn from one another.

5 characteristics you will see in our teaching;

differentiate teaching and learning to support and challenge the full range of abilities.
structure lessons according to SABRE.
be innovative and reflective.
be enthusiastic.
be accountable for improving student outcomes.

5 things you will see from our students;

be enthusiastic and motivated.
communicate and be respectful.
seize opportunities to participate and learn.
work together, acting responsibly and creatively.
direct their own learning through questioning and exploring.

5 things you will see from our parents, carers and guardians;

be involved and contribute to the broader educational program.
play an active role in the child’s learning.
support their children in achieving their learning goals.
promote the school values.
maintain open lines of communication with the school.

VCE results

We were delighted with the wonderful results achieved by our Year 12 students and so very proud of the achievements of all of our students. Congratulations to our Dux, Vraj Patel with an ATAR of 98.4.

21% of ATAR scores 90 or above
40% of ATAR scores 80 or above
10.1% of study scores 40 or above – double last years
Average ATAR was 74
Median study score 31 for the third year running
5 students received the VCE Baccalaureate

Congratulations to the following students who achieved ATAR scores above 90 (in alpahbetical order) – Yashasvi Agrawal, Mihali Bafitis, Maani Baker, Shaonika Basu, Keren Belnick, Nathaniel Cosgrave, Dominik Duszniak, Tess Keogh, Bradley Lok, Daniel Mijares Mendez, Vraj Patel, Mingyue Sun, Luis Tanag, Lucas Vaidie, Shai Varon. An outstanding achievement.

Courses that these students have been offered include: Design – University of Melbourne, Arts - University of Melbourne, Science - University of Melbourne, Laws (Honours)/Arts – Monash University, Arts – Monash University, Engineering (Honours) – Monash University, Laws (Honours)/Science – Monash University, Design/Architecture - University of Melbourne, Engineering (Honours) – RMIT University, Engineering (Honours) / Science - Monash University, Commerce – University of Melbourne, Applied Data Science – Monash University, Commerce – University of Melbourne, Science Advanced-Research (Honours) - Monash

Introducing our Leadership and Student Management Team

Principal: Sheereen Kindler

Assistant Principals: Aaron Petersen, Nicholas Hamer-Smith and Loveena Narayanen

Business Manager: Gabrielle Darvell

Junior School Leader: Jared Bandara

Year 7 Coordinators: Mary Maniatis & Christopher Zuccala

Year 8 Coordinators: Daniel Lake & Madeline Owen

Year 9 Coordinators: Sophie Clark & Edgar Bonne

Senior School Leader: Jeffrey Micallef

Year 10 Coordinator: Jake Sherman

Year 11 Coordinator: Elizabeth Tasiopoulos

Year 12 Coordinator: Laura Brancatella

Student Wellbeing Leader: Nicholas Ford

Teaching and Learning Leader: Daniel Bouchet-Hibbert

Learning Specialist – Differentiation (Inclusive Practice): Colin Shnier

Learning Specialists – Teacher Practice and Pedagogy: Bernie Coghlan & Chizuko Inoue-Andersson

Careers and Pathways Coordinator: Heather Palm

International Student Coordinator: George Song

Librarian: Clare Murayama

Annual privacy reminder

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.

Please take time to remind yourself of our school’s collection notice, found on our website https://gec.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Privacy_Collection_Notice.pdf. For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in nine community languages:

* Amharic

* Arabic

* Dari

* Gujarati

* Mandarin

* Somali

* Sudanese

* Turkish

* Urdu

* Vietnamese

Being involved at GEC

We are always looking for ways to involve our parents in our community. Please contact me if you have ideas of how you would like to be involved. Our Parents and Friends group is an excellent way to meet other families and I encourage you to join. Working bees are held at school on the 3rd Sunday of the month, from 3-5pm. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Insurance

Just a reminder that any insurance needs to be taken up on an individual user pays basis. The Department does not provide personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students. Parents and guardians of students, who do not have student accident insurance/ambulance cover, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance / transport and any other transport costs. Parents/guardians can purchase insurance policies from commercial insurers if they wish to insure their child.

Finally

Capital Works: I know many of you are wondering what is happening with the capital works projects and becoming frustrated – it has certainly been a challenging time. The Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) has undertaken several on-site investigations to understand our buildings' condition fully. I understand we will have the results of these investigations soon and will then be able to provide information to you as to the plans for moving forward.

The results of these investigations are being assessed and will help inform options in the design phase. Please be assured that we will work closely with the project team and the VSBA to ensure the very best outcome for our students now and into the future.

Although I do not have any further information to share with you I am happy to speak to any parents / carers directly at anytime.

Lockers: All students are required to have a lock for their lockers. Combination locks are available at the General Office ($15). Any lockers without locks will not be available for student use. I ask for parent support in providing a lock for their son or daughter.

Mobile phones are to be locked in student lockers during the school day.

Lost property: We already have a growing mountain of unnamed lost property including jumpers, jackets and shoes. I ask parents and carers to ensure all items of clothing and books are named so that they can be returned to students.

Bikes: It is wonderful to see so many studens riding to school. Please remind your child to lock their bikes in a bike rack to avoid bikes being stolen.

Should you have questions, concerns or suggestions at any time do not hesitate to contact me at school.

Sheereen Kindler

Principal

AOC Award

Congratulations to our Olympic Change Makers, Lily Skinner and Jay Tricky, who were presented with their awards at the first whole school assembly of the year.

The Australian Olympic Change-Maker program recognises students who are demonstrating the Olympic spirit - friendship, sportsmanship and striving for excellence – both on and off the playing field, through leadership and driving positive change in their school or local community.

The Australian Olympic Committee aims to build a better world through sport. The Australian Olympic Change-Maker Award is the embodiment of this philosophy being played out in communities across Australia.

Aaron Petersen

Assistant Principal

School Photos