From the Principal 

This term began with us hearing the great stories from staff and students that attended the Central Australia camp at the end of term 2 (and during the school holidays). A big thank you to the staff that gave up much of their holidays to support our students. These types of events don’t happen without their commitment.

Last term two of our students (Mluta K and David T) joined four other students from Lyndale SC, Narre Warren South P-12 and Cranbourne SC to participate in the 2022 Victorian Youth Parliament Program. 

Here is a quote from a member of the team that supported the students in this program:

“Among many of us, last Tuesday marked the proudest moment of our career thus far and for the parents it was a moment to commemorate the sacrifices and challenges they underwent,  when they moved to Australia in the hopes of a better life for their children. Overcome with emotions after experiencing history for ourselves the 'Victorian Cross-Cultural Community Education & Engagement Bill 2022' was successfully debated and PASSED in Parliament House by the first ever all-African team”

Ladan Ahmed

African School Community Liaison Office: Department of Education and Training

The Youth Parliament Documentary (link below) is a great account of the experience the students and staff have had. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shIMUYwxCmY, credit Monga Mukasa

These students have now been invited by DET to present their YMCA Youth Parliament African Education Inclusion Bill to the Roundtable this October in North Melbourne.

We look forward to supporting them with this ongoing fantastic work!

The course selection process for 2023 is now well underway. Staff have been working with students and families to identify appropriate pathways for each student. This information is critical in informing our staffing needs for 2023. We will again, see our enrolment grow in 2023, to well over 1900 students. As such we have already begun recruiting new teaching staff and reviewing the supports, we have in place to ensure that all students are supported to meet our high expectations of both learning and engagement. 

Unfortunately, the impact of COVID continues to hamper school operations and I have had to make difficult decisions to ensure that classes have been able to run (as close to normal as possible). This has impacted several extracurricular experiences, including sport and camps. It also impacts this addition of our Newsletter, which is a bit shorter than usual! We are continuing to manage both illness and staff shortages to the best of our abilities.

Whilst the postponement of our production was not ideal it has allowed staff and students to take the time they needed to recover from illness and I know that when the show does go on (which it will), it will be fantastic! We are currently working to identify new dates and update permissions associated with the rights to perform.

We still have a lot to look forward to as we navigate our way to the end of Term 3. I personally look forward to seeing the 4C’s performance at Bunjil Place early September and of course our production of Matilda once new dates are confirmed.

Please make sure that you are aware of the upcoming Important Dates published in this newsletter as a number of them impact on the normal school program.

Stay well

Meagan Cook

Principal