From the Principal 

Dear CESC Community,

I hope this newsletter finds you well. As usual, term 3 has been incredibly busy.

It is with some sadness (and trepidation) that I congratulate Mrs. Carys Freeman, who has been appointed to an Assistant Principal position at Fountain Gate Secondary College, beginning in term 4. Carys has played an integral part in leading improvement at Cranbourne East Secondary, and her leadership, wisdom, and knowledge will be missed by all those who have had the privilege to work with and be led by her. A strength of Carys’ work has been developing a high-performing team while leading the establishment of VCE and VCAL (and now VM and VET) at CESC. Carys leaves a legacy at our school, and I am confident that her work will continue despite her departure. Fountain Gate is lucky to be getting her, and I am sure we will find ways to continue collaborating with her as she begins her new role.

In term 4, Mr Greg Heaton will assume the role of Assistant Principal Senior School. The school is looking forward to seeing how the Senior School continues to evolve and grow under Greg’s leadership. I am personally confident that he will provide stability throughout term 4 and work with the Senior School Leadership Team to plan for the 2024 school year.

I would like to congratulate the staff and students that led our Professional Learning Day this term. I am confident, that the collaboration with students on the day has further enhanced our collective capacity to strengthen relationship building in our classrooms, improve recognition of the majority of our students (who are trying their best every day) and opened our eyes to the perception of students and how to work alongside with them to improve everyone's experience at CESC. Our students are amazing, and I am sure you all share the pride I felt watching them in action!

Across term 3 I have had a lot of opportunities to participate in activities with our students.

I accompanied Mr. Thomas’  Year 12 class on a local excursion to Marnebek Special School. On the way, Andria gave me a full rundown on the project that they were undertaking. It was evident to me how engaged our Year12’s were in the planning and preparation of a lesson for a group of students with a disability. I was incredibly impressed by our students and the reflections they shared after spending time with the kids that they will eventually be teaching. They showed incredible maturity, empathy and understanding. This doesn’t happen without great guidance/facilitation and teaching, and I want to congratulate and thank Mr. Thomas for the project and partnership with Marnebek.

I also accompanied Mr. Britto on a Learning Walk, where we spoke to students (and staff) about the phase of the instructional model that their lesson was at that moment. Every student we spoke to had an awareness of the model and phases and was able to pinpoint where they thought they were in the lesson. This is clearly made more explicit to students when teachers are using magnets (or another method) to signpost the lesson. Alongside signposting, staff are encouraged to articulate the phase of the learning and its purpose.

I participated in the mock interview process for year 9 students. I was so impressed by how incredibly articulate and charming our students were throughout their interviews. I saw some wonderful cover letters and CV's. Despite the nerves that were evident, students spoke well about their strengths and what they could bring to a workplace. I loved their loyalty, honesty, and values associated with teamwork and collaboration. Year 9 teachers should be very proud of the development that they are contributing to. I also did similar for a Year 12 WRS class thanks to the invitation from Ms. Mears. All I can say about Andria, CX, Shaan and Yasmine is WOW! They were incredible and their portfolios showcasing achievements and future goals really made me proud to be a member of the team at CESC. Our students are going to do great things in the world.

Our students have also been shining on stage across the term. The 4C's showcased both talent and leadership as our students not only performed but also ran the showcase evening. Watching them on stage, celebrating culture and community, was a very proud moment for all involved! On Saturday 9 September 14 of our students participated in THE VICTORIAN STATE SCHOOLS SPECTACULAR. This year’s show – Happy Travels – followed an intrepid group of hapless tourists as they traversed the globe in a cavalcade of circus mayhem. The show featured giant puppets and a dazzling circus fairground in an arena-style performance. As always, our wonderful students did us proud both on and off stage. Participating in such an amazing showcase of talent takes dedication and persistence, with rehearsals happening all year. Congratulations to Ms. Jemmeson and Ms. Witteveen for their commitment to supporting our students' creativity and talents.

As a college, we continue to manage enrolment demand, and we are finding that our yard is becoming more and more congested as each year passes. As a result, we will be running a “split lunch” timetable in 2024. In preparation for this change, we will be trialling a split lunch during part of term 4. This will allow time to iron out any challenges that arise from the change. While we would like this to start at the beginning of the term, it will be dependent on the timing of the works that need to be done to the canteen. We will keep everyone posted as the timeline is finalized. The school day (finish time) will need a slight change in 2024; however, with any trial in term 4, we will maintain our current start and finish times.

I encourage everyone to have a restful and safe holiday period, especially our 2023 Year 12 students who are so close to finishing their secondary education.

Meagan Cook

Principal