Assistant Principals' Reports
Simon Jones
Assistant Principal - Senior School
As a community and a school we are enduring great challenges in the current COVID environment. It is important that we continue to maintain connection and continue to support each other through these difficult times. To this end our staff are doing a tremendous job in the remote learning environment, doing their absolute best to ensure that worthwhile and important learning is maintained. In this regard I feel we are well positioned relative to other schools which is a credit to our hard-working staff.
Of course, the year continues to move forward for our Year 12 students and although there is a degree of uncertainty, one thing we know for sure is that final VCAA exams are looming large and will definitely proceed. With this in mind it is vital that students continue to maintain their focus and work with their teachers so that they are as prepared as possible to do their best in their final exams. I urge all Year 12 students to hang in and continue to put their best foot forward. Significant gains can be made between now and the beginning of the exams.
Our Year 12 VCAL students will leave us at the end of term and will begin their post-school journey. We wish them all the very best in their future endeavours, whether it be further study or venturing into the world of work, and thank them all for their individual contributions throughout their time at Dromana. We are hopeful that we will be able to have a farewell at some stage.
We all look forward to students returning to school but until then I encourage all students to persist with their classes online and to do the very best that they can.
Take care and stay safe.
Andrew Wynne
Assistant Principal - Junior School
The return to remote learning this term has certainly been a challenging time for all members of the Dromana College community, and has once again rearranged and challenged all the things we take for granted at school. We are immensely proud of the manner in which our students have adapted and in so many ways made the best of a bad situation. Parents should also be commended for the role they have taken in helping educate their students, in many cases while also working from home! 2021 has again not been the year we had hoped or planned for, but never has the partnership between parents, students and teachers been more evident.
No remote learning program, however, can replace the buzz and energy of students at school. We look forward to welcoming back all our students, but particularly the Year 7’s who have barely had time to get to know each other, and the many things that Dromana College has to offer.
On a more positive note, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit the Year 9 students at their long awaited camp at “The Summit” in Gippsland. After two such difficult years, this camp was just what this group of students needed, a real opportunity to challenge themselves and test their limits. I was so impressed with how the students embraced these challenges and how supportive they were of each other's goals. Well done to the Year 9 team and all the students on a camp that will remain a highlight of their Dromana College experience.
Another huge positive is how resilient our junior students at Dromana College have been in such difficult times for all schools. The results of the 2021 Student Attitudes to School survey in Year 7, 8 and 9 have been outstanding across a whole range of factors and reflect the hard work of the entire Dromana College community. I know that as a learning community we will get through these times together and emerge stronger at the other end!
To all students and parents, congratulations on your outstanding efforts and optimism this term. Lets’ hope Term 4 brings us all back together to continue to learn, develop relationships and make memories!
Stephanie Pearce
Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning
It is hard to believe we are almost at the end of Term 3 for 2021. Despite the challenges we have faced as a learning community through Lockdown 5 and again during Lockdown 6, I could not be prouder to be a part of Dromana College. Yet again, we have shown strength through our collective resilience, adaptability, understanding and above all else, support for one another.
Our pivot back into the online learning environment now seems (sadly) to be second nature to many – and I want to thank all families, teachers, support staff and students for ensuring that our remote learning platform and this invaluable connection between home and school has remained effective and successful. Please know that we remain resolute in our commitment to provide effective learning to all students. Tutoring and additional learning support is available to make sure that every student can still experience growth and success with their schooling irrespective of where that may be taking place. I would like to thank our Literacy and Numeracy Leaders for their online parent support session on September 1st. This type of support will continue to be available to all families across the year, so please do not hesitate to contact the school if you would like to find out more.
As Mr Wynne mentioned, this term we received our Attitudes to School Survey results for 2021, and what a cause for celebration they were! We can be proud to have growth across all key measures from Years 7-12, and positive endorsement above 70% for our learning targets of motivation and interest, stimulated learning as well as effective teaching time. Thank you to our students for their honesty, feedback, and reflection. Our commitment now is to effectively respond to this data to ensure Dromana College remains a school that supports all students to feel safe, happy, and successful in their learning environment.
Our student leaders, under the guidance of Student Leadership Leader Alex Woolley, developed and hoped to implement a Teach the Teacher workshop for all staff this term in which students brought their voice into discussions for school improvement. Sadly, due to the current circumstances we have had to postpone this session, but I look forward to being able to report on the success of this later this year. Additionally, our scheduled Curriculum Day which focused on Effective Differentiation and Individualised Learning was also postponed to Term 4. I would like to thank our Professional Learning Team for the work they have done in the lead up to this day and similarly look forward to sharing the successes and outcomes of the day once it has been rescheduled.
The development of the 2022 book list is currently underway. New subjects and resources have been added to further enrich the breadth of our learning program across Years 7-12. The book list will be available to families in early October (Year 12, 2022) and early November (Years 7-11, 2022). More information will be communicated via Compass later this term.
Lastly, thank you again to the whole college community for your ongoing support during the remote learning period. We are always better together. I look forward to reuniting once again onsite for Term 4.