Message from the Principal

We come to the end of the year with feelings that fluctuate between “It has gone by too quickly” and  “It could not be over soon enough!”   

As I said to staff last week at the staff meeting, we could all fall prey of judging ourselves harshly this year, given what we have not been able to do and our expectations that we should still have been able to complete everything.  However, this has not been a ‘normal’ year, and we need to remind ourselves that what we have achieved is extraordinary. 

Students have been amazing, parents and families have been amazing, and staff have been amazing.  My gratitude to you all is immense. This final edition of the Brunswick Star is testament to the resilience and talent of so many of our students and what they have still been able to achieve given the restrictions that have been placed on us in 2020.

Class of 2020

Congratulations to our Class of 2020 who have completed their VCAL and VCE studies.  Our VCE students will receive their subject results and ATAR on 30 December and a team of teachers will be at school to assist students who may want to discuss any changes to their preferences.  We wish every success to all of our 2020 Graduates as they embark on their study or work plans for 2021.

Year 7 2021

As our Year 12 students were graduating, we were beginning to welcome our 2021 Year 7 cohort.  Staff were delighted to be able to host these students at school for Orientation Day on Tuesday, November 8.  

We wish all our incoming Grade 6 students well for their respective primary school graduations, and look forward to seeing them next year.

Student Leadership

We farewell and thank our 2020 School Captains, Archie Ballinger and An Dang, and introduce you to our 2021 School Captains later in this newsletter.  Congratulations to Paul Ting and Tara Denison.

Looking forward

We are busy finalising our 2021 staffing and teaching allotments as well as beginning work on our 2021 Teaching and Learning priorities.   A focus for 2021 will be on differentiating and modifying work for success.  We commenced work on this with our  November 2 Professional Learning Day and will continue to work on implementation of a modified work and assessment policy for the start of the school year. 

Tutor Program

The Department of Education & Training are providing funding to all government schools in 2021 to employ additional teachers to act as tutors.  This is a strategy to support selected students who may not have made the expected learning growth this year due to remote learning.  We are considering employing tutors across different learning areas, including practical-based subjects, where students have missed the opportunity to develop skills associated with tools or applications.

Achievement

I bring to your attention the achievements of Sabine Barnett (Year 10) and Natasha Nette (Year 9), outlined later in this newsletter, in being recognised for their competition submissions. Congratulations, Sabine and Natasha.

Please enjoy a safe and rejuvenating holiday season with family and friends.  To everyone, I again say... Well Done!