Principal's Report
WELCOME BACK
It is hard to believe that we are already into week two of Term 2. I hope that everyone had a fantastic break, as this term is very busy with so many assessment outcomes due and reports that will be written at the end of this semester.
Students have come back ready to work and have settled in nicely. We continue to support those students that require a bit of extra time to focus on what they need to do and meeting the expectations of our college culture.
As always, the partnership between home and school continues, with the ultimate focus on supporting each other to bring out the best possible outcomes for all our students.
THE SCHOOL REVIEW
The school review has now been completed and there are three strategic goals that will be the focus of the work at Emerald Secondary College for the next four years:
GOAL ONE: Improve student learning
The work here will involve the consistent application of our instructional model and the use of data to inform differentiated student learning
GOAL TWO: Improve student engagement
The work here will focus on student leadership, the reinforcing of the student engagement model, and the structure of the day
GOAL THREE: Improve student well being
The work here will be to introduce an explicit wellbeing/positive education curriculum into our teaching and learning programme, and a shared responsibility about student wellbeing from all staff
Of course, the above strategic directions have been truncated for this newsletter, but there is layers of actions and interventions to improve the collective vision of ENGAGEMENT at our college – the entire community will have a role to play in assisting us with our improvement agenda. I will, of course, keep you involved and updated at every opportunity.
INFORMATION EVENING FOR PROSPECTIVE 2023 FAMILIES
It was terrific to see and catch up with prospective parents who attended our Information Night for Year 7 for 2023. An enthusiastic audience heard presentations from school leaders and of course, students in Year 7 and in Year 12. The night was also sprinkled with sensational musical performances.
Thank you to:
- Our MCs Michael Dance and Vanessa Dewar and
- To our Year 7 speakers Isabella Amor and Lilah Banks
- Our thanks to Charlee Tjepkema and Kai Hughes for their performances (vocals and piano respectively)
- Our Taiko Drums players in Mr K, Taleisha Rech-Ellery and Keilah Dewar
- And last, but not least, thank you to all the staff who attended and thank you to all our amazing support staff who did so much work behind the scenes
If you are still considering a placement for your son or daughter and happen to be reading this newsletter, please click on the link below to access a recording of the evening.
SENIOR SCHOOL REFORM – NEW HORIZONS IN 2023
The government stated they will invest $277.5 million in the biggest reform to the senior secondary system since the VCE’s inception, recognising the increased demand for careers in trades and services.
The new VCE Vocational Major and Victorian Pathways Certificate will replace VCAL, offering students more choices, a higher-quality curriculum and better workplace experiences to prepare students for further study, training at TAFE or employment post school.
Discussions and work on the new reform has already started at our college and there will be many announcements and details released all throughout this term and early next term. Notices on information nights will be sent out via Compass – please watch this space.
SCHOOL UNIFORM
It goes without saying that our college is a uniform school – that is, there is a dress code associated with being enrolled as a student ESC.
Uniform and dress code can often be a contentious issue in many schools and has been an ongoing dialogue for many, many years…..here’s the good news….Nadia Beardshaw, our College Council President will present further uniform options at our next school council meeting that will essentially respect and understand the comfort of our students, whilst still maintaining school pride and connectedness. From here, discussions will be had in student and staff forums and a final representation of the uniform will be presented to the community as soon as possible.
In the interim, the clime in Emerald can get bitterly cold and quite a few students have chosen to wear hoodies to combat the chill factor – unfortunately, hoodies are not a part of our uniform inventory and must not be worn at school. We ask parents and students to support this policy, as we want to maintain positive discourse and positive relationships with all our student body.
James Barut - College Principal