Principal

Graduation! What a lovely celebration we had. Thank you to the 450 people who attended our event. It’s always such a great time to reflect on the journey that both the College and the students have had over the course of their time with us. I received countless positive messages about the day.  Most feedback centred on either the professionalism of the event and or the sensational food. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to be drawn towards those fabulous pink macaroons! 

Enrolment Days

Our new students recently attended their enrolment day. They engaged in conversations with members of our Student Services team, selected their academic courses, were measured for blazers and purchased uniforms. A slight tweak to the process presented an opportunity for all our students to have their eyes tested so that they can start day 1 with a very important box checked, ready to jump into the driver’s seat. 

Next year, we will expand the enrolment days to include an overnight orientation experience for our new students. Unfortunately, hosting orientation days at the beginning of the year is problematic as it delays the beginning of the traditional school year for other students. Having the orientation experience in Term 4, the year prior, also provides our student services and residential team with increased student information prior to the commencement of the school year.

School self-assessment

Over the past ten months I have led a review on the way we do business. We reflected on everything, from the length of an academic period, to the amount of contact time students received in courses, to what time we ate lunch. I had two main areas of focus: student outcomes and connection with the Department of Education. The leadership team spent considerable time getting feedback from teachers, trainers, farm staff, students, industry and parents about what was working and what wasn’t. 

What we discovered is that we’ve got a wonderful product here at the College. We have great staff and wonderful facilities. We also realised that like most things, there are areas for improvement. Like most good things, in order to keep things running well, we must prioritise time to review and reflect. What we learnt during our review was that many of our students have some amazing opportunities, but they weren’t accessible to all students. Some students were missing out.

When we looked at the timetable, we discovered that some areas were over-represented and sadly others didn’t feature on our timetable at all. The review also identified non-compliance in some areas. This came at a cost to some student outcomes. 

Once the leadership team discovered that some students were missing out, we decided to take immediate action. I met with the College Board, showed them the evidence from our review and shared our plan for the future. Their support is written in a letter later in this publication. I’d personally like to thank our Board Chair, Mick Pratt for his unwavering support and passion towards creating stronger student outcomes.

We then went about writing a new timetable – a massive job. 

The new timetable attempts to bring equity across the school.  The changes have meant that our students are getting more of what they need and less of what they don’t. In 2023, students will experience greater flexibility in subject choices, have smaller classes sizes and most importantly SCSA and TAC compliance requirements will be adhered to. 

The trades program is expanding into Year 11 and two new WACE courses are being delivered: Design and Technology- Metals and Health and Physical Education.  The programs that previously provided little benefit towards student outcomes have been removed. Some things of course are staying the same. The students still have an entire day on the farm, the start and finish times of the school day remain unchanged, they still have three breaks of morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea, but the timings of these will change slightly. 

Industry feedback gathered during the review, highlighted a deficit with our connection with digital technology. 

In 2022, we have grown from owning just two laptops to thirty. We have purchased a new plasma laser cutter for the Trades area and are in the process of creating a new computer lab, with the latest desktop computers loaded with CAD software prioritised for, and to support the Trades expansion.

Communication

In terms of communication, we have tried really hard to communicate these changes with families. We have emailed updates, called parents, conducted parent information sessions, provided information in the newsletter and met individually with every single parent and child entering Year 10 and 11 next year. The leadership team has worked incredibly hard this past ten months and I’d like to thank each of them individually for their contributions to the review. I am confident the changes moving forward are in the best interests of your children. I really encourage anyone with any questions or concerns to contact the school.

Staffing updates

At this time of the year, it’s not uncommon to see staff movements. We recently received notice that Rebekah Henderson, our Marketing Officer and our Equine instructor Renae Tucci have resigned. Nigel Levinson, our Vineyard Technical Officer and Dave Morrell our Bee-Keeping Trainer, are retiring. A recent HR process has resulted in a successful appointment of staff in both of these roles, however timing and protocol does not allow me to name the successful applicants at this time. 

Classroom teacher, Ian Manuel, is leaving the College as we welcome Shiralee Goodwill back after her 12 months of leave. Brenton Stone joins us next year teaching Agriculture as Stuart Irwin enjoys 12 months leave. We welcome Megan Butt to the role of Residential Manager from the 5th of December as Kelli Gillies accesses Long Service Leave until the commencement of Term 2. 

We have also added two new positions to our staffing profile: Design and Technology Assistant and Laboratory Assistant. Both of these roles will see further support given to our Science and Trades teachers- resulting in greater student outcomes in the Science and Trades areas.

Finally, given this is the final newsletter of 2022 I’d like to wish you all a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope it is spent with family and friends. I look forward, after a little break myself, seeing you all in the new year – refreshed and ready for the new school year.