Principal's Report

Dear Parents, Students and Families,

Welcome back to the College for Term 2.

The term has started well with students returning focused and ready to learn. Term 2 is a busy term with NAPLAN commencing for Years 7 and 9. Across the senior year levels students are working towards the completion of VCE and VCAL units and will also complete the General Achievement Test (GAT). Year 10 students will begin a focused program on subject selection and course counselling in preparation for 2022.

Improving Student Outcomes

I would like to thank our school community and School Council for the recent support shown for the early finish times in week 2. These earlier finish times enabled all staff to engage in valuable professional learning focused on the moderation of student assessments. The moderation process that the College uses involves using student data gathered through assessment results as well as surveys completed by students at the end of the assessment period. This information is analysed in relation to the teaching and learning program for each subject and year level. Teams of teachers then continue to collaborate on the teaching and learning program to improve the quality of the learning program. They use the data generated by students alongside their experiences in the classroom to inform improvements in the program.

This process is evidence of the high expectations for a vibrant learning community at the College.

This process will occur again during week 2 of both Terms 3 and 4. I would like to thank the College community once again for the support shown to this work.

School review update

I would also like to thank the school community for their involvement in the school review process. The review process is a Department of Education and Training (DET) initiative that requires all schools to participate every 4 years. The outcome of the review is a series of findings and recommendations that result in a new Strategic Plan for the school. The report from the reviewer has been completed and is currently going through a process of endorsement by DET. When this is completed it will be able to be shared with the broader school community. The new Strategic Plan will provide the College with a roadmap for our actions and targets over the next four year period.

I would like to thank our School Council President, Paula Sharp, for her work with the Review Team through this process.

School Council News

I would also like to welcome our newest member to the School Council, Prathana Maharaj. Prathana joins the School Council as a student representative.  

Building Works

The new gym and upgrades to the performing arts changerooms have begun and it is very exciting to see the progress made so far. The builders and architects have been working closely with the facilities team to manage any potential disruptions to classes. So far I am pleased to report that these have been minimal.  

The exploration into improving student and family transport is ongoing with contact being made with the City of Casey and Public Transport Victoria. I would like to thank the school community for their patience with this investigation.

Attitudes to School Survey

The annual Student Attitudes to School Survey (AtoSS) is now underway with all students participating in the survey during our Life Skills Program at Years 7-10 with our senior students accessing the survey during the STEP program or VCAL Personal Development Skills. The data gathered from this survey is analysed alongside a variety of data measures and informs our Strategic Plan and how this is implemented annually. I have been working with the Year 7 and 8 classes through this process and it has been a pleasure visiting these classes. I would like to thank all students for their commitment shown to these so far. 

Thanks again for your support of the College.

David Caughey 

College Principal