Principal Report

Dear Parents, Students and Families,

I would like to extend a warm “hello” to the school community from the Assistant Principal’s chair. This week Dave has bestowed on me the privilege of writing the Principal’s report, to acknowledge all that’s happening in Teaching and Learning at the school, and it gives me great pleasure to share with you some of the exceptional things currently taking place at Wangaratta High School.

Before I do this however, I’d like to share something I recently read, that especially resonated with me, and I feel sums up the work we do as educators…

Great teaching is an art. In other arts (painting, sculpture, etc..), great masters leverage a proficiency with a tool such as a brush, or chisel to transform raw material into a valued and appreciated asset. 

The “tools” we use at WHS include, setting high expectations for students and creating a challenging, inclusive, safe and supportive learning environment where student voice is fostered and thinking skills are developed. 

In addition to this, classroom support continues to be offered such as; the TLI program (tutors in classrooms assisting student learning), and the Middle Years Literacy & Numeracy Support program (MYLNS), which provides intensive teacher and student support within the classroom.

If you have further questions or queries around the Teaching and Learning at WHS, please don’t hesitate to contact me at any stage.

Other things of note this week…

Sandy Newman celebrates 35 years teaching at Wangaratta High School! Sandy is a long standing and valued member of the school’s Health and PE team, who began her journey with us back in 1986. Over the years Sandy has been involved in all facets of WHS life and continues to drive opportunities for our students as the WHS Sport Coordinator for an unprecedented 24th year. We congratulate Sandy on her service to our school and community.

Next week another long standing figure at WHS will be departing, with the retirement of Barb Patterson. Barb has been the finance officer at the school for a number of years and is leaving us to travel and spend time with family and friends. We wish Barb all the best in her future pursuits.

With Barb’s departure we also welcome a number of new employees with Renee Murtagh (Mental Health Practitioner), Emma Gamble (Science Teacher), and Laura De Lacy (Finance Officer), joining us for the remainder of the school year. We wish these staff members a smooth and enjoyable beginning to their time at Wangaratta High School.

Dave will be away this coming Monday and Tuesday to attend the Victorian Secondary School Principals Conference. The “VASSP” conference is held every year to deepen leaders understanding about the work of leading culture and coherence.

Finally, you may have noticed our website is currently being updated, especially some of the formatting and images, and we would like to thank the talented Kev McGennan for his assistance with this. 

Have a great weekend and I hope to see you all during our upcoming Parent, Student, Teacher conferences.

Jay Weston

Assistant Principal of Teaching & Learning