from the Principal ....

A very warm welcome (especially to our new families and students) to the new academic year!

As a new member of the community, I’ve been most impressed with the warm welcome I received from staff, students and parents. I’m excited to be part of the community and I’m looking forward to working with the School Council, students, parents and the local community to ensure Cheltenham Secondary College continues to grow as an educational learning community.

As the Acting Principal, I want to acknowledge how very proud we are of the Class of 2017 who produced strong academic results in their VCE studies, with over 98% of students receiving offers to their preferred tertiary pathway.

I would also like to take the opportunity to introduce and congratulate our 2018 College Captains, Claire Stewart and John Kougioumtzis (pictured on my right) and College Vice Captains Lindsay French and Marwa Karimi (pictured on my left) who I had the pleasure of meeting with today. Students relish the opportunity to contribute to decision making of the school, they play an important role in continuing to building on what is already a strong college culture. I look forward to working alongside all the Student leaders and celebrating the positive impact they will have on the life and culture of schools.

As we begin the 2018 academic school year, we continue to place our focus on student learning, classroom practice and the skills required throughout our life, our teachers continuing to build strong learning environments within the classroom, a culture that encourages student voice, evident throughout our strong student leadership programs. Our staff are committed to developing their teacher capacity in the areas of differentiation and through the collaborative use of data to target their teaching, which is one of the most effective ways our school can improve academic outcomes for all students, regardless of their pathway.

We have a clear Strategic Plan for the next four years, our focus being the professional development of our teachers, particularly in curriculum development, personalising the learning and specialised programs to support student growth in literacy and numeracy. These core focuses are essential to the future success of the school and will continue to ensure the needs of individual student are being met. Our commitment is to the learning of all students, with the firm belief that every child can improve. We will continue to build our capacity and the structures required to support the outcomes of all students at Cheltenham Secondary College. The trust that our parents bestow on the school with the education of their children has grown in confidence over the past 12 months with an increase in student population across all year levels, particularly at year 7.

I encourage all families to be involved in the education of their child whilst at the college. Early in the school year I will be calling for nominations for parent and community representation on School Council. Additionally, we have a vibrant and active Parents’ Association group – so if you are considering further involvement, these are two groups which you could consider joining.

Our staff are here to support the educational experience of all of our students. Your child will be challenged in the classroom and we also encourage them to be involved and embrace all aspects of the school including our extensive Co-curricular program. We aim to provide a trusted space where students can be themselves, love learning and aspire to achieve their best in a world class learning environment with inspiring teachers. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me on 9555 5955.

Karl Russell

Acting Principal