Principals Report

As this is the final newsletter for the year I would like to share with you all the reflections I shared at the College Presentation Night earlier this week.  This event was an opportunity to not only celebrate high achievement of students throughout the year, but also to celebrate and recognise those students whose efforts and results have significantly improved over the course of the year.  We will shortly add the full awards list to our website.  It was also wonderful to have our School Council President, Nick Hughes, present the revitalised School Council Awards - four single awards centred around our school values.

Here are my reflections on some of my highlights for the year, through the lens of our school values. This list is of course, not exhaustive, but distilled down to my most memorable moments.

Respect: We respect ourselves, our school and each other and understand that our attitudes and behaviours have an impact on the people around us. 

• Our school captains making the journey to the Mt Macedon Cross at the crack of dawn for the ANZAC Dawn Service, and the silence and respect from our students during the ANZAC day assembly.
• The thoughtful and passionate way that our SRC and Project Ready students met with our local member or Parliament, Mary-Anne Thomas to advocate for their community and those around them.
• The return after many years of a whole school Year 12 assembly – the pride on the faces of our Year 12 students and their parents as they entered the gym in their graduation gowns and caps (including the one VERY proud family member with a foghorn!), but also the absolute respect and admiration of our younger students as they watched, no doubt thinking about the day it will be their turn.
• The last thing I wanted talk about in relation to respect, is the respect that is built and worked on daily between teachers and students. These relationships don’t always come easily, and I’ve been extremely impressed with the commitment of both students and teachers to actively work through a restorative process, in order to address concerns on both sides. 

Achievement: We strive for achievement excellence, which means having high expectations of ourselves and others, and showing determination and persistence

• The absolutely spectacular performing arts showcase delivered in the midst of a performing arts COVID outbreak!
• Some amazing achievements by our students outside of school – in the arts, both visual and performing and sport
• Once again, we have achieved sensational Year 12 results – including a 98% pass rate for VCE, and 88% for VCAL – noting that the majority of our VCAL students who exited early have gone into a range of trades such as carpentry, plumbing etc.
• A large number of our Year 7 and 8 students were identified as being eligible for the Victorian High Abilities program. Through this program they have taken up opportunities for academic enrichment, as well as a range of enriching and engaging excursions, such as DNA testing and modelling, and the building of a robotic hand.
• We had many successes as we embraced the return to interschool sport including the senior girls cross country team winning the state championship. 

Innovation: We are creative and innovative, always looking for new ideas and approaches

• Our VCAL students have worked as part of their learning program on school improvement and beautification – from wall art, to new garden beds, to the design and building of gabion baskets. This work has honestly had, and will continue to have a significant impact on how the school community uses and enjoys the spaces around the school.
• Many of our students have successfully combined work and study this year, through the headstart program and school based apprenticeships where students have worked to get a headstart on their vocational pathways.
• The scientific discovery of Platypus DNA in Jacksons Creek by one of our Environmental Studies class was an amazing contribution to this citizen science project of mapping the movements of platypus around the country.
• Our pilot numeracy program at year 9 which engaged and motivated a renewed love of problem solving in our students, to be expanded 
• The annual Xmas door competition where our teachers and support staff have gone to great lengths to create innovative, interactive, and delightful xmas doors for the enjoyment of staff and students.

Diversity: We value honesty, integrity and individual differences; we affirm the right of every child to achieve full potential through the development of self-confidence, self-esteem and a sense of pride and direction.

• As part of our recognition of NAIDOC week, we were so privileged to have an aboriginal elder come out to the school and conduct a Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country for a group of our school community. I have also been so proud to see our students leading the way when doing Acknowledgements of Country at school events.
• Our Pride crew is an active, engaged, and supportive group of students who work to build the profile of our LGTBITQ+ community, and have supported each other through the highs and the lows of the year, including a fantastic celebration of wear it purple day.
• We have continued to develop our whole school approach to inclusion, to ensure that all students have support and access to a range of teaching and learning programs designed to meet their needs.
• I’m truly proud of the commitment our school makes to place equal value on the needs, wants and aspirations of all students. We as a local school must ensure our programs and offerings reflect the needs of the local community.  I’m so delighted to be able to provide the diverse range of subject choices and experiences – from Dance and Drama, to Robotics and Engineering, Japanese and Indonesian, to Chemistry and Environmental Science, to Sociology and Legal Studies.  And not to forget our additional programs such as RAID, School camps, lunchtime and after school clubs.

I wish you all a merry Christmas, a joyous new year and wonderful summer break. We are so excited to see you all in February and can’t wait to see what we can do together in 2023. 

Sarah Rose, Principal