ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS’ REPORT

Mrs Julie Andrews, Mr Paul Dawson &

Mr Bradley Headlam

Assistant Principals

Uniform

Please note that with the move into Autumn and therefore some cooler weather, there are no provisions for ‘extras’ to the stated uniform. In particular, if your child wears a short sleeve shirt, a long sleeve top is not permitted to be worn if at any stage in the day it is visible. Students should have the correct school jumper and either the blazer or the soft shell PE jacket for an extra layer. The classrooms are well heated and students need to be able to take off layers if they are too warm, knowing they are not to have visible non-school tops. Bellarine Uniforms offer the option to have the jumper sleeves lined for students who have a reaction to the wool in the jumpers.

School shoes - please ensure that your child has correct school shoes. At NGSC, correct school shoes do not include Doc Martens, ballet flats, sneakers, skate shoes or black runners. A school shoe must have a small heel that makes it clearly different from a sport shoe/runner/sneaker.

Year Level Coordinators have access to a poster that shows the correct and incorrect types of school shoes at NGSC.

Facial Piercing - the “clear, covered or gone” rule at NGSC is easy to follow so that any facial piercings are not to be seen at school, from the time the student arrives at school to the time they leave. It is expected that families provide appropriate tape to cover piercings. It is interesting that some senior students have removed their piercings completely when they were not allowed to have them at work and at school they find it too much of a hassle. 

Progress Reports

The Progress Reports for Week 8 will be available next Monday, 25 March. If you have concerns about the information in the report please contact the Year Level Coordinator.

Performance Averages below 2.5 place the student in a position of not learning at their potential. This will require a conversation about a change to learning behaviour or the implementation of specific strategies to assist in learning in order to affect improvement. For some students the conversation will happen at Student Support Group (SSG) meetings initiated by the Year Level Coordinator. 

Parent Teacher Conferences – Wednesday, 3 April, 2019

Please use the opportunity to meet your child’s teachers at the first round of conferences for this year. The online booking through Compass will be made available from early next week. The information in the Progress Reports will help you to decide the conferences you should book. 

Please note that for some families, a paper booking form will be provided to assist in making appointment times for interpreters to also attend. Please contact Vera Dudas if you need the help of interpreters. 

Communities of Practice - Student Engagement

In late February North Geelong Secondary College formed a partnership with Principals from neighbouring schools and is referred to across the state as a Community of Practice. This partnership has centred on Student Voice and Agency. Principals in this team will identify current and successful programs around the state, nationally and globally to recognise best practice and consider pathways for our region and our schools. This partnership began with a presentation in our rejuvenated B wing. We (Allister Hill and I) shared our (Simon Scoullar, Steve Quinn and other Leadership team members) journey in developing strategies to identify engagement strategies with individuals in classrooms.

Engagement survey journey thus far...

At the start of the year we surveyed about 86% of all students on what engages them best in their own learning. We then collated and presented the data to staff as they began to identify student capacities, interests and how to connect them best with an activity to maximise their development. Staff then observed the survey data as well as other performance data and set some goals for targeted students to ensure they achieve a year’s growth.

Below is a snapshot of what the engagement data looks like for individuals in a particular class. The class in this case is a Year 9 woodwork class. It is interesting to note the differences between responses.

The following graphs are examples of what class-based data is available to the teachers. Please note that this is also Year 9 woodwork class and in the second graph you will note that about ¼ of the woodwork class are keen on a community services type pathway.

Parents can look at the information their children have entered via Compass Insights module. If they have not yet done it then perhaps do this together. Towards the end of the year we anticipate that we will see staff and students involved in conversations that really engage the student in their own learning to meet their perceived capacity and attain great outcomes.