Principal's Report
Exciting Times
What an exciting term we have been having. It is great to start a year with many uninterrupted activities and events including excursions, Year 7 Orientation Camp, interschool sport, lunchtime activities, guest speakers, school tours and more.
I would like to acknowledge the support of our community during the periods where we are replacing staff through illness, retirement and resignations. The state-wide staff shortages are impacting on all schools and we are fortunate to have such committed working teachers and exceptional casual relief teachers who have provide uninterrupted teaching and learning and extra-curricular programs. I am pleased to introduce the following staff who have been appointed since the last newsletter:
Ms Shianne Marsal -Health and Physical Education
Ms Caroline Huyn - English and Humanities
Ms Betty Lian - Chinese and English
We also welcome back Ms Maria Theodorakis who has returned following her surgery at the start of the year.
Open Day and Night
Our Open Day and Night is on Tuesday April 4. Normal classes operate in the morning with tours for prospective students, parents/carers commencing at 9:00 am and 11:30 am. Students will be dismissed at 1.00pm to prepare for the evening program. . The evening program commences at 5.30pm and concludes at 8.30pm with the principal’s address taking place at 6.30pm. The evening session is an opportunity for parents/ carers who were not able to participate in tours during lockdown to visit classrooms.
Family Engagement
Thank you to families who participated in the recent information evenings. Whilst the numbers of participants was not as high as we would have expected, those who did attend gained valuable insights into the upcoming school year.
Each year starts a new journey for students and family attendance at information nights signals to students that they are valued and important because their parents are taking an interest in their education and their future. Many students whose parents are involved in school, perform better at school, have greater trust in the school, settle better into school programs and develop positive social skills by watching parents and school staff interact respectfully.
Each information evening was specific to each year level with the Year 8, 9, and 10 evening focussed on a presentation on building resilience from social worker, lecturer and positive psychology expert Chris Daicos.
“Positive psychology is not about putting on a happy face all the time. Disappointments and challenges are inevitable and at times life can be hard. However, scientific research has shown that there are some strategies and skills that allow adults and young people to navigate the challenges of life more effectively and enjoy life despite the upsets along the way.”
“Young people grow to be resilient when there’s at least one adult (more is better!) loving them unconditionally and supporting them to be their best selves by holding them to high expectations”
Chris Daicos
Chris is a highly experienced and sought after presenter who engaged parents with her excellent tips for supporting adolescence which is evidenced in some of the feedback from parents/carers below. A copy of each information night presentation has been uploaded to Compass.
“Thank you Chris for a very informative, uplifting, engaging, warm and true to life presentation tonight at Scoresby Secondary. I came away feeling very positive and learnt some new skills about how to help my child become more independent, to in turn build his confidence, self esteem to help him become more resilient”
Melissa
“I am sure I will utilise some of Chris's insightfulness on how to support children to navigate the transition from child to adult.”
Eileen
"Chris was such an inspiring speaker – I will value her suggestions which have given me a deeper understanding of why adolescents behave the way they do. I enjoyed her positive message, humour and practical tips. Learning how to be less responsive and how to keep long term goals in mind will benefit all members of the family"
Sarah
Building student aspirations through student voice
Student voice acknowledges that students have unique perspectives on learning, teaching, and schooling, and should have the opportunity to actively shape their own education. To engage students in our 2023 focus on building student aspirations, a series of student focus groups is being planned for next term. The focus groups will inspire students across all year levels to collectively put their views forward on how we can build their aspirations earlier in their secondary education. Research shows that students with higher aspirations are more motivated and access more opportunities to achieve successful outcomes.
The feedback from the focus groups will feed directly into a new “Aspire Program”, a new initiative to better prepare our students for tomorrows world. By empowering our students within the focus groups, they will influence the decision making in the development of the program which will have the core purpose of building high aspirations and extend our students individual learning plans so they actively set and strive to meet challenging learning goals.
Children’s University Program
Scoresby Secondary College is leading Swinburne Children’s University Program for secondary students in partnership with four local primary schools. The program which has been trialled at primary level is not extending into secondary school and is aimed at encouraging student-led learning beyond the classroom. By partnering with Swinburne University, we are able to offer a diverse range of high-quality educational experiences to our students. The program is being introduced for students in Years 7-9 and will extend into Senior School from 2024.
Student participation is voluntary. Students who choose to enrol will be invited to participate in a number of exciting programs that have been developed in partnership with Swinburne and business and industry partners. Our students will develop their leadership and interpersonal skills by volunteering to be mentors in our partner primary school activities.
All Children’s University Swinburne members are issued a Passport to Learning. In their passports, students collect stamps from different Learning Destinations they have visited and record their learning activities. Once members have accumulated a minimum of 30 hours of learning they will graduate. Many other milestones and achievements enable students to reach different levels of achievement.
Children’s university has been operating in other states and overseas where evidence has shown that the portfolios are:
- enhancing student aspirations
- inspiring a passion for lifelong learning from a young age
- strengthening educational engagement
- increasing access to higher education.
Mrs Gail Major
Principal