Principal Introduction

Dear EMC Community,

I wanted to thank you for your support, encouragement and gratitude over the past 2 years. It has certainly be a long journey. Our community during this time has consistently taken the required action to maintain our safety and ensure that school remained open. I thank you for taking our safety seriously and supporting the COVID safe plan that has been implemented. 

As we enter the Christmas festive period, I hope that we can all take time to reflect on the challenges and learning over the past 2 years and use this as an opportunity to reset ourselves for a wonderful and uninterrupted 2022. 

This year the College says farewell to an amazing group of Year 12 students. The Valedictory was a wonderful celebration of the journey that this group has undertaken, and a great reflection on the strengths and relationships of this group. Each year students and teachers are able to reflect on all the amazing experience that the College provides our students, and we got to hear many stories about camps, excursions, and special guest speakers and of course the times that things didn't quite go right. To our parents, our success as a College is proportionate with the strength of our relationships with you. It is these relationships that help build our culture of success and the high expectations and aspirations for student learning, behaviour and engagement in our community. I know that many parents have enjoyed the opportunity to connect with the teachers and staff that have played a pivotal role in the success of each student.

Last week we took time out to recognise the success of our Year 12 students and celebrate their learning during the Year 12 Valedictory, the following students are to be commended on their commitment to learning, supporting their peers and being outstanding role models for our community. 

This year we celebrate the retirement of a number of long standing Elisabeth Murdoch College staff. David Manks (35 years), Libby Le Rossignol (35 years), Aphrodite Athanasi (20 years) and Judy Curson (46 years in education/15 years at EMC) are retiring this year. Combined these staff have over 130 years of educational leadership and teaching experience, we are sorry to see them leave but also recognise that their journey beyond the College will be exciting and rewarding. Please join me in recognizing the contribution that David, Libby, Aphrodite and Judy have made to the success of our College and the lives of so many students, parents and carers. 

The College has recently be provided funding to create a TIER 2 Inclusion strategy. this strategy is focused on the provision of interventions for students with learning difficulties that sit outside of the Program for Students with Disability (PSD). The College has chosen to appoint a team of allied health staff to work across the network of Langwarrin schools. This team consists of a Social Worker, Speech Pathologist, Occupational Therapist and Developmental Psychologists. This team will work with existing staff in schools to ensure the early identification and intervention of students who present with a learning difficulty. Early in 2022 we will develop a set of processes for referral and access to this key resource within the College. This team will compliment the strong wellbeing interventions at the College, and together transform the way we support our vulnerable and at risk students. 

I would like to wish everyone a very safe Christmas and New Year, and look forward to an exciting and consistent return in 2022. 

Take care and best wishes

Dean King

Principal