Principal's Report

Year 12 Valedictory

Our recently celebrated Year 12 Valedictory was an ideal opportunity to congratulate our Year 12 students for their formal completion of 13 years of schooling.  The night was simply amazing, and we should all be proud of our achievements of this cohort of young adults who now leave our College as community learners and leaders of the future.

In addition to the general celebrations, the evening provided us with an opportunity to recognise students as recipients of Subject Excellence Awards. These students received the top school assessed marks in their respective subject areas and should be proud of the commitment they have shown whilst ‘Striving for Excellence’ throughout their Year 12 studies.   Our 2022 Subject Excellence Award recipients are:

• Ala Almoosawi for subject excellence in VCE Sociology
• Cameron Beyer for subject excellence in VCAL Work Related Skills and Community Elective
• Sahara-Rose Clogstoun for subject excellence in VCE Literature
• Kimberley Condon for subject excellence in VCE Studio Arts
• Amy Hooper for subject excellence in VCAL Numeracy
• Belinda Martin for subject excellence in VCE Further Mathematics, Physical Education and Health & Human Development
• Jana Miloseski for subject excellence in VCE English
• Miggy Montalvo for subject excellence in VCE Data Analytics
• Raneen Moustapha for subject excellence in VCE Food Studies
• Collins Mukosera for subject excellence in VCAL Literacy
• Dylan Norris for subject excellence in VCE Media
• Kimberly Ploughman for subject excellence in VCE Business Management and Visual Communication & Design
• Maximilian Rossi for subject excellence in VCAL Numeracy
• Ivan Alexei Samson for subject excellence in VCAL Literacy
• Levin Sebin for subject excellence in VCE Chemistry and Mathematical Methods
• Emilie Sinclair for subject excellence in VCAL Personal Development
• Emerald Smith for subject excellence in VCE History Revolutions and Media
• Kaitlyn Stavrevski for subject excellence in VCAL Numeracy and VET Community Services
• Angelina Tran for subject excellence in VCE Biology
• Anh Tran for subject excellence in VCE EAL
• Lavinia Van Heer for subject excellence in VCE Psychology
• Kaynat for subject excellence in VCE Legal Studies

Other students were recognised as the recipients of College Contribution Awards. These 3 recipients have been identified as the students in the graduating cohort who have contributed significantly to their respective extra-curricular areas of the College and should be congratulated on the impact they have made on our broader community.  Our 2022 College Contribution Award recipients are:

• Abeer Kamal for Student Voice and Leadership
• Ashtyn Lih for Interschool Sport
• Kimberly Condon for Visual Arts & Technology

The evening was also an opportunity for us to present and recognise our 2022 Valedictorians.  The Valedictorian award is presented to the student with the highest academic outcomes throughout the 2022 school year in each of our Year 12 certificates, VCAL and VCE.  These students should be congratulated for the outstanding commitment they have shown towards their studies. They have consistently strived for excellence and this is evident through their academic achievements.

Congratulations to the 2022 VCAL Valedictorian, Blake Henham and our VCE Valedictorian, Belinda Martin.

Supporting students and staff to be their best in 2023

At Epping Secondary College, we place our students at the centre of our decision making in order to bring our College Vision to life…to enable and equip all young people to reach their full potential – of being curious and acquiring new knowledge and skills; of forming strong, valuable, healthy relationships; of participating in creative expression; and of building strong mental and physical wellbeing.

To achieve this end, we wrap a team of dedicated and committed teachers and support staff around our learners.

Our teachers and support staff provide direct support, guidance, teaching and learning to support our students, their growth, achievement and wellbeing.  This is represented in our graphic below:

Our teachers and support staff are then in turn supported by our Learning Area Leaders and Year Level Coordinators:

Teachers, Learning Area Leaders and Year Level Coordinators are supported by our Senior Leaders and Specialists, that includes:

All students and staff are supported and provided with strategic direction by the Executive Team of:

Supporting students to achieve and grow in 2023

I am pleased to announce that two of our key support programs, MYLNS and the Tutor Learning Initiative, will continue in 2023.  Both of these programs are designed as part of our suite of supports at Epping Secondary College to support those students who need scaffolding in order to extend their learning and engagement, particularly in the areas of literacy and numeracy.

Our MYLNS Team will support a small proportion of students in Years 7-10, identified through student learning data.  These students will benefit from additional support to improve their overall English and Maths skills in 2023. Qualified teachers in each of these Learning Areas will work with small groups of students to improve their knowledge, understanding, and skills in English and in Maths. It is anticipated that this support will provide them a better overall foundation that will assist them to make improvements in their other areas of study.

The Tutor program has been provided by the DET to support students whose learning may have been disrupted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic throughout 2020, 2021 and to a lesser extent 2022. We have a number of students who have been identified through student engagement and learning data that have not made the same progress in their education as we would anticipate in normal circumstances. These students come from a wide range of backgrounds, year levels and ability levels. It is important to acknowledge that despite the global pandemic, many students have made extraordinary gains in their learning. For other students the period of the pandemic has been an additional challenge. It is for these students that the school will again provide Tutor support in a targeted area of Literacy, Numeracy or Wellbeing/Engagement.

Parents of students selected for both programs will be notified in the first weeks of the 2023 school year.

Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership - Teaching Excellence Program

The Teaching Excellence Program is the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership's flagship program for highly skilled teachers from Catholic, Government and Independent Schools.  Developed in collaboration with each sector, the program is a unique opportunity to strengthen and extend teachers evidence-based teacher practice. Educators will have the opportunity to deepen teaching excellence and advance their professional practice through disciplinary knowledge, the science of learning and contemporary pedagogies. During the program teachers:

• build expertise with other curious teachers to sharpen your knowledge, skills and dispositions; 
• share knowledge and make connections as part of expert cross-sector networks;
• contribute to our professional knowledge as a leading educational system;
• enhance and demonstrate dispositions that support your ongoing professional development and growth.

Congratulations to Cara Gallina, our Arts Learning Area Leader, who has been accepted into this program for 2023.

Bell times

A reminder to all of our families that we are moving to a new structure to our school day in 2023, shifting from 4 sessions of learning each day to 5, 60 minute sessions each day.  We encourage you to become familiar with our new bell times and the expectation that students are at school and ready to learn by 8:45am each morning at the latest.

Brad Moyle

College Principal