Principal's Message
Welcome to the first edition of the 2022 Melton Mail!
A warm welcome to all of our students and families and especially our Year 7s and those of you who are new to the College.
Firstly, thank you to you our parents/carers/guardians for the tremendous effort and support you’ve made to make sure students are ready to return to school. Our community has demonstrated incredible unity and resilience over the past two years. Being back in our classrooms after the ups and downs of last year is another big transition for us all, but it’s been undoubtedly the best one for our students’ education and it has gone extremely well.
Onsite schooling continues to involve masks wearing and other important health and hygiene measures and these will probably be with us for some time. The regular testing and quarantine requirements are there to avoid the serious disruptions which are caused by closing school. So, a huge thank you to parents who have been collecting Rapid Antigen Tests and following the procedures for positive cases .
Over the past two weeks our staff have been working hard to prepare for the start of the school year, planning curriculum and programs to engage students and support their learning. We’ve kept a strong focus on wellbeing as well as making sure we are building students’ skills so they can make strong progress in their learning. In this edition, you will see reports from January holiday programs and the start of the school year. Keep reading the Melton Mail for regular insights into student learning over the course of the year.
Respectful Behaviours within the School Community
With all of the changes to routines and continuing health and safety measures, it is more important than ever for students and adults in our school community to treat each other with respect and kindness.
The College Statement of Values outlines positive behaviours and expectations we all share as part of the school community and can be found here. The Department of Education and Training (DET) recently released a new policy that describes the positive behaviour expected from parents, carers, and other adults in all Victorian school communities. The policy sets clear standards of behaviour to create a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environment for students, staff and adults.
There are also other resources to support safe and respectful relationships in our school community, including information about getting involved in the school, advice on how to raise a concern or complaint, and parenting support resources. You can find the new policy and these resources here. You may also see a new poster up around our school, promoting positive behaviour. Local information is always available in the General Information section of the newsletter.
Oval Upgrade Commences!
It is pretty hard to miss the piles of earth and items of heavy machinery at work at the front of the College and if you haven’t heard why, it’s because building has commenced to construct a new College oval. We are looking forward to seeing the project completed (hopefully by July this year) and both the College and local community having access to an AFL quality synthetic turf playing field.
New College Leaders
I am delighted to welcome two new members of the Executive Leadership Team. Naomi Hill is our new Business Manager. Naomi has experience working in governments schools and is looking forward to working with the College community to make sure our financial and physical resources support student learning as effectively as possible. Dannielle Gibson is our new Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Assessment.
Like me, I’m sure that you are looking forward to a year where our students make strong progress in their learning and are feeling safe and confident in their wellbeing.
If you’d like more information about any of the above matters, please contact myself via email at david.reynolds@education.vic.gov.au, or a member of the Principal team by calling 9743 3322.
David Reynolds
College Principal
From our Assistant Principal, Dannielle Gibson
Welcome to families and students returning for a fantastic year of learning, engagement and community at Melton Secondary College. I would like to extend a particularly warm welcome to our new year 7 students and families and students joining us at the College in 2022.
I am pleased to be leading the portfolio of Curriculum and Assessment this year. I began my teacher career in the inner-east and I am thrilled to be working alongside and serving this wonderful community. I have most recently worked in a range of roles at Auburn High School in Teacher Professional Learning, Sub School Leadership, Instructional Practice and Student Agency. I have taught Psychology, Legal Studies, Business Management and Humanities with a focus on building authentic understanding of self and the social environments that we live in. I am passionate about continuing the fantastic work happening at Melton Secondary College, ensuring excellent teaching and learning in every classroom for every student.
Within this Newsletter and on Compass you will see information about Curriculum, Assessment and your child’s academic progress. I warmly invite any parents/guardians/carers to contact me with any questions regarding this by emailing me at dannielle.gibson@education.vic.gov.au .
Dannielle Gibson
Assistant Principal: Curriculum & Assessment
College Executive Leadership Team
