From the Principal

Principal's Report

The last couple of weeks have seen a change in the weather and with it, finally some much needed rain. We have taken advantage of this break in the weather and resewn some new grasses to our grounds which will hopefully shoot soon. There have been a range of events that have been very successful and we thank students, families and staff for their support.

Parent Teacher Interviews

The interviews were well received by parents and carers who attended and the staff were very pleased to meet parents and begin to put a face to the name of the students in their classes. Thank you to all for your attendance on the night. We are reviewing this event for next year and hoping to run 7-12 on the same night perhaps earlier in terms 1 and 3 for next year but we will publish more details once we have gathered more feedback. Please let the front office know via phone or your teachers via email if you have some ideas that you believe would improve this event.

Camps

The Bogong Camp for year 8 was again an incredible success and one we are very lucky to be able to offer for so many of our students at such a reasonable cost. I hope you have heard great things from the students as this is known around the state as one of the best camps students can attend. The year 11 trip is on currently and we know the students have been eagerly looking forward to the trip to scout out what the future may have in store for them should they move to Melbourne to further their education or for future employment.

Broadening Subject Offerings

In keeping with wanting to inform you of the many changes we are making to Baimbridge College, we have recently convened our Curriculum Committee with staff and student membership to look at ways to develop greater subject offerings. The discussion currently is around students in years 9 and 10 having greater access to subjects such as introduction to Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, Economics, Business Studies, Ag Science, History, Geography, Politics, and Sociology. Students who have a vocational interest would also be catered for with specific subjects around practical inquiry based options being made available. The idea would be that students could have more choice in the pathway they have interest early and be with like-minded peers. We also expect students to choose both VCE path subjects and Vocational subjects at the same time. This planning is still in its infancy but so far the students and staff are very positive with the direction. If you would like to get involved in any way, please let me know.

Senior Boys Football

The boys were absolutely outstanding in their endeavour and teamwork and almost brought home the trophy this week against their more fancied rivals. Well done to all of the boys involved and those who were injured but still helped out on the day. Thanks also to coaches.

China Trip

Next week our Chinese Teacher Mr. Tan and I will be traveling to China to begin the establishment of a Sister School partnership that we envisage will have outstanding outcomes for students and families of both schools. Mr. Tan and his wife Gabby have put in a great amount of planning to ensure the trip is a positive one and we will begin by meeting the Principal, Staff and Students of Xiaoshan District Xianghu Junior High School which is located in Hangzhou, south of Shanghai. The school has both academic and trade based subjects which aligns with the curriculum of Baimbridge College. It is very exciting and I hope to be able to share more with you on my return.

Naplan

Students from year 7 and 9 completed Naplan testing this week and were exceptional in their application. Whilst it is only one test on one day, it does give the school an understanding on how we are going with our teaching and cross checks the academic levels of students with the information we already know.

Warwick Price

Principal