Dear Parents and Families

The shorter term than usual Term 2 has sped by quickly.  Whilst it has been challenging in many ways, it has also been really positive to see students settling into the routines and expectations of school.  We have had some lovely school events over the term, such as Education Week activities and last week’s Multicultural Day, where it has been delightful to see and feel that sense of us as a community once again.  It’s something to be very grateful for.

 

Welcome……

We are really pleased to welcome Zahid Hussein to our Facilities Team as a Groundsperson.  Zahid will continue the tradition of beautiful, well-kept gardens and grounds.  We wish him all the best for his time at St Albans Secondary College.

 

Congratulations……

On the arrival of the two newest members of our wider school community.  Salvina Farrugia and partner, Justin, celebrated the birth of their daughter, Amelie Rita, on 20 May.  And Kristy Le and partner, Sonny, welcomed Theodore on 31 May.

Both families are doing well and are totally besotted with their new babies.  We look forward to meeting Amelie and Theodore soon.

 

Farewells……

At the end of this term, we will say farewell to two members of our school community.  Brendan McFarland joined the staff here in 2010 as a graduate Physical Education & Humanities teacher.  Over the past 12 years, Brendan has developed his skills as a highly effective teacher and leader; and is respected for his contribution to the Health & PE faculty, as well as for his work with the Middle Sub School students, staff and families.

Through his commitment to ensuring an excellent curriculum program and positive, supportive learning environment, Brendan has had a significant impact on the educational and social experiences of so many young people.

He will certainly be missed here at St Albans Secondary College, and we wish him all the very best on his promotion to Head of Middle Years at Mordialloc College.

As Coordinator of the Keilor St Albans Student Support Services team, Marg Keatley has been instrumental in supporting the wellbeing of many of our students and their families, as well as our staff.  Marg has coordinated the provision of specialist services to schools across the Keilor St Albans network and has very often been the first port of call in situations where high level professional services were required for people in distress.

We have always been able to rely on Marg’s sensible, informed, and compassionate advice in the most challenging circumstances.  She has made a difference for us and for the students and families whom she has supported so generously.

We wish Marg well in her retirement and thank her on behalf of everyone at St Albans Secondary College.

Thank you to Elena Macintosh for returning from leave to teach English here for Semester 1.  We are grateful for her expertise and willingness to assist the school, and also wish her well for her travels overseas.

 

Services to Education

Each year in Education Week, we have a morning tea at which we recognise the years of service given by our teaching and education support staff to the Victorian government education system.

It is an impressive list, with over 530 combined years of service with the Department of Education; and more than 340 with St Albans Secondary College.

The impact that each of these staff has had on the lives of so many young people – on their achievements, aspirations and future pathways – is impossible to overstate.

Whilst the two years of lockdowns highlighted the centrality of schools to strong communities, this is something that each of these staff have always known and valued in the work each day.

On behalf of the School Council, staff and students, congratulations to the following staff on their service to government school education.

 

NAME	DET – Length of Service	SASC – Length of Service
10 YEARS OF SERVICE
VO, Steven	10 Years	10 Years
CASTORINA, Carmel	10 Years	10 Years
LEE, Amy	10 Years	10 Years
WILLIS, Rosalind	10 Years	10 Years
TAYLOR, Fiona	10 Years
REDDY STRINGER, Ben	10 Years
LE, Phuc (Kristy)	10 Years
PANNU, Kirandeep		10 Years
15 YEARS OF SERVICE
WILKE, Maree	15 Years	15 Years
BRYANT, Louise	15 Years	15 Years
TURNER, Louis	15 Years	15 Years
HONEYCOMBE, Lauren	15 Years	15 Years
CASSAR, Marlene	15 Years	15 Years
LAU, Yan	15 Years
D’ELTON, Tracey	15 Years
LAC, Pat	15 Years
20 YEARS OF SERVICE
ARMSTRONG, Catherine	20 Years	20 Years
McCALL, Adrian	20 Years
VLASONJIC, Gloria	20 Years
SALTON, Bronwyn	20 Years
NEWSOME, Derek		20 Years
25 YEARS OF SERVICE
BIONDI, Piera	25 Years
VIETH, Michelle	25 Years
JENNINGS, Craig		25 Years
30 YEARS OF SERVICE
COLERIDGE, Andrea	30 Years	30 Years
ECKEL, John	31 Years	16 Years
35 YEARS OF SERVICE
MICALLEF, Mark	35 Years	35 Years
GOUGH, Laura	35 Years
FRASER, Stewart		35 Years
40 YEARS OF SERVICE
CUNNINGHAM, Cinizia	40 Years	35 Years
45 YEARS OF SERVICE
DOWSLEY, Kerrie	45 Years

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Multicultural Day

Last week, the Year 12 VCAL class organised a multicultural day for the whole school.  Each small group of 4 students selected a nation, and sold food representing this culture.  There were also performances from different cultural groups, and other activities.  It was a great learning experience for the VCAL students, and a fun and engaging activity for the wider school community.

 

Reports

Year 7 to 11 Semester 1 reports are now available on Compass.  Please contact the relevant Year Level Coordinator if you have any questions.

Year 12 Unit 3 reports will be available in the second week of Term 3.

 

Year 12 Exams

Year 12 VCE students will sit practice exams during the first and second week of the holidays.  A timetable for these is available on Compass.  All students doing a scored VCE must attend, and those doing an unscored VCE must attend if they are told to by their teachers for authentication purposes.

 

Year 10 Proactive Programs

The week after their mid year exams finished, Year 10 students took part in three days of proactive programs including participating in exam feedback sessions for all of their subjects; presentations about personal protection and safety, including the dangers of alcohol consumption; mindfulness workshops; sports circuits, and African drumming.  Students also completed the Student Attitudes to School Survey during one of the sessions.  The feedback from students was positive and they participated with enthusiasm in the activities and presentations across the three days.  Thank you to the Wellbeing and Middle Sub School Teams for their work in organising and overseeing this program and to the staff who assisted to run the program with the students.

 

Work Experience

Year 10 undertook Work Experience from 9 – 17 June. Students secured employment in a wide range of businesses, some local and others in the CBD, with a few travelling quite a distance for their placement.  We know that this experience greatly assists students to develop essential skills linked to time management and independence.

This year we also ran a program at school for those unable to secure a work placement. This involved resume and cover letter writing, investigating a range of careers, Q and A sessions with alumni, and other activities related to work places and securing employment.  Congratulations to the Careers team for creation of the onsite program, and also for the wonderful job they did in supporting the students to find employment and complete their OHS tasks to enable them to participate in a work placement.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our employers for their support for our students; the students for their efforts to gain a work placement; and the staff for supporting the program and visiting students or running the work experience sessions at school.  Thanks, too, to Nicole Gurd for organising the alumni presentations, and the alumni who gave up their time to present to students, answer their questions and provide feedback on their resumes and cover letters.  It was a very worthwhile program for all of Year 10 who took part either in a placement at a workplace or onsite to complete the school based program.

 

And finally……

Thank you for your support this term – we appreciate it very much.  We hope you enjoy a break from the usual routine over the holidays.  Stay warm and well, and we will see students back at school on Monday 11 July at 8:45am