Dear Parents and Families

 

Welcome……….

We offer a warm welcome to Wendy Ly who joins us this term in the General Office team, and to Brissa Abad who joins the Individual Needs team to provide learning and administrative support.  We wish Wendy and Brissa an enjoyable time at St Albans.

Farewells

As this is my final Principal’s message to you, I would like to thank you for the honour and privilege of working at and leading our school. I have loved my time here, as a teacher and as a leader. It has been exciting, and so rewarding, to see St Albans Secondary College develop into the respected school it is today. It is held in high regard by its community, and by the education community across the state. This is due to the commitment, expertise and hard work of its teaching and education support staff; to the wonderful students with whom we work each day; and to the support we receive from parents, families and our partner organisations. It is impossible to thank everyone adequately for their part in what we have created together. But, for this, and for what you have given me, thank you.

The school have just developed its next 4 year Strategic Plan, and I am confident that it will continue to grow and strengthen, and to add value to the St Albans community.

I wish Craig Jennings well in his role as Acting Principal for the remainder of 2023. His dedication to the school and experience as a leader stand it in very good stead.

Very best wishes to you.

NAIDOC Week

During June, Australia celebrated NAIDOC week. As it was during school holidays we held our celebrations during Week 1 of this term. NAIDOC week is a time to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. It is an important time in our College calendar. The theme of this year’s NAIDOC Week was: For Our Elders

 

This year, our NAIDOC activities included: Presentations in assemblies, A Yidaki performance, basket weaving classes and a colouring in competition. In Humanities classes, students learnt about the significance of and meaning behind smoking ceremonies to Aboriginal Peoples.  The bell music was also change for the week to celebrate the work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. 

Course Counselling and subject selection

We recently ran the course selection days for Year 11 moving into Year 12, and Year 10 moving into Year 11 for 2024. These are an important part of our calendar of events as they allow every student to receive individual attention regarding their pathway options and assist them in finalising decisions. The Year 10 pre course selection information sessions ran during week two this term and these were run by the Careers/Pathways Team with the support of the Year 10 teaching staff. During the information sessions and interviews, students received information to assist them make informed decisions about subjects they should study aligned with their interests, course and career aspirations. 

Year 10 Parent Information session

The Year 10 Parent Information session for Year 11 2023 ran on Tuesday 18 July at the school in the Gymnasium.  This was a combined session to cover both the VCE and VCE Vocational Major pathways. The session provided an overview of the subject selection process and requirements for each of these pathways.  There was opportunity for parents and students to ask questions on the night.  We were pleased to have such a large turnout for this event with the majority of students and parents in attendance. The information from this session, including the PowerPoint presentation are available on Compass to all Year 10 students and parents.  Year level  course handbooks were also sent out and are available on the school website.

At this stage we have successfully completed the Year 10 and 11 interviews with individual students.  Any student who was unable to attend their interview can reschedule by contacting the Careers Office or speaking with their Year Level Coordinator.

Year 9 Course Counselling

The Course Counselling interview sessions for Year 9 moving into Year 10 are to be held on Tuesday 1 August.  Year 9 students are required to attend on this day only for their interview time.  There are no scheduled Year 9 classes on this day.  Students will be provided with the time for their interviews and parents are welcome to attend the interview with their child.  Please contact your child’s Year Level Coordinator should you require further details

The care and thorough approach given to this process is a credit to the Careers/Pathways and Sub School Teams.  The intensive work this involves is done with passion and integrity by all staff who support and assist students to make these decisions, in the knowledge they will have the support of all those at the school to achieve success.

We wish all our students well with course selection, and thank all the staff and parents involved for their support in this process.

Year 8 Parent Information Session

There will be an online session for students in Year 8 and their parents to work through the process of selecting electives as students progress into Year 9.  The session will run on Wednesday 2 August from 6.00pm, via WebEx. It will finish at approximately 6.30pm. If you would like further information please contact your child’s Year Level Coordinator. The details for the WebEx meeting will be sent to all families via Compass and a letter for parents will be sent home with the Year 8 students this week.