From the Principal Class Team
As this is our first Alba for 2026, we would like to welcome everyone back.
This year we have a number of new staff who are settling well into our Community.
Our new Year 7 students have made an excellent transition into SASC. They report feeling happy and supported at the College. We welcome all of them and their families.
We would also like to welcome those students and families who have started at the College in other year levels. We hope you have a successful time here.
Lunar New Year
For those who celebrate it we would like to extend our warmest wishes to you and your families as you celebrate Tết Nguyên Đán (Lunar New Year).
Tết is a time of renewal, gratitude, and hope — a time to honour family, ancestors, and the values that guide us into the year ahead. We deeply value the rich cultural heritage of our Vietnamese families and the many ways it strengthens and enriches our school community.
As we welcome the new year, the Year of the Horse, we wish you and your loved one’s good health, happiness, prosperity, and success. May the year ahead bring peace, joy, and many opportunities for your children to continue learning, growing, and thriving.
Thank you for the strong partnership you share with our school. We look forward to continuing to work together in the coming year.
Chúc mừng năm mới!
Whole School Assembly
We held our first whole school assembly for 2026 on Monday 9 February, formally welcoming our Year 7 cohort into the St Albans School Community. The morning celebration took place in the covered outdoor learning space, with approximately 1,900 students and staff in attendance.
At this assembly, we not only welcomed our Year 7 students, but also all new staff and students, along with their families. Whole school assemblies are an important part of our calendar and long-standing traditions. They provide an opportunity for us to come together as one community, strengthening connections, particularly with our newest Year 7 students.
The assembly began with Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elder, Annette Schiberis, who delivered a Welcome to Country and shared insights into the rich history and culture of the traditional custodians of our land and surrounds.
Throughout the morning, we celebrated and acknowledged examples of student leadership and excellence across a range of areas. We were treated to student and staff musical performances and received an overview of our outstanding 2025 VCE and VCE VM achievements.
Our School Captains, Josephine Mai and Stephanie Truong, formally welcomed our newest students. Year 7 representatives, Nhat Anh Le and Ayden Tran, responded on behalf of the cohort. The 2026 Year 7 scholarship recipients were also introduced and presented with certificates by College Principal, Mr Craig Jennings, and School Council President, Dr Tracy Nero.
Students were reminded of the annual Student Recognition Prize, an iPad awarded to one student from each sub-school who exemplifies our school values of Respect, Integrity, Leadership and Excellence. Recipients must also maintain over 90% attendance and consistently demonstrate behaviour aligned with our expectations.
This was the first of our whole school events for 2026, and we look forward to the many opportunities ahead to gather as a community. These shared traditions strengthen our collective identity and reinforce our commitment to Connect, Protect and Respect (CPR).
Focus Days and Valentine’s Day
It has been a busy and exciting start to the year for the Senior Sub School, highlighted by the Year 12 Focus Days and our vibrant Valentine’s Day celebrations.
Year 12 students spent two productive days preparing for the year ahead at University College, a residential student campus of University of Melbourne. The program featured a study session presented by 2024 graduate Deniz Dayman, who is now studying engineering at University of Melbourne on a full scholarship. Deniz shared inspiring and practical advice, encouraging students to put themselves out there, ask questions, and make the most of every opportunity this year. He emphasised the importance of stepping outside your comfort zone, maintaining a positive mindset, breaking study into manageable chunks, and keeping a “mistake book” to learn from errors and avoid repeating them.
English and EAL students also participated in a specialised workshop led by teachers Louise Bryant and Jeanette Coloca, a VCAA assessor, gaining valuable insights into Section B Crafting Texts and strategies for success. Meanwhile, VCE VM students took part in a group challenge, and all students enjoyed team building games and activities at Princes Park.
On the second day, students toured either RMIT University or the University of Melbourne, gaining a glimpse into future study pathways. The program concluded with a screening of Anaconda at HOYTS, providing a fun and relaxed finish to two rewarding days. We were very proud of the way all students conducted themselves over the two days and look forward to seeing how they develop over their final year at school.
On Friday 13 February, the Year 12 VCE VM students organised a highly successful Valentine’s Day celebration. The event featured a range of fun activities, delicious food, and lively bands, creating a wonderful atmosphere across the school. It was fantastic to see so many students coming together to celebrate and enjoy the occasion. Congratulations to the VCE VM Year 12 class on their first successful event in 2026.
Thank you also to all members of the Senior Sub School for their outstanding coordination and support in delivering these two very successful events.
NAPLAN
The 2026 National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will be administered to students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 from Wednesday 11 March to Monday 23 March 2026.
The National Assessment Program (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. The tests assess the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards.
Students will be provided with clear strategies to help them approach and complete the test with confidence, and they will be supported throughout the entire process. Further information will be communicated via Compass closer to the date.
Attendance and Punctuality
We are very proud of our strong data in terms of student attendance and will continue to have this as a focus throughout the year. All members of the school community play a role in supporting students to be on time to school every day. Research shows that high attendance is one of the crucial factors ensuring student success. As well as attending school every day, it is critical we teach students to be on time to all their classes.
Being on time matters because:
- It ensures students are prepared for learning and sets them up for success.
- When students are late it disrupts their learning, the teacher’s teaching and the learning of others. Being on time shows students have respect for other people and that they care about other people’s time as much as their own
- It demonstrates that students are diligent and dependable and care about their learning
- It indicates that students honour their commitments and can be trusted
- It sets a good example to others
- It prepares students for success in the real world
Being late just 10 minutes a day adds up to over 17 days of learning across 13 years of school! Missing one day of school a week, which is equivalent to 80% attendances adds up to missing over 2.5 years of learning across a student’s schooling life. Even a 90% attendance (missing one day a fortnight) adds up to missing 1.5 years of learning across 13 years of school. That is a lot of missed learning.
Our attendance target is for every student to exceed 90% attendance. It is no coincidence that our most successful Year 12 VCE and VCE-VM students over the last 5 years have all had very high attendance rates. For students and families to find out attendance percentages, talk to your Coordinator or look at your Semester report. We will also be sending out a regular email each term to help you track your attendance and stay above 90%.
If families need support regarding attendance, please reach out to the relevant Coordinator for a meeting, so we can discuss the supports that can be put in place to strengthen attendance and punctuality.
Leah Stavrou
Daniel Micallef
