From the Principal Class Team
Student Leadership Conference
We recently held our first annual Student Leadership Conference. We hosted the leaders from Copperfield College, as well as our student leaders. The day was facilitated by our school captains, and we were privileged to hear from Georgia Cutajar, Executive Officer of Victorian Student Representative Council (VicSRC) and ex-student Eangano Singehebhuye.
Feedback from the day was very positive. Thank you to Ms Avril Good and Ms Amy Lee for their organisation of the event.
Grade 6 Information Evening
On Tuesday 18 March we hosted our annual information evening for prospective Year 2026 students and their families. Over 200 people attended. Our student leaders welcomed them, and they completed a tour of the school together with presentations from the Learning Area Leaders.
Thanks to all the staff who supported this event, and special thanks to Ms Lauren Honeycombe and Mr Ron Brown for their organisation of the evening.
Mahurangi Visit
Last week, a group of teachers from Mahurangi College in New Zealand visited our school to learn more about the strategies we’ve implemented to achieve excellent results in Numeracy and Mathematics. During their visit, they had insightful discussions with Joe Vincent, our Numeracy Learning Specialist, and Kathleen Main, our Teaching and Learning Leader. They also had the opportunity to observe several classes in action.
The teachers were particularly impressed with the outstanding behaviour of our students and the impressive facilities and grounds. Overall, they expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to visit and left with a wealth of ideas and inspiration to take back to New Zealand.
Funfields Excursion Success
At the start of the year, the Middle Sub School organised an excursion to Funfields as an opportunity for staff and students to connect and build a sense of community. This marks the first time we’ve held this excursion in several years, and by all accounts, it was a resounding success.
We would like to commend our Year 9 students for their exemplary behaviour during the trip in February. The Funfields staff were so impressed with the students’ conduct that they generously provided free passes, which we will use as awards to recognise positive behaviour in the future.
Curriculum Day
During our recent curriculum day, teachers engaged in professional learning focused on student voice and agency. The day offered valuable insights into the definitions of both concepts, as well as an opportunity to explore various strategies for incorporating them into the classroom. A highlight of the day was the inspiring presentations from three of our Year 12 student leaders, Minhthu Huynh (School Captain) Talia Bui and Tiana Stepanovski who shared their perspectives and experiences. We extend our gratitude to all our curriculum and teaching and learning leaders for creating such an engaging and meaningful professional learning experience.
The Difference Between Voice and Agency:
- Student Agency: This refers to students having the power and responsibility to influence decisions related to their learning, working together with teachers to shape their educational experience.
- Student Voice: This is about students sharing their ideas and feedback on their learning and school experiences, allowing teachers to better understand their needs and perspectives. While voice informs, agency empowers students to act on those insights.
Swimming Carnival
All Year 7 and 8 and selected senior students travelled to Oak Park Aquatic Centre on Wednesday 5 March for our annual Swimming Carnival. It was a wonderful day, both weatherwise and in terms of the enthusiasm of both staff and students. Many students made use of the giant waterslide and took part in water polo, volleyball and other activities that were organised and, along with the swimming, also contributed to house points throughout the day. You can read more about the Swimming Carnival later in this newsletter.
The final points for each house were:
Well done to all participants, and congratulations to Rosewall House for being named the overall winner. Congratulations to Mr Rob Lakovski for his oversight and planning to make this such a successful event and thanks also to the Physical Education staff, House Leaders and all the staff who attended and helped run this event.
Year 7 Expo
It was lovely to see so many parents and families attend our annual Year 7 Expo evening held on 25 February.
Families were treated to classroom experiences and samples of student work from their core subjects of English, Humanities, Mathematics, Science and LOTE (Japanese or Italian). Thanks to the Junior Sub School for organising the evening and for the Year 7 students who came with their families to showcase what they have been doing so far this year. We also thank the classroom teachers for overseeing the room decorations and presentations on the evening. We thank all the families who provided feedback, this will be used to make improvements for the future, although it is pleasing that the feedback received was generally positive and supportive.
These parent information sessions are run across the year for each Year Level, and it is wonderful that so many families support these events as it is a way for us to build connections as a school community. It also provides an opportunity to gain parent perspectives and for students to share experiences that support their learning with their parents.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Parent teacher interviews will be held on Wednesday 2 April between 1.00-700pm. We encourage all parents and guardians to attend with their students and use this opportunity to meet teachers to discuss their child’s progress. The conversations assist us to provide the best outcomes for students. This event provides a forum for parents to meet all their child’s teachers and ask questions about their child’s learning and for information regarding ways to support learning to be shared between home and school. Booking information will be provided via Compass, and all Year 7 students will receive a letter for parents, to outline the process for booking and other details. Interpreters will be available, but we have been experiencing some difficulties securing the number of interpreters we require so we recommend families bring a relative or friend (not a student) to assist with translation if there is someone available.
Please contact your child’s Year Level Coordinator or the general office if you are having difficulty booking times to meet with teachers once the portal for bookings is opened.
