From the Principal Class Team
Dear Parents and Guardians
We have been so pleased at how well the vast majority of students have settled back into onsite learning, and on how focussed they have been in terms of preparing for end of year exams, semester tests and other final assessments over recent weeks. It has been a significant transition, as we have mentioned before – one that has demanded resilience, organisation and positivity; and it has been inspiring to see how they have responded to this challenge.
The Year 12 class of 2022 has already commenced their VCE and VCAL courses with Orientation running for 12 school days; and Year 10’s will participate in a briefer Orientation program once their exams have finished. The Year 12 VCE exams have just finished. Congratulations to each of our students who completed their exams. To get to this point is, in itself, an enormous achievement after the two years that they have experienced, and we are extremely proud of them for this. I also want to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of our VCE and VCAL teachers over this year and last in supporting and guiding the Year 12’s through their coursework, and for giving them every possible opportunity to transition to a high quality pathway of their choice. It is impossible to overstate the effort, expertise and persistence required to achieve this. Thank you!
Congratulations also to ….
Ms Sophie Bark and Mr Owen McIntyre, Mathematics Learning Area and Numeracy Leaders, and the Mathematics staff on being recognised for the outstanding results achieved by our students in Numeracy in this year’s NAPLAN tests, especially at Year 9. Based on the students’ outcomes, the school was selected as the best performing secondary college in the South West Victorian Region; and invited to submit a case study and to present at the SWV Regional Principals’ Conference about the Numeracy improvement strategy. This is an excellent testament to the work of all of our Maths teachers, and to the leadership of Owen and Sophie in this area.
Ms Avril Good, Curriculum Coordinator, for her work with the Victorian Association of Teachers of English (VATE) in providing leadership and professional development for colleagues across the state in the revised English as an Additional Language (EAL) course; and as a member of the EAL text review committee for the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA).
Mr Sam Brown, Student and Family Engagement Officer, for establishing a Community of Practice amongst Pasifika workers across 10 schools in the state to support sharing of knowledge and strategies for engaging families in their children’s education.
Ms Bron Salton, Teacher of Japanese and French, on her contribution to the publication of a delightful book for French students, Eureka! Science and bilingualism. It explores the stories of French people living in Australia who work in the sciences; and is a great cross curriculum resource for students and teachers.
Ms Stav Bekiaris (Further Mathematics), Mr Michael Bowden (Studio Arts), Ms Angela Hanley (Biology), and Mr Emmanuel Salvarajah (Mathematical Methods) for their contributions as VCAA Assessors in their subject areas, and to Ms Michelle Veith as a GAT assessor. Not only is this a generous sharing of their expertise at the state level, but it is also excellent professional learning for them and for their colleagues here.
And to Mr David Bell, Grounds Person, for completing his Certificate III in Horticulture, studying part time at nights for 3 years. The gardens here are a reflection of his knowledge about and passion for creating beautiful landscaped spaces for all of us to enjoy every day.
ABCN Scholarship
Congratulations to Year 10 student, Eram Ahmed, for being awarded an ABCN Accelerate scholarship. This is a substantial scholarship for which recipients receive support from a dedicated corporate mentor and $7000 in financial assistance for educational expenses across Years 11, 12 and their first year of tertiary education. Accelerate targets exceptional students who demonstrate significant promise and the potential to grow through the combination of mentoring and financial support. Mentors are assigned to each scholar by ABCN in consultation with member companies, donors and schools. Scholars establish both a peer and professional network which can provide valuable career development opportunities.
We thank Mr Sean Ryan for his support in assisting Eram with her application. A rigorous process is involved in securing a scholarship such as this. Well done to both Eram and Sean
University of Melbourne Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program – Class of 2023.
Congratulations to Meera Mansukhani on her successful application for the Kwong Lee Dow Scholars Program. This is an impressive achievement as the University of Melbourne reported ‘We received 1500 incredible applications and it was students’ academic achievements and community involvement that really impressed us’.
The Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program is an academic enrichment program designed to support high achieving Year 11 and Year 12 students. Students selected as Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars will become part of a supportive University community and peer network through a tailored program of events and activities. These students work with the University over their final two years of secondary school to help these future leaders reach their potential.
A great deal of effort went into the submissions for applications and endorsements for this program by both the Year 10 students who applied and also Becky Annetts and Sean Ryan, the Middle Sub School staff involved. Congratulations to Meera on successfully applying and well done to the other applicants. These sorts of applications provide good experience for students and develop skills that are transferable beyond school.
The Student Attitude to School Survey
The school has recently received data from the annual Student Attitudes to School Survey (SAToSS). This survey, which was completed by 97% of our students, provides the College with comprehensive data on a range of measures regarding students feelings and perceptions to school. It was fantastic to see that College has improved on all measures since the last survey conducted in 2019 with all measures at or above state averages. Some highlights are detailed in the images below. These images show the percentage of positive endorsement compared to similar schools, network schools and the all schools in Victoria. They do not show the number of neutral or negative responses. The data from these survey will be shared with students and will continue to inform our planning for 2022 to ensure we continue to focus on growth and continual improvement.
