START OF THE YEAR – PART II
Who could have predicted that astonishing and dangerous storm that swept through our community a couple of weeks ago? It is a real miracle that no lives were lost, although I’m aware that many in our community suffered damage to property and were left without power for quite a long time – our thoughts remain with you, and we hope that life is getting back to some semblance of normality.
The sound of chainsaws still resonates throughout – there’ll be plenty of logs available!
Our students started the year exceptionally well, but we were all unsettled by the storm, and some of our students still require some support in settling into a routine and structure.
As the Leadership team continue their learning walks across the college, they see students continuing with their work, in an orderly, respectful manner. Some students have been pulled up for their inappropriate use of ICT and this has been followed up by the Learning Engagement Leaders – ICT is to support learning, not for games.
One thing that our college will never apologise for – we set high standards for every student and this school is a school where students will come to be supported to achieve their personal best…..and, there is no ceiling for that! Anecdotally, we are observing some positive changes in how the students interact with each other and their teachers. We want this positivity to continue to grow and be a trademark of our college.
I am so proud of how our Year 12 students are conducting themselves as role models for our younger students. They’re bouncing back, too, as many SACs and other summative assessments are nigh. Ms Hay and the entire Senior School LEL team are to be acknowledged for injecting urgency and academic rigour into our VCE culture.
In other news, we are channelling the research and work of Dr Lyn Sharratt, who is a highly accomplished educational practioner, author and presenter, whose focus is putting FACES on our data to increase both school and student achievement. Thus, students are undergoing reading, writing and numeracy testing, so that our staff can differentiate accordingly to student needs. This is important work that sits outside NAPLAN, as there is a real urgency in knowing our learners – the people we serve and have a responsibility too. Very soon, parents will be invited into the conversation about catering for student needs.
We look forward to your ongoing support in assisting us to support your son/daughter with their targeted, academic needs.
James
College Principal
