College Principal’s Report

This is the first edition of our newsletter in a new format. Why are we doing this? By moving to a web-based mode that is better integrated with our school website, we are hoping to better engage with our school community and share and celebrate more of what is happening here at the College.

We will now be publishing our newsletter on a monthly basis and will continue to use Sentral and Facebook, together as the core platforms for our daily and weekly communication for families and students. For this reason, it is important to make sure that you have downloaded the Sentral app, and that your email address recorded in Sentral is up to date. Please email the school if you need to update your details: mill.park.sc@education.vic.gov.au

As a College we are about to commence our School Review. Happening every four years this provides us with an opportunity to reflect on what is working at the school, and to identify the next steps for improvement through our new School Strategic Plan.

The review process is supported by an external reviewer appointed by the Department of Education and will be undertaken by a panel of staff from our school, School Council Members, and experienced Principals from two other schools as ‘Challenge Partners’. This panel will engage in several activities including classroom visits and discussions with focus groups of students, staff, and parents. They will also reflect on the available data around our students’ learning and wellbeing.

Over the coming weeks your child may be asked questions about their experiences at school, and I encourage them to share their views as openly as possible. Ultimately, by listening carefully to our students we can ensure that we are in a position to create the best possible learning environment for them going forwards.

One opportunity for student to provide their voice on an issue that they engage with on a daily basis will be an upcoming review of our current school uniform items. I will be supporting our Student Leaders to conduct this review next term and they will be able to discuss the current uniform items, look at what additional items might be available and consult with students, families, and the School Council if they are considering making any changes. Our uniform supplier will be working with us throughout this process to ensure that we are able to provide students with a uniform that is comfortable to learn in, that our families support, that they are proud to wear, and that represents the College in the best possible way. Keep an eye out for updates on this process as we move into Term 3.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the efforts of a range of students who have worked to support our Reconciliation Week activities which commence on Monday 30 May. Indigenous students have been working alongside their peers to organise several events to fundraise, celebrate what we have achieved in terms of reconciliation, and importantly raise awareness about the work still to be done. This is such an important issue for us at a national level and I am proud of the work that our students are doing to make it real in a local and concrete way. I look forward to reporting back in the next edition of the newsletter.