Newsletter- Week 6 2024

Community Partnerships, Feeder Schools & Information Evening

Over the course of the last fortnight, I have had the privilege of visiting our local feeder schools. For those of you who are wondering, we have six feeder schools that directly align with enrolments to Newcomb Secondary College, those being Leopold Primary School, Moolap Primary School, Whittington Primary School, Newcomb Primary School, Geelong East Primary School and Tate Street Primary School. Each of these school settings have a great relationship with Newcomb Secondary College. Our partnerships are built on mutual respect, support, and collaboration. As many of our students would know, Newcomb Secondary College runs several Primary school programs such as-

• Primary school experience visits (food, technology, STEM, Art etc.)
• Primary & Secondary teacher collaboration events
• Extended transition Programs
• Primary School Sport Carnival supports.
• Resource sharing (STEM equipment)
• Hire of facilities (Hall, Auditorium etc.)
• Professional Learning opportunities

In 2024, we will be offering further opportunities to collaborate with our feeder schools, given our desire to build the capacity of all within our great community and ensure our connections as a community are strong and supportive. We encourage Newcomb Secondary College students, and those in our feeder schools to keep an eye out for the following events and opportunities planned for this year-

• Leadership Day
• Koorie Connection events
• Numeracy Challenge
• Literacy Program activities
• Sport events & supports.

A further opportunity that we are very excited about is our college Information Evening and Parent Tours. Newcomb Secondary College values our community relationships and we look for many opportunities to welcome our community into the college to participate in our events and our programs. We encourage those who have yet to visit to hear, see and experience our wonderful college to ‘come and see for yourself’. Our college Information Evening is a great starting point- this year it is held on Monday March 25. Further to this, we will conduct two School Day Tours in the week of March 18- 22. Details on how you can reserve a spot will be circulated shortly. Finally, we are more than happy to schedule a personal tour- to arrange one, please contact the Administration office.

College Athletics Carnival

Last Thursday we staged a very successful Athletics Carnival at Landy Field. It was fantastic to see the amount of enthusiasm, participation, colour, and success that was experienced on the day by all in attendance. The weather gods were kind on the day, and it was great to see so many parents, carers, family friends and supports join with us in admiring the speed, strength, and endurance of our students. I know they appreciated the cheers and support from the sidelines. We will soon hold an assembly to reflect the day, announce the champion house teams, recognise our student achievements, and thank those who facilitated the day. Before then, I must acknowledge and thank Mr Bell for his leadership in preparing for and organising the day, whilst also giving a shout-out to all Newcomb Secondary College staff who ran the events and facilitated the day itself- a great team effort!

Year 10 Camp- Malmsbury

On Monday out Year 10 students set off on their three-day camp adventure at Doxa Campsite - Malmsbury. The camp's focus is to provide an opportunity for students to relax, refresh and connect as a cohort. This is a cross-curricular excursion where students can develop new skills and experiences outside a classroom setting, including leadership, teamwork, and resilience. Doxa's Malmsbury Camp is in Central Victoria on the land of the Dja Dja Wurrung people. It offers children and young people the opportunity to be immersed in Australian bushland and enjoy the outdoors. From all reports, the students are having a wonderful experience and I certainly look forward to hearing all about it upon their return to school on Wednesday afternoon.

Feedback- Personal Learning Qualities (PLQ’s)

As you are aware, Newcomb Secondary College conducts a five-week feedback cycle for students and parents/ carers. Last week, as part of Feedback week, all students, parents, and carers received the Term 1 Personal Learning Qualities (PLQ’s) feedback from all class teachers. This feedback is designed to provide information to you and your student on the approach made towards learning thus far. Our PLQ’s are designed to be easy to read and allow for trends to be visible throughout the year. We encourage you and your student to reflect on the information, celebrate the successes and determine supported growth opportunities moving forward. Whilst having this discussion with your student, it might be a timely opportunity to review their assigned learning tasks and associated feedback on Compass. We will continue to share ongoing feedback to our students and community as we strive to maximise all student outcomes and enable students to realise their full potential.

Vehicle Access and Safety at Newcomb Secondary College

Can I ask that all members of our community exercise care when moving around the college site. Schools are a vibrant, and busy environments, and the thus safety of all who co-exist in, or visit our school setting must be paramount. Safety on the school site is the responsibility of all Newcomb Secondary College community members- staff, students, parents/ carers, and all other key stakeholders. It is important, for the safety of all, to ensure that-

• When entering the school grounds, students must walk their chosen mode of transport.
• Students are expected to wear all protective equipment when travelling to and from school (helmets etc.)
• All community members should exercise care at school vehicle entries, the bus pick-up and drop-off, when moving through the Woolworths carpark or passing by its entrances, and when crossing or walking along the Bellarine Hwy.
• Vehicles drop-off and pick-up students outside of the school boundaries
• Those visiting the college should park in the designated parking bays outside, or alongside the Administration office.
• Visitors to the college should not pass through the school grounds in their vehicle- that is visitors must not pass from the front to the back of the college grounds in their vehicle.

All these measures are for the safety of our community- something we all care about. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.

Have a great week!

Regards,

Scott McLeod

Principal

Newcomb Secondary College

81-85 Bellarine Highway | Newcomb 3219

T: (03) 5248 1400 | F: (03) 5248352

Creating Positive Futures