Dr Judi Newman has been working with us as a school for two years in developing the staff understanding of how the brain works – especially the teenage brain.  Some of our staff have undergone further work with Dr Newman and this has led to our designation as a ‘Brainwise School’.  Congratulations to everyone involved.  Did you know that there is no such thing as multi-tasking?  In reality, the belief that we can do two things as once is a myth.  The human brain simply is not wired for this. What we are actually doing is switching between tasks rapidly – and this leads to reduced efficiency and accuracy.  So, if your young person is reading they can’t be listening.  If your young person is writing, they can’t be watching Netflix.  To do well, they need to focus their brain on one task at a time.

All subject selections for 2026 have finished.  Later this week I will be sending you the list of subjects that are running in 2026.  For some students, this will mean that their reserve preferences have been brought into their programs.  It is important to note that we are running a broad range of subjects on sometimes very small numbers but there are times when there are simply not enough students to make a subject viable.  It is also true that some students might find they have a subject clash when the timetable is being developed.  In that instance, the reserve is also brought into play. Where a subject does not run because the numbers are critically low, students can consider Virtual School Victoria as an alternative.  More information will follow.  In addition, I would like to thank Sarah Clark (Applied Learning Leader) and Maggie Smith (VET Leader) for their incredible work in interviewing all the students wanting to enter PreVOC in 2026.  This vibrant and inclusive course suits students for whom mainstream and academic subjects are not meeting their learning needs and dispositions.  They have brought to the process their energy, their expertise and their belief in this program for some of our young people. 

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the staff members who got together for the latest Community Cook up, lead ably by Eileen McKenzie and Indy Mintram-Porter.  The staff and students filled the freezer with nutritious and delicious food to support our local families and staff who are experiencing difficulty.  Thank you for your efforts in this area.  We are grateful that these young people give their time and effort for members of their community, exhibiting kindness and citizenship. You can read more about this here.

This will be my last newsletter as Acting Principal.  It has been a privilege to lead this community for the last eight weeks.  Thank you to the staff who have carried on being fabulous despite a different leader in the chair.  I would like to acknowledge Peter Houlahan who continues to be a great support. 

Take care.

Jo