Principal’s Report Week 4 – 2014

Welcome back to the College Council and the new school year.  We look forward to 2014 as we prepare for an interesting year in education, teaching and learning at Echuca College.  Our VCE results were solid and our Dux Eleanor Denson the best in the area achieving 98.46.  Our Year 7 students have settled in quite well with 120 students enrolled this year.  The rest of the College continued on from where we finished in December last year with VCE students very pleased with the progress they have made so early in the year. Year 12s completed a great ‘Flying Start’ program last week, as did the Year 11 students with their Peer Support program.  Attendance at both programs was over 97%. 

This year we started with only our Year 7 and Year 12 students at school. This provided an opportunity for the two groups to participate in a BBQ lunch and a number of fun activities in the afternoon.  Our Year 12s play a major role in the College as ‘role models’ for the younger groups and our Year 7s were very excited about having the Year 12s interact with them on their first day of school.   In other Year 7 news, our Year 7 students went to Campaspe Downs, near Kyneton for their three day orientation camp. The camp also takes in ‘Hanging Rock’ as part of the program.

Our College Captains (Regan More, Kayla Arkinstall, Grace Day and Adam Scott) are in place of course and last week the Beacon Ambassadors were selected by the Beacon Co-ordinator for Echuca Moama, Lauren Menz and Rob Strachan.  We had a field of 15 candidates, of which seven were selected.   I’m pleased to announce that this year’s Beacon Ambassadors are; Tenaya Williams, Emma Favaloro, Sarah Hercott, Courtney Johnson, Rylee Dixon, Meagan Johnson and Lachlan Arkinstall.  They will participate in a Leadership Training day next week with other leaders from the Grammar and St Joseph’s.

Echuca College students were well represented at the recent Australian Day Awards in the district.  In Echuca at the Rotary Club Australia Day ceremony Young Citizen of the Year went to Tyler Lethlean. At Rochester Jess Hardess was awarded the Young Sportsperson of the Year.  Congratulations to these students on these outstanding achievements.

In mid-January, the ‘Class of 2013’ received their University and TAFE offers. Forty-eight students received offers and 36 Students received first round offers (75%).  Thirty-nine students received their First or Second preference (81.25%).  Over one third of student’s had received ‘Early Offers’ prior to round one (20 students) late last year. The courses offered ranged from; Science at University of Melbourne, Law / Science at Deakin Melbourne for our top two students.  Some of the other courses, included Bioscience, Engineering, Criminology, Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Para  medicine and Journalism. The main universities our students have gone to are the University of Melbourne, Deakin, La Trobe, Charles Sturt, Australian Catholic University, Federation University, RMIT and Swinburne.

I would like to welcome and introduce our new staff to our College community.