Welcome back to what will be another busy year in the Middle School. My name is Ian MacLeod, I am the Campus Principal who works with Middle School. I would particularly like to welcome our Year 9 students and families as they start their journey at the Senior Campus of the college. We welcomed our Year 9 and 10 students back to the college last week.
Year 9 Inspire Program
Thanks to the staff who supported the Year 9 Inspire program. The program had many different activities for students to engage with including Kickstart, a Careers session, locker allocation, a scavenger hunt and academic testing sessions. Thank you to Ms Asha Vazirani, Mr Callum Hope, Mr Tristan Dunkley and Ms Cathleen Howell for their work in organising and running this program.
Year 10 Camp postponed
Our Year 10 Camp has been postponed and will now run from Monday 23 to Wednesday 25 February. Thanks to Mr Callum Hope for his behind the scenes work on making sure we are ready to head off on Monday 23 February.
Year 10 Program
With the postponement of camp our Year 10 students had a 2-day program to start the 2026 academic year. The program was jam packed with activities including a wellbeing and careers sessions plus STEM and sport activities keeping our students engaged. Throw in some admin tasks like locker allocation, diary distribution and VCAA paperwork and you have a busy few days. Thank you to Ms Asha Vazirani, Mr Callum Hope, Mr Aayush Khosla and Ms Jess Panther making this program happen at short notice!
Middle School Team
The Middle School team are here to help you support our Year 9 and 10 students both inside and outside the classroom. Please contact the coordinators if you need any support.
The team is as follows:
Head of Middle School – Ms Asha Vazirani
Leader of Middle School – Mr Callum Hope
Year 9 Coordinators – Mr Tristan Dunkley and Ms Cathleen Howell
Year 10 Coordinators – Mr Aayush Khosla and Ms Jess Panther
MS Admin Support: Ms Karen Box
School Photos
School photos were taken on Thursday 5 February on both campuses. There is a new ordering process this year which will see families receiving ordering information and codes in the coming weeks. Parents are asked to ensure their contact details are up to date on Compass.
For students who didn’t have their photo taken there will be catch up day on Wednesday 18 February.
Student Diaries
Student have received their diaries which are valuable tool to support their learning. Students should record homework and upcoming events to assist with time management and organisation. The diary also contains many worthwhile resources and parents are encouraged to check it weekly and discuss “What went well” for the week.
Parking in and around the Senior Campus
The Senior Campus has parking which is for staff only. The carparks at the Senior Campus should not be used for dropping off or picking up students as this creates safety issues for both staff and students. Students should be dropped off and picked up in adjacent side streets near the Senior Campus. When parking near the college it is important that parking signs are observed and we ask that you respect our neighbours and residents by not blocking their driveways as you drop off or pick up your children.
Student Safety
With the commencement of the school year, it is timely to remind all members of our College Community to observe all road laws. In particular, cyclists must wear helmets and when students are crossing roads, it needs to be done with care and observing traffic signals and the crossing supervisor if present. Please discuss this with your child and emphasise the need to follow correct road safety practices to keep everyone safe.
E-Scooter Safety – What Students and Parents Need to Know
E-scooters are becoming an increasingly popular mode of transport for students and community members alike. With their growing use, it’s important that both parents and students understand the safety requirements and legal responsibilities that come with riding an e-scooter in Victoria.
Below is a summary of the key rules, as outlined by Transport Victoria:
What You Must Do When Riding an E-Scooter
E-scooter riders are required to:
- Be 16 years of age or older
- Wear a helmet at all times
- Ride at a maximum speed of 20 km/h
- Ride single file – not in tandem or side by side
- Ride only on:
- Shared-use paths (not footpaths)
- Bicycle paths
- Roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h or less
- Not carry any passengers
- Use front and rear lights (steady or flashing) when riding at night or in low-light conditions
- Park responsibly, ensuring the scooter does not block pedestrian paths or create safety hazards
Why It Matters
These rules are in place to help keep riders and others safe. Failure to follow them can result in fines and puts both the rider and others at risk. As e-scooter use grows, it’s essential we all do our part to promote safe and respectful riding in our community.
For more information and updates, please visit:
🔗 Transport Victoria – E-Scooter Road Rules
Student accident insurance, ambulance cover arrangements and private property brought to school.
Parents/carers are reminded that the Department of Education does not provide personal accident or ambulance cover for students. Parents and carers of students, who do not have private health insurance or ambulance cover, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for their injured child. Private property brought to the college by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department of Education is not responsible for any loss or damage. This can include mobile phones, calculators, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises. It is recommended that parents/carers consider insurance policies that can be purchased from commercial insurers.
Compass
All parents should now have access to Compass. Compass is used to communicate with parents on a wide range of activities within the school. Compass can be access through the college website using any web browser via your desktop computer, tablet or phone. Alternatively, parents can also download the Compass App from the Apple App store or Goggle Play by searching “Compass School Manager” which will allow you to access Compass through your mobile device. It is important to note that some of features of Compass are only available in the “browser” version.
Holiday Works
Across the holiday period the ICT and Facilities Teams were busy improving the college.
A wide range of ICT Works undertaken including:
- Servers and switch works
- Google migration ongoing preparation
- Learning tasks set up
- Year 7 BYOD setup
- PAT testing preparation
- AV maintenance and replaced four projectors
- Set up new staff laptops
- Reimage classroom desktops and notebooks
- E-waste removal
Thanks to Aro, Andrew and Jacob for their work across the break. Well done!
The Facilities Team also worked hard across the break with the focus on the following:
- A8 – upgrade with carpet, furniture and paint – ready for classes
- H1 – total upgrade with furniture – will be ready in coming weeks
- New blinds, carpet in various rooms
- Painting across the college
- Removal and repair of unused sinks
- Addition of seating around tree in STEAM Centre foyer
- Test and Tag across college and Roof access points checked
- Plus lots more
Thanks to Wendy, Ari and our newest team member Chris for their great work across the holiday period.
Mr Ian MacLeod
Campus Principal – Middle School