It is lovely to hear the sound of student chatter and conversations from my office as students return to school and take up the suite of activities that have been lacking due to many long lockdowns. This week the VCE Head Start program commenced for all subjects, including English, EAL and Literature for all current Years 10 and 11 students.

This is an important transition where students step up and into their VCE studies, allowing them to commence their holidays with a clear understanding of the VCE expectations, the course content and their all-important holiday work.

It does amaze me, how quickly the time goes in a VCE year. I look back to the start of 2021 where my Year 12 class sat with crisp new notebooks, an extensive selection of coloured highlighters, post it notes and their new text. Fast forward and now all SACs are completed, the Year 12s have sat their final examinations and are about to attend their final School events.

The English Faculty VCE teachers spend extensive time planning and preparing the courses and assessments, ensuring fair and equitable assessment but also engaging and relevant teaching and learning in all classrooms. In both VCE English courses we will commence Head Start with a creative unit of study. For Year 12, 2022, their first study will be Runaway examining Alice Munro’s collection of short stories and in Year 11 English, 2022, Tim Winton will be studied, examining his stories in Minimum of Two. I look forward to seeing the VCE students stepping up and into their senior studies with a resilient and positive mindset. This year, they have all learnt self-efficacy and adaptive expertise that will be crucial for their VCE studies.

As I write my final Blue Ribbon piece as Head of the English Faculty, I take this opportunity to thank the professional team of teachers I have the privilege of working with every day. I firmly believe as a leader, you are only as good as your team and the English team are extraordinary. I take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and restful holiday period.