As we reach the end of Term 2, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on what has been a busy, productive and rewarding period for our school community.
One of the major highlights this term was the successful completion of the General Achievement Test (GAT) by our senior students. We congratulate all students involved for their preparation, commitment and maturity throughout this important process. We also thank our staff for their organisation and support in ensuring the day ran smoothly.
Our Year 7 students enjoyed a highly successful camp experience, providing valuable opportunities to build friendships, develop resilience and create lasting memories. Camps play an important role in helping students connect with one another and strengthen their sense of belonging within our school community. It was wonderful to hear so many positive stories from both students and staff.
Throughout the semester, we have continued to celebrate student achievement through our Merit Mart program. This initiative recognises students who consistently demonstrate our school values through their efforts, positive behaviours and contributions to school life. It has been fantastic to see so many students engaging with the program and being recognised for their achievements.
This term also saw students participate in the annual Attitudes to School Survey (AtoSS). The feedback provided by students is incredibly valuable and helps us understand their experiences, identify areas of strength and guide future improvement priorities. We thank all students who participated and shared their perspectives.
Reporting has been another significant focus as teachers have worked diligently to assess student progress and prepare Semester 1 reports. These reports provide families with important information about student learning, growth and achievement. We encourage families to take the time to review reports with their children and celebrate their successes while setting goals for the semester ahead.
Sport has continued to be a wonderful feature of school life, with students participating in a range of interschool competitions and sporting events throughout the term. We are proud of the enthusiasm, teamwork and sportsmanship displayed by our students, whether competing at a high level or simply embracing the opportunity to be active and involved.
As we conclude the first half of the year, I would like to sincerely thank our families for their ongoing support and partnership. The success of our students is strengthened by the positive relationships between home and school, and we greatly appreciate your engagement in your child’s education.
I would also like to advise our community that I will be on leave for the first four weeks of Term 3. During this time, Natasha Berry will be Acting College Principal, and Abigail Grace will be Acting Assistant Principal for the duration of Term 3. I have every confidence in their leadership and know the College will continue to thrive under their guidance.
We are proud of all that has been achieved during Semester 1 and look forward to an exciting and successful second half of the year. We wish all students, staff and families a safe and enjoyable break and look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for Term 3 at Staughton College.
Term 2 has been another fantastic period for sport at Staughton College, with students continuing to represent the school with pride, resilience, and outstanding sportsmanship across a wide range of events.
A highlight of the term has been the success of our students across a range of events. The Boys and Girls Under 18 Rugby teams made States’ in the Storm Trophy competition for the first time in school history. Our Senior Boys’ basketball team made regionals in a thrilling 2OT win. Our Under 14 Boys and Under 18 Girls made states in the Rugby 9’s tournament, The Under 18 Girls competed with resilience, battling injury blows, and the U14 Boys had a controversial loss in the golden point time of the Grand Final. 7 of our students represented the College at Regional Cross country where our student, Brendan, made the State Finals and will represent our School next term in the Yarra Valley. Another student, Spencer, represented Staughton College in the State Finals for swimming, putting up fantastic efforts in both the breaststroke and 200m Individual medley. These are remarkable achievements and a testament to the commitment, talent and teamwork displayed by our students throughout their competitions. We wish all our teams and competitors the very best as they continue their journey.
Across all sports, our students have consistently demonstrated determination and a willingness to challenge themselves. We have seen strong performances in basketball, soccer, netball, AFL, cross country, and rugby, with several teams progressing deep into competitions and individual students achieving outstanding results.
A special mention goes to all our sports representatives, who earned praise from School Sport Victoria and NRL Victoria officials for their positive attitudes and willingness to help other competitors and event officials throughout the day. We are also proud to have students who are recognise for their efforts both on and off the field.
None of these opportunities would be possible without the support of our dedicated staff. Thank you to all coaches, staff helpers and office staff who generously give up their time to prepare teams, attend events, and support students. Your commitment allows our sporting program to continue growing and providing valuable experiences for our young people.
Most importantly, thank you to the students who continue to embrace every opportunity. Whether bringing home medals, reaching finals or simply giving their best effort, you continue to represent Staughton College with pride and integrity. We look forward to seeing what the remainder of the year has in store.
Keep an eye out for more fantastic opportunities to represent the school in Term 3.
Year 10 students are creating inspired ceramic sculptures influenced by the work of artist Vipoo Srivilasa. Students are designing and hand-building unique ceramic pieces that reflect their own interests, personalities, and identities. Their sculptures are constructed using white earthenware clay, carefully sculpted by hand, and finished with underglazes to enhance colour and detail.
Year 10 Art – Printmaking
Year 10 students are creating reduction lino prints, designing and carving lino blocks to produce a series of layered prints. Through the reduction printing process, students progressively carve away sections of the lino between each print layer, building complex images using multiple colours. Their designs are inspired by the flowing lines, organic forms, and decorative motifs of the Art Nouveau movement, resulting in vibrant and highly detailed artworks.
Year 8 Art
Year 8 students are exploring ceramics through the creation of imaginative pinch-pot vessels. Students are learning how to construct functional ceramic forms that can hold water while incorporating creative and imaginative design elements. Each piece reflects the student’s own ideas and artistic interpretation.
This term, the Year 10 Theatre Studies class has worked diligently across a range of engaging theoretical and practical tasks. Students have explored the various production roles within theatre (lighting, set, makeup, costume, acting) through research, discussion, and hands-on activities, developing an understanding of how each role contributes to a successful performance. Students have also built their skills in analysing and evaluating live theatre, learning to critically reflect on the choices made by theatre-makers and performers.
In addition, students participated in a collaborative Production Task, where they selected a specific production area and either designed or performed work in response to a prescribed script. This task allowed students to apply their creativity, problem-solving skills, and theatre knowledge in a practical and authentic context.
Throughout Term 2, students had the opportunity to participate in a range of cultural events and leadership opportunities, including National Reconciliation Week, Samoan Language Week, Refugee Week, the Youth Leadership Forum and the Vaka Pasifika Leadership Program.
These activities provided valuable opportunities for students to celebrate culture, develop leadership skills, build connections and strengthen our inclusive school community.
A big thank you to all students and staff who supported and participated in these events throughout the term.
We are also looking forward to Cultural Festival Week in Term 3, Week 9. More information will be shared next term, including activities, performances and opportunities for students to get involved.
This month, the library has been buzzing with World Cup excitement. Our TV has been tuned to SBS, and whenever matches are televised during recess and lunch breaks, students have gathered to watch. The atmosphere has been electric, with the library packed with enthusiastic football fans.
We have also decided to introduce a new segment to the library’s Bookshelf Bulletin. Each edition will feature an article on a topic related to libraries, reading, or literacy. We hope you enjoy this article by Hannah Sycamore from the Scottish Book Trust and find it both interesting and informative.
Advice for parents to encourage children and teens reading
Building a love of reading
Whether your child is a keen or reluctant reader, the tips below can help you encourage a lifelong love of reading.
Reconnect reading to hobbies and interests
For many young people, as reading becomes linked to exam and school pressures, they can begin to be turned off reading. Refocusing reading as an enjoyable experience, linked to hobbies or interests, will help to counter this.
Find out what your child is currently excited about and if see they might like to read something about that – for example, a “how to” manual or magazine for a current hobby. It is easier to encourage reading on something that already interests them and they are familiar with. Don’t try to force young people to read – that’s a sure way to associate reading with pressure.
Allow different formats
Here’s the key: reading is a habit, and as long as they’re in the habit of picking up something to read, it doesn’t really matter what or how they are reading. Allow young people to read on an electronic device. They might prefer this format, and many library services offer e-book loans and e-magazines to borrow. Online options are also great for those who love fanfiction. Many parents are worried about screen time, but remember that reading is a habit and for many, reading on a device might be a great place to start. For younger readers, remember you can also read together on an electronic device!
Watch Authors Live events
It can be really exciting and interesting for young readers to watch an event with one of their favourite authors. Events give readers an insight into what the author was thinking when they wrote a book, and can also give keen writers some great advice to use in their own writing. They are also enjoyable to watch together, and a great way to start conversations about books and reading. So get cosy on the sofa together and select an event to watch!
Selecting reading material
Look for books based films and games
Many young people find it challenging to select texts, they can find it hard to know which genre or type of book they would enjoy. If your child has a favourite film, game or television show, look for books based on those. Using books based on existing interests can really help young people identify what they might like to read and gain confidence in selecting books for themselves. Direct them, but ultimately, let them choose what they would like to read themselves.
Speak to your local librarian or bookseller
Children’s librarians and bookseller are hugely enthusiastic and they are fountains of knowledge about the world of children’s and teen books. Go and visit your local library, or pop into your nearest bookshop and see if they can point you in the direction of something your child will like.
Celebrate reading as a social activity
Talk about books and reading
Many people believe that reading is a solo activity, but reading can be a social activity. Letting your child see you reading and talking together about what you are currently reading shows them that you find reading enjoyable and worthwhile and makes it a social activity. Be open about your reading life and the benefits you get from reading. Sharing books and reading experiences can make reading enjoyable and entertaining.
Help them find places to discuss books
As well as speaking together about reading, help them find their own spaces to talk about books, such as Goodreads or #BookTok on TikTok.
If they feel comfortable doing so, encourage your child to speak to their friends or peers about what they are reading. Support them to find spaces such as book groups in your local library where they can get reading recommendations from other young people, and chat about their reading.
Be patient, the right book is out there!
Remember that the right book is out there. Whether its graphic novels, non-fiction, choose your own adventure books, how-to books, magazines or something else, there really is something for everyone in the world of books. Be patient, don’t force it, and your children will find something that interests them.
Once again, we encourage all students to download the library management system using the QR code to access their library accounts, this is also accessible from the Staughton College website. Students can explore our new books, check their loans, reserve books, or search the catalogue for new items to read. To gain access students simply use their student code, for example (ABC0001) using the password ‘student’.
The second QR code is for the library Google Classroom. To join or access our Google Classroom use the QR code or the classroom code to join 5d7qree. We look forward to continuing to work with the students, finding ways to engage them with the library and their reading journey.
Our featured selection this month is our new Graphic Novel collection. We have recently added a range of DC Compact Comics to our shelves, providing students with an exciting new way to enjoy reading.
DC Compact Comics is a series of full-colour paperback graphic novels from DC Comics, designed to be accessible to both new and experienced readers. They are described as being “perfect for readers of prose and manga looking to pick up a new-reader-friendly storyline in a self-contained, full-colour graphic novel.”
In addition to focusing on specific characters or storylines, each title is labelled by genre, making it easy for readers to find stories that match their interests. Genres include science fiction, thriller, horror, fantasy, adventure, and mystery.
Whether you are already a graphic novel fan or looking to try something new, the DC Compact Comics range has something for everyone.
We hope all of our students and families have a refreshing break and return refreshed and ready for Semester 2.
Towards the end of Term 2, 83 of our Year 7 students embarked on an exciting camp experience at Lady Northcote Recreation Camp, accompanied by dedicated staff members. Over the course of the camp, students participated in a wide range of challenging and engaging activities, including bike riding, pizza making, high ropes, team-building challenges, canoeing, low ropes courses, and the giant swing.
The camp provided students with many opportunities to step outside their comfort zones, develop new skills, and strengthen friendships. Throughout the experience, our Year 7 students represented Staughton College with pride and demonstrated our core values of Respect, Connect, and Grow.
Students showed Respect by supporting one another, listening to instructions, caring for the camp facilities, and displaying positive behaviour throughout all activities. They embraced Connection by working collaboratively in teams, encouraging their peers, building new friendships, and creating lasting memories together. Most importantly, students demonstrated Growth by challenging themselves to try new experiences, overcoming fears on activities such as the high ropes and giant swing, and developing resilience and confidence.
The camp was a wonderful opportunity for students to learn beyond the classroom and develop important personal and social skills. We are incredibly proud of the way our Year 7 students conducted themselves and thank the staff who supported and supervised the camp, helping to make it such a memorable and successful experience.
On the 21st of May, three Staughton College students went on to represent our school in Wynspeak, a public speaking competition for high school students in the Wyndham Vale and Greater Melton area. The three students, who had previously won at our in school public speaking competition ‘Staughton Speaks’ in Term One, each crafted a unique speech on a topic they deeply care about. All three students represented our school in a manner reflective of our core values, in particular demonstrating exceptional respect for the other competitors and significant growth in their public speaking skills.
From our Junior School, Esther (Year 8) presented a speech on virtue signalling and the fallibility of trending morality, while Nikki (Year 9) presented a speech on the importance of being authentically yourself. Our sole Senior School competitor, Sneha (Year 12), performed a speech on the importance of the Humanities in the modern age. Showcasing the supportive spirit of our school, it was wonderful to have eight staff members, parents and friends come along to cheer on our talented students.
Each student put in a incredible amount of work, from writing (and rewriting) their speeches, to the many hours of practice, feedback and revision. We are tremendously proud of the way they represented our school, and look forward to having our Junior competitors return to the competition again next year.
For all those interested in representing our school in public speaking, be sure to look for the Staughton Speaks competition early in 2027.
Congratulations again to all of our competitors, we are so proud!
Mr Eu Vin Hor, Director of English and Literacy (Years 10-12)
Mr Riley Delgadillo, Director of English and Literacy (Years 7-9)
Image Caption
From left to right: Alan Devine, Sarah Sobey, Riley Delgadillo, Nikki (Year 9), Esther (Year 8), Sneha (Year 12), Eu Vin Hor, Corey Barton and Vengann Ly
