Principal’s Message

Dear Parents, Students and Staff,

Welcome back to Sirius College for 2021. I hope that you have enjoyed some time with family and friends over the holidays, despite the extreme challenges our nation faced last year. I’m sure that there are members of our community who have been affected by Covid-19. It has impacted so many people in so many ways. If there are children in need of additional support following these traumatic events, please contact the school to discuss how we can support your family.

As you are reading school messages regarding the Coronavirus, all advices are provided to schools by the Department of Education and based on advice from the Department of Health. Please read it carefully and follow the advice and, if your child is unwell, please see a doctor if appropriate.

Understandably, there are worries about the loss of learning time during the lockdowns last year. The tutoring program is a part of the COVID intensive learning support initiative announced in last year’s government budget, to help students affected by the pandemic. Our school also will receive a small amount of it. Our first target will be those who are disadvantaged, who were already struggling to improve their learning. Students will be identified based on last year’s academic progress and getting additional support.

We had an outstanding year in 2020, with many accomplishments. Sirius College Meadow Fair Boys’ Campus continued its success in VCE, with an ATAR of 99.75 achieved by Ali Shaban, which was the highest score in Sirius College in 2020. His success represents years of hard work, commitment, dedication and this, naturally, will mark a turning point in his life. I would like to congratulate him on his outstanding ATAR and we wish him all the best in the future.

Furthermore, we had students achieving 90+ and 80+ ATAR results. 18.3 % of boys achieved 90+, 41.7 % attained 80+, 60% achieved 67 + and 85 % attained 50+. I would like to thank them for their hard work and wish them nothing but success in the future.

I would like to welcome our new staff members, who are Christopher Traficante (English), Emre Seckin (Mathematics), Lincoln Busby (English and Drama), Mohammad Halimi (Science and Mathematics), Mourad Djebarra (French), Nertil Osmani (Pastoral Care Coordinator and Humanities), Zehra Ozkan (Counsellor), and Ahmet Eskin (Science lab technician). I also congratulate Abdullah Sahin on his appointment to the role of Year 7 and 8 Coordinator and Jemil Polat for his work as CADET Coordinator. I wish them success in their new positions.

The College is undergoing significant change; we are adopting a new approach to the education of boys. I am excited by the prospect of being part of this change. The College has embarked on a journey to work towards a personalised approach to helping each student and I am looking forward to adding my strengths and talents to the continued development of our education. I see so much potential, especially as we continue to build on our strengths and traditions in such an innovative environment.

Finally, we have learnt so much from 2020 and what is possible when students, parents and staff work together and are willing to adapt and be flexible. We need to acknowledge innovative approaches around us, to ensure that we are continually adapting to the needs of our community. We are all unique and we must try to understand each other and our local cultures, as this is what makes harmony and success possible. We must always strive for our best and understand what we can achieve, as a community.

I would like to thank my staff members for being positive and constructive during this difficult time and I, too, would like to thank the wider community for their understanding and kindness.