Bright P-12 College is building a culture where learning is seen as a lifelong process and where excellence is promoted in academic, creative, social, citizenship and sporting pursuits. The achievements of students, staff and others in the school community are valued, acknowledged and publicised.
The College fosters self-esteem and values individuals by providing an environment where they can feel safe and supported in their endeavours. There is encouragement to develop pride in oneself, the College and the community and an expectation that the rights, differences, opinions and property of others will be respected.
There is acknowledgment of the importance of communication among all sections of the College community and a desire to utilise local resources and to form links with organisations, in order to enrich the learning experiences of students.
The College values of Respect, Learning, Persistence and Connectedness are nurtured through the formal curriculum and other programs.
The College is set in 10 hectares of landscaped grounds in the tourist township of Bright, which is situated in the picturesque Ovens Valley, 310km north east of Melbourne. The nearest major city, Wangaratta is 80 km to the west and Albury-Wodonga 110km to the north-west. Magnificent alpine country and river valleys offer a wide variety of year-round activities including skiing, bush walking, bike riding and a wide range of sports.
The College's population comprises approximately 210 primary and 290 secondary students enrolled from the Bright township and the neighbouring towns of Porepunkah, Harrietville and Wandiligong. The College and primary schools in these towns form the Alpine Cluster, and work cooperatively on transition, sports programs, visiting artists and a range of common interests. The College also operates an annexe at Dinner Plain during the winter ski season; the annexe housed at Yak ‘n’ Yeti Lodge, Dinner Plain, caters for students from Year 7-12 and the new Dinner Plain school caters for students from Prep-Year 6.
Bright P-12 College has a major asset in its experienced staff, and the curriculum (P-10) being framed on the Victorian Essential Learning Standards. Years 7 and 8 function as separate level groups and 2010 saw the introduction of the new Year 9 program (with a strong focus on student engagement and community connections). Our Year 10 program lays the foundations for a range of pathways in the senior secondary years. The College offers a wide range of VCE and VCAL studies enabling students to pursue pathways to tertiary studies or to proceed into employment and training. Further breadth of curriculum is achieved through Distance Education and with placements in Work Experience from Years 10-12. VCE studies are enhanced with vocational education (VET) programs in Hospitality, Equine Studies and Outdoor Recreation for students with specific interests in these industries. A VCE centre provides a study for Year 12 students. Australian School Based Apprenticeships (ASBA) provide further breadth to the opportunities offered to students.
There is a strong commitment to providing a wide range of programs including outdoor education, music, drama, student leadership, and Alpine and Nordic skiing. The College has made a commitment to Learning Technologies through a College-wide NT based network that integrates the library catalogue system and provides Internet access to more than one hundred and twenty computers. Interactive whiteboards were installed throughout the school in 2010.
The College has extensive outdoor sporting and attractive passive recreation facilities and has made a significant commitment to the principles of Sun Smart with the provision of student headwear and a number of shaded areas for passive recreation. Buildings include the original brick primary school (newly refurbished), new primary classrooms, a modern open plan complex, new purpose built specialist classrooms, a technology centre for wood and metals, and a modern administrative/staff centre. A sports stadium on College grounds is used exclusively throughout the day, to supplement Physical Education and Sports programs
Strong Parent and community support is evident in classrooms, through involvement in the Parents & Friends Group's fundraising activities and membership of Council subcommittees.