VCE Exams
The exam period for our Year 12 and some Year 11 students commenced this week and we wish everyone who is undertaking these assessments every success.
At our recent final assembly, I asked the community to reflect on their measures of “success”. I was prompting the students to consider that success might look different from one person to another. This is an important consideration at this time of the year because some of our graduating class will be seeking an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank), but others will be pursuing other pathways. The ATAR is an important measure for those who desire to undertake tertiary studies that require this rank, and it is the culmination of many hours of work. But it is one metric and should not be seen as the only measure of school success. Such a view diminishes the value of the full person that has developed during these formative school years and tells only part of their story. There will be graduates who proceed to apprenticeships, or work, and we celebrate with these young people on having exciting post-school pathways and a clear sense of purpose.
We wish our graduating class every best wish as they move to the next stage of their lives, confident that they are well grounded with the knowledge, skills and, most importantly, values, to become agents of positive change in a world that is fractured.
P&F at Bunnings
Last Sunday we had members of our P&F, parent helpers and student volunteers at Bunnings in Port Melbourne conducting a very successful fund raiser. Leah Lloyd-Smith, co-president, reported a great turnout of volunteers, including several students, and a strong sense of community. The students will each receive a commendation. Thank you to the P&F co-ordinators of this event and those who were able to volunteer their time to ensure the success of this fundraiser.
Year 9 Camp
Thank you to co-ordinators, Brendan Tollit and Paul Quinn, and the staff in attendance at our Year 9 Camp on Philip Island this week. Mr Tollit has commented on the great spirit on display from the students who were collaborative and cooperative. Some students commented that they slept much better without their phones, which is an interesting, albeit not surprising, admission. The venue seems to have been idea with great conditions and a variety of activities on offer. This is the first experience of our new model of year level based camps that will also occur at Year 7 and 8 in 2025 and it is pleasing to hear that it has been successful.
Year 7 Information Evening
Our Year 7 families of 2025 will gather on the evening of 11th November to commence their orientation program in preparation for next year. Orientation Day for our new cohort occurs a month later December 10. You may recall the transition period from primary to secondary and the questions that you wanted answered as you helped prepare your young person to move to this next stage. We hope to be able to address any uncertainty by bringing together the key people who will explain the process and the resources on hand to provide our incoming families guidance.
Please help promote our school to friends or family who may be looking at secondary school options and are still undecided.
School Closure Day
A reminder that next Monday is a school closure day ahead of the Melbourne Cup public holiday for all except students scheduled to sit VCE exams on this date. School resumes on Wednesday 6th November. I also offer advance notice of a Student Free Day on Friday, 22nd November for teachers to complete assessment and reporting duties. Thank you for your ongoing support.
