What an incredible start to the year! We welcome all our new Year 7 students, as well as other students who have joined us in other year levels, and all the new staff. Despite only being one month in, we have had much to celebrate including:
- Year 7 Welcome BBQ: it was great to have our Year 7 students and families join our staff for an informal BBQ evening and a chance to see the school grounds;
- ABCN: our partnership with the Australian Business and Community Network continues as we have had some of our senior students meet with mentors and head into the city to meet them;
- Photo day on 24th February – Thank you to everyone who helped and ensured the day ran smoothly;
- Having a full Year 7-12 cohort of students. This is a remarkable achievement, especially given the circumstances throughout 2020 and 2021;
- VCE results from 2024 – a number of exceptional results, including study scores of 40+.
As we grow as a school and rapidly grow in numbers (at the time of this writing we have almost 1200 students!) a few reminders to parents/guardians as to how you can support your child and our community:
- Ensure you have a good routine for your child. Routines that are important to give your child the best chance of success are around homework time, preparing for the next day, good sleep hygiene and consistent bedtime, home rules around technology, and morning routines.
- Students should be arriving at school at approximately 8:30am. This gives them time to walk to their locker, get prepared for the day, have conversations and be lined up outside their Mentor Group room before 8:50am. Being on time and prepared is an important life skill for your child, assists them in self regulation as they do not feel rushed, and limits disruptions to their class community.
- Please drive safely and carefully on the roads, especially during school pick up and drop off time. Stopping in the middle of the road and encouraging your children to get in the car makes for a dangerous environment for all students and drivers. Therefore, it is vital that drivers park legally and come to a complete stop before students enter/exit the vehicle.
- Attendance is critical. All students should attend school for all school days. If there is an unavoidable appointment that results in non-attendance during part of the school day, please refer to the Compass post put out earlier this year. Absenteeism can increase social isolation, lack of engagement and peers leading to emotional and behavioural difficulties (Carroll, 2013; Gottfried, 2014). If you are struggling with getting your child to school please reach out to your child’s Mentor Group Teacher or the Year Level coordination team for support.
- Be aware of the technology that your child uses. It can be difficult to keep track of what technology is out there and the websites that children use. A great starting point is the esafety commission website
We encourage families to make contact with their child’s Mentor Group teacher should you have any questions or require support. We look forward to another successful year where students live and breathe our Behavioural Expectations of Aim High, Work Hard and Be Good.
Andrew Stock, Liam McKenna, Kyle Schutz, Samantha Steinkrug, Natalie Conboy & Angela Lane
Assistant Principals