Head of Secondary
A highlight of the last two weeks across our secondary school was our annual Cathedral Service held at St Paul’s Cathedral in the city on Thursday 05 May. After the last two years of challenge, it was such a delight to have our entire secondary school together, along with family and other members of the wider community to celebrate this occasion in one of the most beautiful cathedrals in our city. The acoustics within the building highlighted the amazing vocalists, both solo and large group, that we have, along with our instrumentalists. Our school leaders led the service wonderfully, along with Reverend Alison Andrews who was responsible for putting everything together for this wonderful occasion. The Reverend Dr John Capper spoke wonderfully to everyone around “Dear God, love the world” and how we as individuals can in return love our world and the people within it. It was a beautiful service that really is one of our highlights of the year.
Year 8 Camp
Our Year 8 students have returned from an amazing experience last week in the Grampians National Park in western Victoria. They were incredibly fortunate with the weather considering the risk faced at this time of year, with only showers occurring on the morning of Friday their last day. Staff were so impressed with their efforts and achievements throughout the week including their physical abilities, their commitment to trying new things and more importantly their support and care for each other during the week. Our camps program through the Middle Years is a sequential program that provides great learning experiences for our students in outdoor activities, whilst also helping to develop their sense of independence, commitment and responsibility. Following their Year 8 experience, our students are very well placed for the Year 9 Challenge Program that includes three week-long camps throughout the year. A huge thank you to Ms Emma Lowing and her team of staff who also commit and sacrifice an incredible amount to help provide this learning opportunity for our students.
NAPLAN
The week of NAPLAN has been completed across the country and I would like to express my gratitude to the students for the way in which they went about completing their different assessments. We regularly discuss with students that events like NAPLAN and other associated assessments provide them with the opportunity to practice particular skills that they are developing throughout their schooling journey, whilst also understanding that regardless of results, if they have applied themselves to the best of their ability then they can be holding their heads up high. This “best effort” approach is something we encourage them to apply to everything they do: on the sports field, in their homework, whilst on camp or on the stage. If they continue to approach each opportunity with the outlook of doing their best, this approach quickly becomes habitual to them and will go a long way to helping them achieve success later in school and beyond.
I would like thank Mrs Alison Bezaire, our Director of Studies, Mrs Jodi Rogers and our IT team who have worked tirelessly to ensure the smooth execution of the online NAPLAN again this year.
Examination revision
Our Year 10 and 11 staff and students have been continuing their work around preparing students for their upcoming examinations during the week beginning Monday 30 May. For that week our Year 10 and 11 students will have a study day on Monday, with examinations beginning on Tuesday 31 May. Teaching staff have been discussing with their student’s subject specific content relevant to their examinations, whilst also providing revision techniques and material. This has also been covered through pastoral sessions with YLCs and Mentors continuing the guidance and education around approaching these types of assessments. Students are aware of which subjects they will be doing examinations in with the actual timetable for the examinations being released to students at some point next.
Year 9 House Showdown
As part of our Year 9 pastoral program, one of the exciting events we run is our House Showdown. This event is a combined gender event where students work in House groups to put together a dance/musical performance based on a particular theme. This year the theme is “the letter B, C and D” and as part of their production, students are also raising money for a particular charitable organisation with Beyond Blue being this year’s charity.
The activity culminates in a performance evening on Thursday 26 May where each House will compete on stage to see who will be judged the 2022 House Showdown winners. Parents and friends are invited to the event to help celebrate their efforts whilst also helping to raise money for Beyond Blue.
Senior Library
As the winter months approach and with it comes the colder days, longer and earlier darkness, a reminder to students and families that our Senior Library in our Resource Centre is a wonderful place for all secondary students to be going at any time. Students can attend before school, during classes or breaks and after school as well. Opening hours are from 7:30am Monday – Friday and closing time is 5:30pm Monday – Thursday, and 4:30pm on a Friday.
GEM Day – Year 7s, 8s & 9s
On Tuesday 24 May we have our first Middle School GEM Day for 2022. For this day each year level will be involved in a variety of activities around their pastoral program including The Man Cave for Year 7 & 8 boys, and the Butterfly Foundation for Year 7 & 8 girls, and activities around the Duke of Edinburgh and House Showdown for our Year 9s.
