Principal Report

A message from the Principal

Ms Nerina Pretlove

Here we are, just passed the halfway mark of Term 1, with Year 7 having settled in and Year 12 moving through their last months of secondary schooling.  We have asked a lot of our students in these first few weeks including remaining in their year groups in the playground, staying in one classroom with teachers coming to them, wearing of masks to limit the transmission of Covid-19….. and then the rain came! I have to thank our students and staff who have managed these times so well to ensure that teaching and learning has continued no matter what challenges have arisen.

We have planned for an exciting year ahead and now that many of the measures have been lifted by NSW Health, we can begin to open our school to the wider community.  Our Year 7 students and their parents and carers have missed out on the usual transition program that runs during Years 5 and 6 due to the pandemic. With that in mind, we invite those who have students who commenced high school in Year 7 to an open evening for a BBQ, casual meet the teachers and a special seminar relating to the importance of sleep and the impact of social media on getting those precious 8 hours.  You will also be able to collect your Year 7 child’s interim report which will reflect how they have settled into school.

For quite a while, we have been concerned about the impact of mobile phone and social media on students’ learning and their wellbeing.  As we have previously announced, we have invested in the Yondr program and it has been in place since day one of this year.  Students have the choice to place their phone in the Yondr pouch and secure it for the day or bring their device to a DP to be locked in our specialised phone lockers to be picked up at the end of the school day.

Reports from students have indicated that their classrooms are more settled and that they are not missing their phones and the constant interruptions. Teachers have reported that they have up to 10 minutes extra for every hour of learning as they no longer have to spend valuable time dealing with phone usage in their classrooms.  Whilst that may not seem like much - over a term it amounts up to 41 extra hours! I thank you for your support in this matter and I am sure that you would agree that such an impact is positive for your child’s learning.

Our long awaited 2021 Year 12 Graduation and Formal are coming up soon. We are excited to catch up with our students and to see them, in their graduation gowns, walking across the stage in celebration of what was an incredible journey over the last two years of their schooling.  They have demonstrated resilience and tenacity which will set them right for their future lives.

We have welcomed many students from Afghanistan into our Intensive English Centre (IEC) over the past weeks.  As a result of the closures of the borders due the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of students in the IEC shrank to a few.  However, with the crisis in Afghanistan and now the increase in migration, we have full classes with more commencing in coming weeks. The critical situation in Ukraine may see us welcoming more students from war torn countries. I acknowledge the tremendous work done by staff in the IEC, led by Deputy Principal Mrs Liau, to support these students and provide them with a firm beginning to their schooling in Australia.

Subject selection processes for Year 10 students going into their HSC studies in 2023 will commence at the end of this term and be finalised early Term 2. We are excited about the range of subjects and opportunities in the patterns of study that will be available to support our senior students as they move towards their post schooling destinations. There will be information evenings for parents and students to speak with HSC teachers, ask questions and hear more about the exciting initiatives happening at Evans to provide your child with a supportive and student-centred journey through the HSC.

Whilst I would like not to have to speak about Covid, we have experienced an outbreak in the school since the wearing of masks is no longer mandatory. I encourage students and staff to continue to wear masks and request that you keep your child at home if they exhibit any flu like symptoms.  We have extra RAHT (Rapid Antigen Home Testing) Kits and plenty of masks available to students at the Front Office. 

Please keep yourself and yours safe,

Nerina Pretlove    

Principal