Assistant Principal's Report 

Week after week, amazing things are happening at East! This week’s highlights included the Level 3 Port Excursion, Prep Information Night, School Photo Day and our annual Cross Country. 

As a child, the very thought of the cross country filled me with fear. I found it hard to fall asleep the night before and my stomach churned from the moment I woke. This scenario, I am sure was relatable for many of our students this week. While there was no doubt a sense of excitement in the air Tuesday morning, the feelings of apprehension on some faces could not be missed.

Life is full of opportunities to step outside of our comfort zone and our cross country is one of these. It takes courage to do this and when our students do in fact take these opportunities, they then enter what is called the “growth zone”. By doing this they develop their resilience and ability to deal with challenges, they acquire new skills and develop a ‘can do’ mindset. 

On Tuesday, despite the trepidation, our students competed with gusto. They challenged themselves to go further than they had before, they kept going even when their lungs were burning and when a friend needed some extra encouragement, they were right there beside them. As a new Eastie, I can tell you now, I was bursting with pride and so thankful to be part of the day. 

So while as a school we could not be prouder of our winners, events like our cross country on Tuesday are about so much more than who crosses the finish line first. They are about being courageous, they are about our students having a go even when they are a little fearful, and when they do, it’s about coming out the other side a more confident and resilient person - maybe even with a newfound inner dialogue of “You know what, I can do that”. 

As always, we thank the wonderful Mr Holmfield for continuously providing these opportunities for our students, we thank the teachers for their assistance and above all, we thank our amazing students for giving it everything they had. Well done, Team East! 

Mr Hawthorn.