From the Principal 

Open Night 

The College held our Open Night for prospective students and families on Wednesday 3rd May. We are thrilled to report the evening had an overwhelmingly positive response from prospective students and families. The Open Night was well-attended, and those attending had the opportunity to tour our facilities, meet our staff, and learn more about our vibrant academic program. Staff received many positive compliments on the work displayed and the overall atmosphere on the evening, and we are proud to have generated so much interest in our school. We look forward to welcoming many new students and families into the school community next year. 

Winter Additions to the School Uniform

We are excited to announce a new addition to our school uniform for winter - a college Puffer Jacket! The jacket will be available from our uniform supplier, Bob Stewart, from early June this year. The jackets are made of high-quality materials and feature our college emblem, a great way to show school pride while staying warm during the colder months. We encourage all students to consider purchasing one of these jackets to complement their winter uniform. It is important to note that only clothing that is listed as school uniform should be worn to school. 

Updating Contact and Medical Information

It is extremely important that parents and guardians advise the college of any changes to their address, contact numbers, and especially medical information for their children. Accurate and up-to-date information is vital in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of students while they are at school. In the event of an emergency, it is crucial that we have the correct contact details and medical information readily available. We encourage all parents and guardians to inform the college immediately of any changes to this information to ensure that we can provide the best possible care for our students.

Vaping and Chroming 

As a school community, we urge parents to have ongoing conversations with their young people about the dangers of vaping and chroming. These harmful habits can have serious health consequences and can lead to addiction and other negative outcomes. It is important for parents to be aware of the risks and to discuss these issues with young people in an open and supportive manner. By working together, we can help prevent these behaviours and promote the health and wellbeing of our students. 

We have included links to the relevant information parents and guardians should know. We appreciate the support of all parents in this important matter.

Chewing Gum 

I would like to bring to your attention a matter of concern regarding the use of chewing gum by students at school.

A parent recently inquired as to why chewing gum was not permitted at school. Chewing gum is not permitted in most schools, in fact, I do not know of a school that allows chewing gum. 

The reason chewing gum is not permitted at school is because some students do not dispose of the chewing gum in the correct manner. It ends up under tables, walkways and even spat out into urinals and toilet cubicles. This has caused significant disruption and damage to our facilities, creating a mess that is difficult, costly and time-consuming to clean up. I have taken a few photos to provide parents with the issues faced by our cleaners. 

As a result, we are seeking parents' support and request chewing gum (and similar) is not consumed at school. 

We would greatly appreciate your cooperation in this matter, and we thank you in advance for your support in maintaining a clean and safe learning environment for all of our students.

Communication and Compass

We cannot stress enough the importance of parents and guardians regularly checking Compass and reading Compass news feeds and emails for important information that they may be missing. Compass is our primary method of communication and we use it to advise of important updates, announcements, and information about your child's progress. While we do use our Facebook page to celebrate the college's achievements and progress, Compass is used specifically for relevant and timely communication with parents about their child. We encourage all parents and guardians to check Compass regularly to ensure that they are up to date with any important information that may affect their child's education and wellbeing.

In conclusion, we are pleased to report that there has been a positive and respectful interaction between students and their peers, as well as between students and teachers, since the start of Term 2. We are proud of our students for displaying excellent behaviour and upholding our school's values of respect, responsibility, personal best and sense of community. We hope that this positive trend continues throughout the term and we encourage parents to continue to reinforce these values at home. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated staff for their efforts in creating a positive learning environment and for their ongoing support of our students. Together, we can continue to ensure that our school is a safe, respectful, and welcoming place for all.

Regards

Karl Russell

Principal