Principal's Message
Storm Event and Recovery
Last week certainly delivered a range of weather conditions and our thoughts go out to those in our community impacted. From high temperatures on Monday and Tuesday to the storm that blew through on Tuesday evening leaving a trail of destruction behind to be dealt with on Wednesday morning.
In addition to the fallen trees, water damage and broken fences across the school site, we found ourselves without power, phone service and the internet. The inability to communicate on Wednesday morning added another layer of complexity to the situation.
The response and support from the whole school community that followed the storm event to ensure we were back to full classes operating on Friday was remarkable. My sincere thanks to:
- Staff who worked hard to clear and repair grounds and buildings.
- Parents and community members who offered help and encouragement.
- Contractors who worked above and beyond to help us out in a tight timeframe.
- Students who were patient and supportive and who looked after each other.
School Captain Meeting
It is my pleasure to announce that in 2024 Latrell will represent the Clontarf Boys as the Clontarf Captain and that Lola will be Girls at the Centre Captain. Congratulations to these two outstanding students and thank you for your leadership across the College.
Lola and Latrell joined John, Lara, Darcy and Taj on Friday at our first School Captain meeting of the year. Student leadership roles, meeting agendas and frequency were established ahead of a busy school year. This is an outstanding group of young leaders who represent the College with pride and compassion.
Student Absences
It is important that students are attending school and maximising their engagement and learning. There will be times when your child will be absent from school. Can parents and carers please notify the College if your child will be/is absent from school. The Department of Education requires schools to account for, and follow up, on all unexplained absences. Being proactive in notifying student absences helps us support students.
Swimming Sports
An unwanted outcome of last week’s storm was the closure of the Outdoor Pool in Bairnsdale which meant that our school swimming carnival had to be cancelled. We have received student feedback asking if we are able to reschedule and make this happen. Although it is a tight turnaround before the next level of interschool swimming competition, we are pleased we are able to hold the carnival this coming Tuesday 27th February and the forecast looks perfect! See our Sports page for more info.
Kindest,
Tony Roberts