Principals Report

The first half of Term 4 has seen a range of exciting events and activities at Thornbury High School, including the End of Year Music Concert, the Graduate Art and Design Exhibition, and the Year 12 Media screening. Well done and congratulations to all the students who contributed to these three great events, and thank you to the THS staff members who supported them, in particular to Ms Sheraz Salama, Head of Visual Arts, and Ms Fi Parrey, Head of Performing Arts, for their leadership in planning and running these events. 

For our Year 12 students, the start of external exams in Week 4 was a source of nervous excitement as students prepared to respond to exam questions and essay prompts. In the three-hour long English exam, students were required to write three essays on topics related to the texts they have studied in class this year (the novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and the film High Ground), their chosen framework, as well as analysing arguments in a persuasive text. The feedback from our students this year was that the exam seemed fair and reasonable, with no nasty surprises; this is no doubt also a reflection of the quality of teaching in our Year 12 team. We wish students all the best for their last exams next week. 

As the Year 12 exams conclude, our Year 10 and Year 11 students begin their exam period, with plenty of opportunities for students to showcase what they have learned so far this year. Leading up to the exam is a busy period of revision and exam preparation. My advice to students at this stage of the year is to use the feedback you receive from your teachers to continue improving. Feedback can be incredibly helpful if we act on it; one academic in the field of education has described it as a ‘bridge between teaching and learning’. Sometimes, we resist using feedback for improvement as we fear that it implies criticism of us as individuals; however, feedback is given in the spirit of wanting to help us improve, so it’s worth considering it in the same light. 

One of the most joyful and rewarding aspects of working in a school is to play a part in young people growing up, becoming wiser and more resilient, resourceful and creative. Everyone working at THS believes in our students’ capacity to grow, learn and achieve success in different fields. On a daily basis, we see evidence of students engaging with complex learning tasks in class, responding to challenges, and helping others who struggle. This gives me great pride as the principal of this wonderful school.

At the end of this term, I am taking two weeks of long service leave to go travelling with my family before Christmas. During that time, Mr Ryan Millar will be the Acting Principal of THS. I thank him and all my colleagues for their work in my absence, and wish everyone in the THS community a great summer and a fantastic break from school and work. 

Lars Andersson

Principal