Principal's report

Term 1 is drawing to a close, and we are enjoying the warm start to autumn.  I am happy to report that the school has had a productive and engaging start to the year for staff and students. Some of the highlights in school events this term have been:

• Year 12 Retreat

• Year 7 Camp

• Swimming Carnival

• International Women’s Day (IWD) Breakfast

• Year 7 Family Picnic

• Pi Day

• Harmony Week

• House Cross Country

• the selection process of all our student leaders. 

The rehearsal and preparation for the annual school production, The Drowsy Chaperone, is in full swing and I can’t wait to see our talented students perform in week 3 next term. Please buy tickets! https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1557237 

Of special note this term was the launch of our Anti-Racism Policy, developed collaboratively by a team of students and staff. The launch was run in the hall with a special speaker, Ridmi Dolamulla from the Centre for Multicultural Youth, who spoke to over 120 student leaders about the importance of being racially literate and closing the “heart gap” with understanding about human stories and the “brain gap” where people know the facts about racism. 

She presented a compelling story about how important identity is for teenagers and the role of cultural identity, and many student leaders were able to contribute to her discussions about addressing this at school (and in the community).

School goals this term

Staff and school leaders have been focusing on establishing consistent routines, safe and supportive classrooms and on explicit teaching this term. As a school we are actively exploring the science of memory and learning and how it informs our teaching in the classroom. The plan is to also involve students (and parents) in learning about the key cognitive processes that make for effective learning. We will be hosting a morning tea for Years 7-9 parents in Term 2 with a focus on teaching and learning in this world of generative AI – a topic that many parents and carers are also very interested in as well.

Staff also attended a professional learning workshop on teaching students who are on the autism spectrum, facilitated by Dr. Richard Eisenmajor. We currently have about 65 students with an ASD diagnosis in the school.

Iranian students and support

The events occurring in the Middle East are having a significant impact on many of our Iranian staff and students. We have about 40 Iranian families in our school, and we know that these events cause worry for many other students too – especially if they are watching a lot of media about this. Students who are accessing support from the Wellbeing team are experiencing emotions such as:

• anxiety and constant worry about family

• vicarious trauma from news and social media

• survivor’s guilt and identity conflict

• stress within families

• social isolation and difficulty concentrating at school

• constant exhaustion and unable to find enjoyment in things that previously provided this.

The school is supporting these students and creating a safe drop-in space including lunchtime support sessions in the Wellbeing Hub. Please contact the relevant sub-school leader if you notice your child is worrying a lot about world events and it is impacting significantly on their health and wellbeing.