Principal's Post

So very proud!

Our swimmers did us proud with a sixth place in the ACC Championships C-Division this week and a strong performance in the pool (we were only five points behind Frederick Irwin school which finished fifth). Boston Kiely was the U15 Champion Boy and Anouk Potter the U17 Champion Girl. Anouk also took out a new 50m Butterfly Record (29.32) - the only new record to be set at the meet; an amazing effort, well done Anouk. 

A huge congratulations to the whole St George’s Swim Squad and to Ms Scheele, Miss Yoxall and Mr Sloan who dedicated so much of their time in leading the team through many hours of early-morning training sessions. Here’s to continuing to shine in the pool next year!

Last night we were delighted by the talent of our musicians at the Sounds at Sunset concert at the Royale Theatre at Planet Royale. I so love these opportunities to see our students perform on stage and thank Mrs Lynette Taylor for all her hard work in leading our Music Department to be performance ready. There was so much talent on show – it was indeed a vibrant and fun filled evening of musical merriment. 

Last week the school turned orange in support of Harmony Week. The theme for this year was ‘Everyone Belongs’. This is a mindset that is very much embodied within the St George’s School Community on a daily basis where we recognise that our many differences make our community richer and stronger. 

Our Community & Service Captain, Ava Watters, led two wonderful assemblies focused on the concept of harmony and what this means for us at St George’s. It was interesting to hear of the many different cultures represented so strongly amongst our staff and student body and to hear the fluency of languages spoken across Years 7 – 12 in St George’s family homes. Who knew that Mr Heath spoke French? My sincere thanks especially to Ava, but also to all our Student Leaders for leading these special assemblies.

The Friends of St George’s association has officially started. Congratulations to the following parents for being invited to join us on this journey – Mrs Tash Coombs (Coordinator), Ms Janelle Barnes (Assistant Coordinator), Mr David Cavanagh (Assistant Coordinator), Ms Sarah Yates (Year 7 Rep), Mrs Marije Potter-Verburg (Year 8 & Year 11 Rep), Ms Melanie Kiely (Year 9 Rep) and Mrs Rachel Scrimger (Year 10 Rep). I look forward to working with them in 2025 and beyond in bringing the Friends of St George’s to life. There will be several events scheduled for the year – so please do watch this space to get involved. 

Year 12s donned their 100 Days to Go T Shirts on Monday to signify this significant milestone in their final schooling journey - 100 school days until Valedictory. With Semester One Examinations and ESTs just around the corner for all our Year 12 students, it is a time of ensuring an organised study regime and renewed academic focus becomes the mindset for the Class of 2025. School holidays for them should be a balance of down time with family and friends as well as preparing for the academic demands of Term Two. Time spent in the holidays setting up a revision schedule, making sure their class notes are up to date and undertaking past papers will be hugely beneficial for their next steps in the completion of a successful Year 12.

The World’s Greatest Shave was another incredible event here at St George’s. A huge number of staff and students gathered on the roof top to shave their heads, cut their hair or shave their beards or moustaches all for a great cause. It was an amazing sight and a huge thanks goes to our barbers for the day – Aramis Surtees and Brayden Tan. All monies raised will be donated to The Leukemia Foundation. This year St George’s raised an incredible $15,027.85, an amazing amount for a school of just over 590 students. Huge thanks to Miss Sadie Yoxall who is the driving force behind our many diverse and varied Service-Learning Programs this year – she is doing an incredible job. 

(See more pictures of all these events throughout today's newsletter)

NAPLAN testing has now been fully completed. My thanks to Mrs Sharan Tagore and to the many NAPLAN trained staff who worked together to ensure its success. We will share the results with you once they arrive in School.

With only two weeks to go now till the end of Term One and Easter School Holidays, we still have plenty of events to fit in. The NWAS One Day Carnivals, Year 12 Outdoor Education Camp, Gandhi Charity Day Colour Run and a flurry of assessments, assignments and tests before the publication of the Term One interim reports. I look forward to seeing everyone finish off the term strongly and to continue to Find Their Brave by challenging themselves as we approach the end of Term One together.

My very best wishes to you all for the weekend that now awaits,

Mrs Tina Campbell

Principal