From the Principal

It has been another busy and exciting week at the College. On Tuesday, we celebrated the opening of the new Secondary learning space with a Dedication Assembly, cutting of the ribbon and a BBQ lunch for all students. This has been a wonderful addition to the College. The development consists of three spacious classrooms, locker areas for Year 8-10 students, an outdoor seating area, bathrooms and a large open grassed area. This area will be especially good in winter as it is bathed in sunshine but is protected from the prevailing winds.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we have had teams attend the Da Vinci Decathlon at the Hutchins School. The Decathlon is a demanding team competition. Students are required to complete a series of challenge tasks in key disciplines, including English, Mathematics, Science, Engineering, Ideation (creative problem solving), Art and Poetry.

This is the first time SCC has participated in the Decathlon. I want to commend the students who were invited to participate on their willingness to try something new and to be open to stretching themselves academically. Staff accompanying the teams have praised their outstanding teamwork and determination. They certainly appeared exhausted when they returned at the end of an intense day.

We also had a group of 10 students participate in the Southern Schools Chess Tournament. We participated in this activity for the first time last year. Mr Richardson was very proud of the way the students represented the College. Congratulations to Jethro Sih who was recognised for being the most improved competitor. Everyone is eager to continue their Chess development.

It was a delight to see our Junior soccer teams hit the field last weekend, especially to see those who were giving it a try for the first time. There were others who played last year who have improved markedly in twelve months.

Our Year 6 students have been involved in a special celebration day to mark the end of their novel study. They have engaged in a range of activities that are informed by the novel. This has been a fun way to end the learning sequence.

I wish all our students a safe and refreshing holiday break. I hear often from our students that what they enjoy most is putting learning into action. The term break is the perfect opportunity for them to do this. I hope they spend some of the time engaging in their own personalised learning activities. It could be trying a new sport or leisure activity, a new craft, cooking, photography, digital design, gardening or woodwork. I would love to see the results when school returns.

Jodie Bennett

Principal