Principal's Message
Mrs Josie Crisara
Welcome
Welcome back to what will be a great 2018. We welcome our new families as well as our existing families. We are celebrating 20 years of Aitken College this year with a Gala Dinner to be held on Friday 22 June. All current and past parents, staff and alumni are welcome to attend - please save the date.
Prep 2018
Our Prep students commenced last Friday and it was an exciting but emotional time for all. This year the event was marked with the first children of past students commencing in Prep. How exciting is that.
Prayer
This prayer was shared with the primary students but applies to all.
Dear Jesus
Be with us this day as we gather to bring Your blessing upon our school.
Bless each one of us as we enter this school bringing our joys and sorrows.
Bless our friendships as we become a family of friends.
Bless our learning as we work hard with our teachers.
Bless our family as we share and learn together.
Bless each person who enters our school that they may share in the joy and happiness that comes from You.
We ask this, through You Jesus.
In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen
2018 Theme
My theme for the year is 'Teams Achieve'. I spoke to staff about this in their day to day practice and to the Year 12 students on how working together they can achieve great things and this will be my focus at the Parent Information evenings.
Year 12 Conference
The Year 12 Conference focused on setting up the year for students. A number of Aitken Alumni students attended and gave some salient advice:
- Stay focused
- Work hard
- Make the most of opportunities
- Take care of yourself and friends
- Limit the use of social media to avoid distractions
- Avoid the dramas that might occur during the year; people will not care in 12 months time
- Get sleep, find optimal levels so you can concentrate and study
- Have breaks, play sport, listen to music
- Study for exams, practice questions and practice exams
- Enjoy every moment because you will miss it
- Stress is overrated, if you sleep well, eat well and work hard
- Time management is a key
Subject Awards Year 12 Class of 2017
At the Brookhill Assembly we celebrated subject achievements from the Year 12 class of 2017. The following students were awarded subject awards for being the highest achieving students.
We congratulate Amanda Moore on being the recipient of the Long Tan Award for her leadership and community spirit. Along with acknowledging Brian Chan who was our Dux achieving an ATAR of 99.75; we had two students who achieved perfect study scores of 50; Matthew Shaw in VET Music and Robert Northby in Further Mathematics.
Year 12 Tertiary Destinations
128 students were in the class of 2017 (117 VCE and 11 in VCAL). The graphs below show details of destinations, institutions and fields of study. As you can see, with such a large cohort, students follow many different pathways based on their interests and careers aspirations. We wish them well as they journey into the next phase of their lives.
Roads and Traffic
Thank you for your patience and consideration regarding traffic both within the College grounds and its surrounds. Our main aim is to ensure the safety of all members of the community. Please be vigilant and drive safely.
Hume City Council has installed a school crossing in the Providence Estate. We thank them for these works. Parents are asked to reinforce with their children that they must use the crossing to traverse Positano Grove.
Please continue to write to authorities regarding the duplication of Mickleham Road.
This week I received the letter below from the Roads Minister in response to an email I sent last year.
Dear Ms Crisara
Thank you for your email of 31 October 2017, regarding traffic congestion on Mickleham Road, Greenvale. I apologise for the delay in responding.
The Andrews Labor Government recognises that residents in Greenvale and Yuroke encounter traffic congestion on the road network and is working closely with key stakeholders, including the Hume Council, on various transport priorities. Mickleham Road is recognised as one of these roads.
VicRoads has recently undertaken traffic modelling investigations for Mickleham Road to monitor current traffic volumes, and to assist in a better understanding of forecast traffic volumes in the future. In addition, initial planning investigations (e.g. Cultural and European heritage and environmental investigations) have begun on these roads.
These investigations are important to ensure that potential future upgrades will mitigate any impacts on the surrounding area.
Work has also begun on the Mickleham interchange as part of the Citylink Tulia Widening project to reduce congestion and make it easier for road users to access the Tullamarine Freeway.
Any further improvement proposals for Mickleham Road will be considered for funding in a future program. In the meantime, VicRoads will continue to monitor the matters you have raised.
Hon Luke Donnellan MP
Minister for Roads and Road Safety
30/1/2018
2018 BHP Billiton Teacher Award Winner
The 2018 National Winner was awarded to Dr Adele Hudson. We congratulate her on this wonderful achievement. See attached for more details.