Dear Families,

Another month, another incredible range of achievements and reasons for which to be proud of our students and our staff.

Again, our Chief Examiner for the Year 12 exams has praised the exemplary conduct of our students who have now completed this important period of their lives. We have celebrated with them at Valedictory, please see my speech reproduced below. We urge families to stay in touch with us over the next weeks so that we can do what we do so well with every young person – assist them with opportunities to come. Our year 10 and 11s have now commenced their exam period, and we wish them well.

Also within, you will find details of the wonderful visit to the college by four schools from Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. We are the only school visited by these excellent young people, who were accompanied by their teachers. The Japanese school staff spoke to me in the deepest gratitude for the experience of warmth and welcome offered by our staff and students. We have made close friends with these school communities and hope that our established bond will mean that students might consider studying with us one day….and even that we may visit Japan. That would be fabulous. See within the great learning experiences enjoyed by our visitors. I want to thank our whole community for their warm welcome – we really did put our collective best feet forward – and I very much want to thank Long Van Smith, Beatrice Smardenkas of our International Program, Our Food Technology and Music staff who – as always – went above and beyond with outstanding experiences, and also Peter Olah who shared ‘Aussie Slang’ with our visitors. The workshops also had a theme presenting Indigenous heritage, and we are grateful to the dancers from Indigenous Outreach who joined us on the day. It was also great to be joined by our Senior Education Improvement Leader from the Department of Education and Training, Pauline Rice, and also the team from the International Division of DET, Nicole Ellis, and Anne Ha.

I have also reproduced below the moving presentation provided by our student leaders for Remembrance Day. While our year seven students assembled at the flagpoles during the ceremony and observed the laying of the wreath, our senior students conducted the official ceremony over the speak system for all students to hear. Congratulations to our whole community for the dignified way all attended to this important ceremony.

We are looking forward to welcoming our new year 7 students into the college both at our Information Evening and during Orientation. Very exciting times indeed.

Our Careers and Pathways team continue to create wonderful real-world opportunities for students across the College.

For example, our Adrian Ellul of year 11 has recently completed a placement with Barrister, William Blake (Criminal Law specialist in the Supreme Court, Victoria). Adrian spent two weeks in Chambers and a good deal of time observing the operations of the Supreme Court. We thank William Blake for this outstanding opportunity, and we warmly congratulate our careers team.

Year 12 Valedictory Speech 2022

College Council President, Robyn Bogeovski, Members of Council, Members of the College Executive (Assistant Principal, Selen Atilla, Business Manager John Bourikas), Senior School Leader Anna Cerritelli, Year 12 Leader, Andrew Sivakumaran, Our wonderful College Staff who are with us here or with us in spirit tonight – you have all played a part in making this evening happen for our students, Distinguished Guests, The many family members joining to us to honour and celebrate the achievements of these exceptional young people we now see before us,……..and…….Most importantly, Our Lalor North Secondary Graduating Class of 2022!!!

We are all invested - everyone here - in this great partnership of learning - Educators, Students and Families – we all share a dream that our young people are empowered by feelings of hope for the future, possessed of a gradually rising self-awareness and belief that they can make positive contributions in their community and to their society, that they can find a sense of connection and meaning in the things they pursue and continue into the world able to be secure in their imagination, belief and courage for a world that is better because they are in it.

I want to say that this is an absolute truth for every year 12 student. Everyone has given it their all, or all they have been able to give at this time and you have made it through what can be one of the most challenging times of life. What’s more, you’ve done it with courtesy, respect for others, balancing many challenges, and with kindness, with support for your friends. We all want you to know that friends family and I join with everyone here in thanking our year 12 students, and congratulating each one of you, deeply, on the achievement of being here this evening.

For we educators – in our many roles – the opportunity to make a difference with these things for our young people is an incredible privilege and is why tonight is so special to us, We stand with your families in honouring you tonight – your night.

I want to say, also, that for a group of students impacted by lockdown and the historic (perhaps once in a lifetime) impact of the pandemic, you really are true survivors.

I want you also to extend this sense of kindness you all have, to yourselves in the weeks and months to come. Be positive, you are great young people. When your results roll in …there will be great excitement in achievement among you and there will…inevitably…be some disappointment here and there – I say – welcome to the wonderful challenge of life because in both high achievement and disappointment there is just more learning and more opportunity. You will all find your way – in your way – and I want you to know that we are here for you at Lalor North Secondary College – I’ve said it many times – we have deeply caring staff, and we have the best pathways team in the business – so make use of us in coming weeks and months ahead. We will be with you.

Most importantly, thank you, one and all for making our community a better place over the last six years – for making our school a nice place to be because you’ve been here. And remember – you will always be welcome at Lalor North because you will always be part of us. Thank you all, also, for welcoming me so warmly into your college as your Principal this year. I started my career in my mid-30s (there’s hope for all of us) in education as a student teacher right here at our college. Tonight is something of a career highlight to be here with you – so thank you.

I want to thank Selen Atilla, my wonderful partner in education here at our College, and I deeply want to thank Anna Cerritelli and Andrew Sivakumaran for all their work over the year to assist you – they have been absolutely incredible , all the staff behind the scenes who have brought this evening together, all of our wonderful staff that have played a part in your education…..and I want you to reflect on this….

‘THE FUTURE IS NOT SOME PLACE WE ARE GOING, IT’S SOMETHING WE ARE CREATING

‘THE PATHS ARE NOT TO BE FOUND, BUT MADE, AND THE PROCESS OF CREATING THEM

CHANGES BOTH THE MAKER, AND THE DESTINATION’

John Schaar.

Have a wonderful evening

Timothy Cottrell

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