From the Principal

Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholar Program

Congratulations to Georgia de Man who was this week notified she had been successful in receiving a place in the the Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars program for 2021. This program is offered to students in Year 10 and there were over 1600 applications. The applicants have the opportunity to form a supportive community with the other members of the program and members of Melbourne University through tailored events and activities. The first event is to be held on 10 December with an address from the former Vice-Chancellor and Program’s namesake, Professor Kwong Lee Dow.

Year 12

Year 12 Students who have chosen the scored pathway have now completed their final exams and the preparation and stress is now behind them. This week we have the Graduation Dinner for these students to celebrate their contribution to the school community and thank them for the way they have represented the school in a variety of roles. We are very proud of the young adults they have become and look forward to sharing in their success over the years ahead. 

Overseas Trips

This week 21 students from years 9-11 are preparing to go on the trip of a lifetime to Vietnam and Cambodia. This is an incredible opportunity for students to see first-hand what life is like in developing economies and to understand the history and challenges of this region.

At the same time, we have heard from our year 9 students who are in China and Hong Kong immersed in an intensive leadership and language program with students from all over Victoria. Our students are certainly very fortunate and our staff who work so hard to ensure these opportunities are to be congratulated. Thank you to Miss Adams for her organisation of the Vietnam trip and to Mr. Tan for his work in securing places on the China Leadership trip.

Changes & Updates

School Building

We have had some contractors in the school this week to begin preliminary undertakings in preparation for the building works to come hopefully in 2021. The plans are continuing to be refined with each meeting and we hope to be able to have an updated master plan to present to School Council and to the wider community in the near future. The current thinking is moving towards gaining the most from the $8.4 million promised to ensure we have a high quality functioning Health and PE facility, Arts (performing and fine) and technology to go with the planned new Science and Administration building. The HDSC will get an augmentation to make even greater use of the existing facility and create domestic versions to entice more students to move from food tech to hospitality and kitchen ops; woodwork to building; and metalwork to automotive and engineering. We are working closely with architects, the skills centre and the DET to get the most out of the funding for the long term benefit of the Hamilton community.

Middle Years Program

Our 2020 timetable is almost complete. New subjects developed and presented to students, staff and community, subject selections complete with student counselling, selections and timetables presented to students. We now await completed booklists and are planning to be able to direct even more resourcing into these learning areas whilst continuing to provide support for students excelling and those needing consolidation of basic literacy and numeracy skills.

Staffing

We have a small number of staffing changes for next year with Mrs Kym Dempsey who has been with our school for 30 years choosing to accept a position at Hamilton Alexandra College. We sincerely thank Kym for her professionalism, dedication and passion to teaching and her extensive work in the library during this time and wish her every success in the future. Mr. Phil Sanders has also accepted a part time position at Tarrington Lutheran College for 2020. Mr. David Phillips who last week welcomed his first child Floyd Conley Phillips to the family will be moving closer to Melbourne to take up a position at Padua College. Mr Paul Sutherland has also accepted a position at Good Shepherd College in 2020. We thank all of our staff for their enthusiasm, dedication and commitment and wish them every success. 

HDSC

Gilly and Lisa Guegan-Brown have almost completed delivering their certificate and non-certificate courses in remote indigenous communities and this has meant that the money earned can contribute towards the upkeep and ongoing costs of the skills centre now and into the future.