Principal's Report
Year 2018
What a great Year 2018 was, but next year will be even better!
And just like that the 2018 school year is almost over! This time last year I attended my first official school function as a guest at the Grade 6 parent information night the day before orientation day. I was excited then about working at Wantirna College, and I’m even more excited now 12 months on. Every day I work with exceptionally talented leaders, teachers and students, and I am absolutely convinced that we are headed in the right direction and will continue to achieve great things in the future. Our challenge next year is to go one step further, to achieve more, to raise the bar even further and that is one goal I will be focussed on delivering throughout next year. I can promise you there will be some exciting things happening in 2019!
Celebrating achievement
It was a genuine thrill to attend the awards night this week and recognise the significant achievements of many of our students. Whether it be academic achievements, commitment to and success at extra-curricular events or the extraordinary leadership that our students demonstrate on a daily basis, it was great to be at an event with teachers, family and friends to celebrate an amazing year. Significant events like awards night remind us that our students are capable of doing anything they set their mind to and I continue to encourage them to challenge themselves, to raise the bar and to do everything they can to realise their dreams!
Farewells
As is often the case at this time of year a number of staff are leaving us to take up new opportunities. I would like to say farewell and thank the following staff on behalf of our whole school community for their significant contribution to the college in their time here: Samantha King, Emily Peach, Courtney Lever, Desmond Potts, Jimmy La, Ron King and Marten Visser. These staff have all left a lasting legacy and will be missed by students and staff alike. In particular Marten Visser’s leadership and influence on our Music and Performing Arts program over many years has been profound and he has been a key part of its success and growth in that time. Thank you and good luck to all staff on the next part of your journey.
Finally I wish all members of our College community a Merry Christmas and I hope in particular that our students and staff enjoy a great break!
Year 12 Results
The wait was finally over for our Year 12 students last Friday when they received their ATAR and subjects results for 2018. Many of our year 12 students received outstanding results with Andrew Zheng, the College DUX recording an ATAR score of 97.45. I congratulate Andrew on the dedication and commitment that was required to achieve this result. This year we also had a 30% increase in the number of students receiving an ATAR in the 90’s. These students who completed an outstanding year of study, will be recognised in 2019 on our Honour Roll. The ATAR is just a number however and does not define who a person is or what they will become. All of our graduating Year 12 students have some exciting opportunities and challenges ahead of them.
Top Design
A huge congratulations to Brandon Wong of Year 12 who has just been accepted into the Top Design exhibition. This is a massive accomplishment as his design project of a remote controlled boat was considered from among 1,000 other projects. We were excited when he was on the shortlist of 200 and were thrilled today when he was announced as one of the 8 final entrants.
Brandon will be invited to a morning tea at the Top Design exhibition with the Minister for Education in January next year. Recognition of achievement and opportunities like this open up doors for students in relation to their potential Pathway.
Congratulations should also go to Brandon's teacher Mr Lewis for the teaching and support he has offered to Brandon over the two year journey in Systems Engineering.
Kevin Murphy
Principal