Principal's Report

This week sees us working towards the end of the Term One, with a number of events and activities that have been occurring over the past few weeks.

NAPLAN Testing

This year’s NAPLAN testing has just finished, after a longer than usual testing period needing to be undertaken due to national software and network issues. While it was problematic for all concerned, I am really proud of the patience and general effort by all staff and students as we worked through technical difficulties that were out of our control.

The general results will be used by our staff to better support students, whether that is through additional remedial or instructional supports or further enhancement/extension to ensure that student learning outcomes are maximised over time. It is also important to note that while Victoria is the highest performing state in terms of general NAPLAN outcomes, we certainly will not be using this data as a singular measure of performance, rather it is a diagnostic tool, to assist teachers with their future planning to meet the needs of all students.

Proactive Policing Sessions

Students have been able to recently attend a range of “Proactive Policing” sessions where elements of cyber-safety and being safe in the community were discussed.

This initiative is a Victoria Police intervention in local schools to alert students to the appropriate laws but also as a way to help them understand who they can contact if they are feeling unsafe, whether it is on-line or in the community. These sessions link generally to our pastoral care program to ensure that students are able to understand how to avoid potentially negative situations and/or who to talk to if the need arises.

School Carnivals

The recent Swimming and Athletics carnivals were also a huge positive with a large range of students and staff participating in the rich variety of events available. A number of school records were also broken in both carnivals, some of which were decades old, so there were some very excited students once they realised what they had achieved.

These whole school days will be followed up with a Cross-Country/Colour run on the last day of this term, with the top competitors in each age group, being given the opportunity to represent the school at further competitions into Terms 2 and 3. It was really pleasing to see students taking the opportunity to participate, regardless of ability or where they placed, ensuring that each day was maximised.

A big thank-you to all of the staff in attendance and those that helped organise and run the respective programs, events and activities.

Whole School Assembly

This week’s whole school assembly was also another really positive forum featuring a range of students being acknowledged for their work in classes and through their involvement in extra-curricular activities as well.

The assembly also gave students an opportunity to hear about the “World’s Greatest Shave”, which is a student led initiative to raise funds for cancer research and other related elements. Students were also recognised for the “Oberon Way” Awards where the following students were presented with achievement certificates highlighting the great work that they have been doing.

The students are as follows:

Mae Blowers 7B

Seth Freestone 8F

Abby Powell 10E

Lacey James 7B

Student Music Performances

The assembly also allowed one of our student bands “Electric Stardust” to officially release their new single “Tall Bike” which was well received by staff and students. 

This was followed by a terrific live musical performance by another of our student led bands, “State Of Mind” which further showcased the passion, commitment and talent of our students in our music program.

Community Engagement

As a final note, it was really fantastic to see so many parents in attendance at our assembly and this will be something that will occur for future whole school assemblies, so that parents and families can celebrate and see first-hand when students are recognised and acknowledged by the school for their efforts and achievements. 

As Principal, it is very important that our whole community is provided an opportunity to come together when we are highlighting the fabulous work that staff and students are doing throughout the year. I would also like to thank those parents who joined me after the assembly to discuss the school and the opportunities to improve into the future. This is always highly valued by myself, as a school leader, to ensure that we create a more vibrant and inclusive community.

Warren Dawson

Principal