From the Principal

Welcome to Term 4. The final chapter in the current school year, and a time where not only are students and staff concentrating on enjoying the current program, but also starting to look forward to what’s next.

Weeks 1 – 7 students will be completing their current school year. In weeks 8 – 10 students will complete a Headstart program where they will have a taste of what 2024 looks like. There is a new timetable, new classes, and new teachers for the students to become familiar with.

This term, Year 7 and 8 students have gala sport days, and other House activities to look forward to. Year 9 students are currently on camp and get to participate in the first ever Auburn High Innovation Sprint promoting entrepreneurial thinking and creativity. Year 10 students have a Time and Space event soon where they will work with their families to plan for the next two years of senior school. Then their work experience placements are in the first week of December which is a fantastic time to experience a profession or vocation that may provide focus or purpose to senior school studies. I did a week of PE teaching in 1983 and look where that took me!! Year 11 students will soon become our senior students, and will be asked to design their 2024 purpose, goals, and student leadership positions. School Captain and other leadership roles will be advertised soon.

In this phase of the year, we continue our focus on supporting students to get the most out of their school experience. High quality academic progress, social development and an increased perspective on activities and opportunities available to them. The staff will continue to offer extra-curricular activities, social opportunities within the school program and targeted academic support. One aspect of this academic support is the promotion of effective learning behaviours, and the positive reinforcement of community values. Page 2 of the Term 3 reports provides a chart of our learning behaviours and what the desired actions are. I encourage you to have a look through these and discuss them with your child. There are some specific, measurable, and attainable habits that are outlined. The old saying ‘concentrate on the process, and the results will look after themselves’ is relevant to conversations that take place. We encourage the students to identify these as strategies to improve, and affirmation of things they are doing well.

Final Preparation of our Year 12 students

Over the holidays, our Year 12 students sat practice exams at Swinburne Senior Secondary College, which replicated the conditions they will be sitting in the November end-of-year exams. This is a very important experience for our students to have, as it helps them reflect on their time management during the exam, on planning and ensures they are more comfortable in exam conditions. This is particularly true for our Year 11 students completing Year 12 subjects. Robyn Yeung, our chief VCAA exam supervisor, was in charge and she also got to know the students who she will see again for the real deal in a few weeks time. Teachers have been providing students with extensive feedback on their performance and areas they can further focus on. The level of support provided by our Year 12 teachers during the holidays has been fabulous. Next week we are holding our Year 12 farewell assembly, valedictory awards and dinner. I congratulate our Year 12 class for their hard work and progress so far this year and wish them all the best over the coming exam period. They need to plan their revision time carefully, access their teachers and maintain a positive perspective. I would like to thank our Year 12 teachers for all their work throughout the year and particularly at this time of year which is very demanding.

During the holidays

Jean Zhang, International Student Coordinator, and myself attended a state reception celebrating the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, on the invitation of a parent at the school. Mr Xiaodong CHEN, Deputy Consul-General, and his wife, Mrs Ying Xiao. Both work at the Chinese embassy and their son is a student at Auburn. The event showcased art, culture, dance and music. The Acting Consul-General of China in Melbourne, Mr Zeng Jianhua, spoke of the history of China and the long term relationship between the two countries. Beginning in gold rush times, the relationship has taken many forms and, as we are all aware, the Chinese community plays a significant role in our multi-cultural society. Jean, and myself would like to thank the Deputy Consul-General and his wife for their invitation and ongoing interest in our school.

Thank you for reading and until next time,

Ross Pritchard