Principals Report
Term 1 is ending this week with our two days of Parent Teacher Student conferences - one day onsite and one day online. Our team of hard-working and committed teachers have completed progress reports on students’ learning habits in class and the progress of their learning so far this year. The upcoming conferences will be a great opportunity to consider and reflect on students’ growth this term, as well as to discuss opportunities for further learning in Term 2.
A particular focus for us this year is attendance, as we know that students benefit from attending school regularly and not missing any lessons unless absolutely necessary. Every lesson counts, and staying home from school when we feel low may reinforce a sense of school being too hard or challenging. Please reach out to our sub-school coordinators if you need our support in coming to school regularly or not missing classes.
This term has been busy and productive, with two very successful cohort camps: the Year 11 trip to Canberra, and the Year 7 camp at Lake Dewar Lodge. The feedback from staff and students in relation to both camps was extremely positive, and I’m very appreciative of the efforts of all staff members involved in planning and running these two camps, under the leadership of Mr Tom Ding (Head of Year 11 & 12) and Mr Pieter Oosterloo (Head of Year 7), respectively.
Ending Term 1 with our first ‘Echoes of Strawbale’ concert felt very opportune and appropriate, as this event celebrates student learning in Performing Arts, with the participation of so many of our students in these performances. As always, the standard of playing at this concert was very high, and students brought a great deal of enthusiasm, passion and skill to their performances. Thank you to everyone in Performing Arts, under the leadership of Ms Fiona Parrey, for their efforts in relation to this concert.
An enjoyable part of my role as the principal of THS is to be able to showcase our wonderful school to visitors, including on school tours for families every Tuesday morning. I also had the opportunity recently to show THS off to the Federal Minister of Education, Mr Jason Clare, as well as the Federal MP for Cooper, Ged Kearney. The Minister has now announced a new funding deal which will mean that all public schools in Australia will be fully funded to the level set by the Gonski reforms by the end of 2034.
We also recently welcomed a group of school leaders from the Footscray Learning Precinct, who were here at THS to find out more about our Italian immersion program, as they are planning to create a similar bilingual program at their high school. In that meeting, they were able to hear not only from our Head of Languages, Ms Alessandra Borg, and Italian teacher, Mr Max Tosi, but also from a group of students who are enrolled in the Italian immersion program. These students explained the incredible impact the program has had on their learning, not just in Italian but also more broadly at THS. This is a unique and wonderful opportunity for students to immerse themselves in Italian culture and language, broaden their horizons and embrace a global perspective.
As we move into school holiday mode, I encourage all of our students to take some time this period to rest, relax, and recharge their batteries. This is a perfect time for long walks in the autumn sunshine, or curling up on the couch with a great novel. I wish you all a great school holiday period and look forward to seeing staff and students back onsite at THS on Tuesday, 22nd of April after the public holiday.
Lars
Princip