Parent Update Term 2 Week 3

Principal's Message

Dear parents and carers

 

As we enter Week 4 of Term 2, the school is bustling with activity. There is a significant amount of hard work underway, along with notable evidence of impressive student learning and achievement. Senior students are focused on revision and preparing for assessments ahead of the Semester 1 exams scheduled for Week 5.

 

A reminder that Friday 30 May (Week 5) is a student-free School Development Day for staff.

 

Parent Update Surveys

At Applecross SHS, we value the partnership we have with you as parents and caregivers. We understand how important clear communication is in today’s fast-paced world, so we’re always looking for ways to improve our Parent Updates. Recently, we reached out and asked for your thoughts in a survey, and we were excited to receive 202 responses! The School Board is reviewing your feedback to make sure our updates are as helpful and relevant as possible. In the meantime, we'll be trying out some new formats to see what works best for everyone. Thank you for being such an important part of our community!

 

Some highlights from the survey:

  • 72% of respondents read every or most issues of the Parent Update
  • 92% of respondents find the content to be relevant
  • 92% believe that the main purpose of the publication is to keep parents informed about school events and updates.
  • 87% think the overall quality of the publication is good.
  • Only 22% want a text message reminder about new editions.
  • 66 parents provided written responses with suggestions about changes required or ways to improve the publication.

 

Parent Teacher Meetings

We recently held our first Parent-Teacher Meeting for 2025, and it was heartening to witness such strong parental engagement. Parents expressed positivity regarding their child’s learning experience, praised the teachers’ organisation, and appreciated the quality of information shared during the interviews.

 

We want to ensure that Parent-Teacher Meetings continue to be an important feature of our partnership with parents and caregivers. The School Board will be discussing feedback (from parent surveys) and making recommendations to ensure that the format and organisation of this important activity are meeting your needs.

 

Year 12 Mentors Foster Meaningful Connections with Year 10 Students

During a recent Parent-Teacher event, 85 Year 12 students volunteered their time to support more than 200 Year 10 students. The innovative format resembled ‘speed dating,’ where Year 12 students rotated to engage with different Year 10 groups every 10 minutes over a span of two hours. The quality of discussions was outstanding, and the feedback from both groups of students was overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the significant benefits they gained from the morning session. Although undoubtedly tiring for the Year 12 participants, many found it to be an enjoyable and fulfilling experience.

 

At Applecross SHS, we celebrate these intergenerational connections. Kudos to our Year 12 mentors for making a difference! 

 

National Volunteer Week 19-25 May

National Volunteer Week is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering and will be held on 19-25 May 2025. This special event highlights the important role of volunteers in our community and invites people not currently volunteering to give it a go. Subscribe to VA News for the latest updates.

 

Our school community benefits enormously from the large number of parents and other community members who donate their time, expertise and energy for the benefit of our students. These volunteers include members of the Applecross SHS P&C (and the various sub committees); the School Board; those who work in the Canteen amongst many others. We wish to acknowledge all our volunteers and the school P&Cs for making an enormous contribution to our school community. 

 

Friday 23 May is P&C Day WA 

This day, created by WACSSO, is an official date in the Department of Education calendar and is designed to celebrate P&Cs across the State. Many community members will know of the vital work done by P&Cs. Typically, P&Cs provide schools with support, including fundraising, community events, classroom resources, running canteens and uniform shops, and, importantly, improving parent engagement with children’s education and building the school community. P&Cs also have special interest sub-committees that focus on, for example, a sport, the music program, the school grounds, or school community engagement areas such as fathers’ groups.

 

Free Flu Vaccines

 

The West Australian State Government has announced free flu vaccines available with participating immunisation providers to those aged 6 months and over from 1 May to 30 June 2025. Influenza, or the flu, is a highly contagious infection of the airways. It can sometimes cause very serious illness in otherwise healthy people. Yearly influenza (flu) vaccinations are recommended for all people aged 6 months and over. 

 

Paul Leech, Principal