Leadership Report

Well, it certainly wasn’t a normal week at Newlands, so this isn’t going to be a normal Leadership Report!

I simply want to start by saying a massive congratulations to Karren and our Specialist Team for putting together such an incredible production at the Darebin Arts Centre this week. The amount of hard work that has taken place throughout the year was evident in every part of the show, and it all came together through some truly incredible performances.

This week was a wonderful showcase of the creative side of Newlands. From watching our Foundation students simply build the confidence to walk onto a stage and perform in front of more than 400 people, through to seeing students across the school singing, dancing, acting and playing instruments with such passion and confidence, it was an incredibly proud moment for our school and community. A massive congratulations to every one of our students for the way they embraced the experience.

I have said this already, but it deserves to be said again: thank you to all of our main actors for the weeks and countless hours they put into learning their lines, movements and cues, and understanding when to emphasise a phrase or bring emotion into their characters. Their commitment was extraordinary. Thank you also to our student helpers who learnt the younger grades’ dances, encouraged our younger students and made sure everyone was in the right place at the right time. And to our stagehands working behind the scenes, running around with props and ensuring everything was ready to go on cue. Backstage really was a well-oiled machine!

A huge thank you also needs to go to all of our teachers, who once again gave up their time to make an event like this possible. Being downstairs trying to keep hundreds of excited students quiet and calm while they wait for their opportunity to perform probably deserves a degree in itself! Thank you to every staff member for the work they put into supporting their grades, rehearsing songs and dances, organising costumes and, most importantly, making sure our students had such a positive experience.

We really do have an incredible Specialist Team. This core team has now worked together for the past three years and continues to deliver exceptionally high-quality events and experiences for our students. Their attention to detail extends well beyond what everyone sees on the night. There is an enormous amount of planning, organisation, rehearsing and problem-solving behind the scenes, and I cannot thank them enough for everything they did to make this week such a success.

Finally, a special acknowledgement must go to Karren, who took on the enormous responsibility of leading this year’s production. It is difficult to put into words just how many hours Karren has dedicated to bringing this show to life. From writing the script and organising the venue and event, through to choreography, rehearsals and working with our actors, the scale of the job was enormous. Karren, congratulations on an outstanding achievement and a truly fantastic production.

Finally, thank you to the Newlands community for your incredible support and the wonderful feedback we have received. We put on events like these because we know they become the experiences our students remember long after they leave primary school. We are incredibly fortunate to have a community that not only values these opportunities but gets behind them so enthusiastically.

We will have the link to the show as soon as its ready!

Incredible students, incredible staff and an incredible community. What a week to be part of Newlands!

Have a great weekend.

Thanks,

Luke