Dear parents, carers, students, staff and community members,

It’s been a big few weeks!

Year 12’s finishing up

Our Year 12 students recently finished up their formal classes for the year, culminating in a fantastic farewell whole school assembly for them. I would like to applaud our Year 12 students for the way that they conducted themselves; they dressed up and had fun in the morning with their teachers and support staff, but they always respected the premises, other students, and the community. We have a strong traditional of respectful celebration here, and they didn’t let themselves or us down. They then headed off for a great day out. Our VCE Vocational Major students recently completed their graduation interviews, where they are required to present their professional portfolios and answer mock-job interview questions. I was fortunate to sit in on the panels for some of these interviews, and I was very impressed! Our VCE students have also been getting stuck into their final exams, and will finish up before the final big show, which is the Year 12 valedictory evening on Friday 17 November.

Whole school exams, commencement program and end of year program

Monday 6 November is a supervised study hall day. No formal classes are running, but supervision is provided. From Wednesday to Friday next week, all of our students will be focusing on their end of year examinations. I wish all students the best with these, and reiterate that these exams are to be approached with rigour, and conducted under strict exam conditions. Parents/carers, please discuss and reinforce this with your child(ren). Monday 13 November is a student free curriculum day. On Tuesday 14 November, all students will then roll up to their 2024 classes with new teachers. Please ensure that your child(ren) have some fresh exercise books for these classes. In some cases, students in the junior school may also need to move classes or sub-schools. Sub-school Leaders will communicate this where applicable. The 2024 commencement program runs for four weeks and concludes on Friday 8 December. From Monday 11 December, no formal classes will be running, however any students who attend will be supervised in an in-school activities program. More information regarding the program for the last 1.5 weeks of the year will be published soon, and parents will be requested to notify us of your needs for your child(ren).

VM carnival

Recently, it was my pleasure to get saturated with wet sponges being thrown at me, followed by shaving cream pies to the face! See photo below! 😊 The VCE Vocational Major students recently planned and delivered the annual carnival to raise funds for charity. As always, it was a great event in the courtyard and was attended by hundreds of students. Many thanks to all of the students and staff involved in this event.

Arts ‘Evening of Excellence’

I recently had the pleasure of attending the annual Arts Evening of Excellence. This was an extraordinary event, where the visual and performing arts talent of our students was on full display. And my goodness, have we got a depth of talent at this school! The event was attended by approximately 250 parents and families. There are too many to list here, but I must give two special mentions to two of our soon to be Year 12 graduates:

1. For her extraordinary talents with the brush, Ella Tuininga. Her painting “Shadows on the Tan” was just incredible and would rival many works on professional art gallery walls. Check it out below.

2. Ever the performer, Gauri Singh gave us an incredible show that would have given Norah Jones a run for her money! Remember Gauri’s name; she is going places with that voice!

Construction has commenced!

The construction of our new two storey building has commenced! Design is below. It’s going to be a big twelve months at the college as we complete these significant upgrades. We’ll keep you posted here and on our Facebook page.

The Voice referendum

I will stop short of providing my personal views and position regarding the referendum outcome. However, I will reiterate the message that I conveyed to all students and staff at our recent whole school assembly. I acknowledge the heightened pain and anguish that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are feeling following the outcome of the referendum, and the intergenerational trauma that exists since colonisation. I assure all first nations people that you will always continue to have a voice here at Kambrya College. We see you. We hear you. We respect you. If any students are feeling distressed, please feel free to reach out to us for support, either via your sub-school leaders or the wellbeing team.

Middle East crisis

Many in our school community are affected by the devastating events in the Middle East. Let us all hope (or pray) that this madness ends soon, that the innocents on all sides stay safe, and that peace prevails. All of us are upset and disturbed by the awful events depicted in media footage and images. This time is particularly distressing for staff, students, families and carers who have family and friends in Israel and Gaza. We are also aware that students of diverse backgrounds, including Jewish and Muslim students, may be significantly affected by public events, mainstream media coverage and social media at this time. Please be assured that all staff are aware of the extreme emotional toll on many in our community at this time. But please also feel free to get in contact with any of the staff at our school if you would like to ensure we are aware of what your child is going through at this time. Our staff will continue doing all they can to support all our students, and support is also available for our staff. I also want to assure you that the department is monitoring the situation from a school security perspective, and have advised there is no further action we need to take at this stage. It is possible that extremely distressing scenes from the conflict may be posted online. Please ensure your children are aware of where they can find support in the event they come across such images. At our school, this includes their respective sub-school leaders, or wellbeing team.

Let me be absolutely clear: racism or discrimination in any form will never be tolerated at this college, including anti-semitism or Islamophobia. We take immense pride in our diverse and culturally rich community, and everyone deserves the right to feel respected and safe here. Severe consequences will apply for anyone who jeopardises this.

You may find some aspects of this resource helpful:

Helping my children after trauma: A guide for parents.

Support is also available through external services including:

headspace: 1800 650 890
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636

Kind regards,

Keith Perry

Principal

School Crossing