Principal Update

Chris Quinn

Womin Djeka – Hello and welcome to another edition of the ‘THE WESTERN PORT WORD’ which will continue to provide our community with a range of updates throughout the year.

Term 3: Ensuring the continuity of learning

Term 3 certainly has been a busy one for our school and community as we navigated the winter months and the challenges of staff absences and some minor teacher gaps in our profile. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate our students on the mature way in which they engaged during combined classes in the Performing Arts Centre. Along with the rest of the Assistant Principal team, I taught many combined classes in this space during the term and with the support of 1-1 managed laptop provision across the majority of our College. A big thank you to the Ross Trust, who through the provision of laptops, have supported the continuity of learning for our students.

Year 10 Formal : A night of nights

Our Year 10 students represented themselves and our school incredibly well at this event which the senior team put a lot of effort into making sure this was an enjoyable and meaningful event. There was such a buzz amongst the students in the lead up to the night which was particularly special given their limited extracurricular experiences during the pandemic. A huge thanks for Mr Nolan and Mrs Williams for their leadership the Year 10 formal for 2023.

New Playground: Expansion to our active recreation areas

We are extremely excited about our new playground which is due for completion at the start of term 4. We look forward to having this space available for recess and lunch breaks along as well as having this as an option for our Ready 2 Learn plans for students.

A huge thanks to the Bendigo Bank - Community Bank Balnarring and District for their generous support with this fantastic addition to our school. We look forward to sharing our official opening across our social media platforms and through this publication.

RUOK Day: Fostering Connection and Support

Thursday 14th September marked a significant day in our school calendar as we celebrated RUOK Day. This mental health related initiative reminds us of the importance of checking in on one another's well-being. Our students and staff actively participated in various activities and discussions, promoting open conversations about mental health.

A big thank you to our school nurse, Cathy Griffin and our wellbeing team for organizing this fantastic event.

State Schools Spectacular: A showcase of WPSC talent

These talented students have been hard to work preparing Victorian State Schools Spectacular which was held on Saturday 9th September. This year's performance was truly a spectacle of music, dance, and artistic expression and our students performed amazingly well within the mass dance group. Our students' dedication and passion were clear for all to see - including my little family who joined me for this spectacle and absolutely loved it.

Ms Engelke was committed from the start to make this happen and I would like to thank her for her leadership in this opportunity for our students.

As we look forward to term 4, our core values of Community, Achievement, Respect and Engagement remain central to our work to support both the learning and wellbeing for our students. Working closely with our parents/carers is incredibly important to us as we partner together to provide the best educational experiences and outcomes for our students.

Wishing you all a safe and enjoyable school holiday break

Your Sincerely,

Chris Quinn

Principal