Principal's Report

Dear parents, students and staff,

As I write this, I have just heard on the TV news that the daily number of new covid cases in Victoria has decreased from a maximum of 725 several weeks ago to 37 today. I’m sure that we are greatly encouraged by this remarkable progress. However, last week most of us felt disappointed by the news that the various restrictions were to be extended almost unchanged for additional weeks. These are challenging times as we come to terms with the fact that all of our lives are changing due to the virus.

As we plan for the coming weeks, it is quite clear that if we work together constructively we can significantly reduce the negatives and benefit from the various positives that we can proactively discover or create. In his latest letter to school staff, our Deputy Secretary of Schools, David Howes proposes the following three priorities to assist us all to focus on getting the best outcomes even though we are still limited by the restrictions:

The mental health and wellbeing of every individual student, their families and our staff. We will continue to put in place structures and processes (well assisted by the Department) to provide support wherever it is needed. Please take advantage of these various services by contacting the school.
Learning is what schools are always about both for students and staff. In term 4 we will continue to provide excellent learning tasks, either in class for Years 11/12 or via lesson plans on compass and webex lessons for the Year 7s to Year 10s for whatever time they need to continue with remote learning in Term 4. Some students have enjoyed the challenges of remote learning and have made excellent progress (even though they miss their friends). Others have found it hard to engage so far, but it is never too late to recommit yourself to your learning and seek extra help from your class teachers. Doing so will help you to feel more satisfied and accepting of the situation and thereby improve your mental health. Giving your teachers the opportunity to help you is the best way you can help them manage their own mental health and feelings of fulfilment.
Smooth transitions are significant to student wellbeing. Getting ready for next year, moving into the next stage of your education can sometimes seem daunting and possibly more so this year. However, we all know from previous experience that the next stage, whatever it is, once commenced, is more do-able and enjoyable than we anticipate. It is good to actively plan, seek information and ask for help when needed. Only in rare cases does a student repeat a year at Fairhills and this will continue to be the case in 2021. With this in mind, plan to get as much as you can from term 4 ready for next year. This is particularly the case for those in Year 12 (and some in Year 11) who will be moving on into tertiary education or employment, those who are taking the big step from Year 10 into VCE/VCAL and of course our new Year 7s coming from about 20 different primary schools.

Finally, I would like to reassure our Year 12s as they soon move into the exam period, commencing with the GAT on October 7th. The VCAA manages the exams and has very carefully put in place a number of changes to simplify the process, provided extra support to teachers/schools and ensured that there is a detailed and fair process for identifying and compensating students who have been disadvantaged this year. The advice is, as always, concentrate on your exam preparation, actively seek help from your teachers (who will be delighted to help you), get appropriate sleep and exercise and set your goal (irrespective of your ability) to do the very best that you can do.

Sincerely

Harvey Wood

Principal