Secondary Happenings

I’m not sure how things feel in your world, but from my perspective the term has moved quickly, with milestones passing in rapid succession: the final weeks of Year 12, Arts Soiree, City Experience, Valedictory and Thanksgiving services, music concerts, student leadership selection processes, study, exams and ‘Stepping Up' programs have filled the sodden weeks of Term 4. And we suddenly find ourselves in Week 8 with end of year programs and Christmas functions looming large.

In my world too is the process of setting up for 2023. Staffing recruitment, class lists, teacher allotments, room allocations and so on have been sorted and it is exciting to see work begin on the new Senior Secondary building. 

There is a notable change to the timetable in 2023 as we revert to having our Homegroups in the morning. This will provide more continuity and we believe it will make a better start to the day. This change will not alter the College’s start or finish times, but it will impact specific period and break times. The new timetable will be posted on Schoolbox toward the end of the year. 

In other news:

Year 8 Camp is well underway, and they have (at the time of writing) dodged the worst of the weather and even had glimpses of blues skies. This camp builds on what they have done in Year 7 and further prepares them for the Wilderness Camp in Year 9. 

It is a four-day program in the Great Otway National Park with bushwalking (carrying packs) and camping out two nights and a third night at basecamp. Activities other than bushwalking include canoeing and stand-up paddle boarding. 

Students will journey together in groups of about 12 students (with a DCC staff member and a group leader from Halls Outdoor Education) and the focus will be on teamwork, problem solving and taking initiative as well as simply enjoying God’s amazing world.

And, finally from our Year 12 Coordinator, Nat Ayton, a note on the final week of our graduating class:

This week I had the honour of attending the Year 12 Formal.  This event concludes the chapter of schooling for these amazing young people and I couldn’t have hoped for a better end.  The students were all dressed up, with beaming smiles knowing that they have finally finished their exams, classes and school… forever.

The end always comes with mixed emotions.  There is a sense of sadness that they are leaving, and towards the end of the year, the students were telling me that they were going to miss school as it has been a very loving and nurturing place to grow up.  But the close of one chapter always brings about hope of another.  These young people will now venture out into various places to initially celebrate and relax.  

In time they will start work, study, travel and explore who they are in the adult world.  My parting words with the students at the Formal was about hope – hope that they would know they are deeply loved by God and the DCC community.

Congratulations class of 2022.  Now go out there and ‘live life on purpose’.