Principal's Report               

Great Start to Term 3

The term has only been going for a few weeks but we have already noticed that the students are feeling relaxed and ready for learning. Our students are excited by the challenges that their teachers are setting for them and have been busy learning different strategies in English and Maths to equip them with some independent and transferable skills. This term our integrated content is all around change and the science experiments are already in full swing. It has been very rewarding to walk around and witness the exploration and inquiry that is in full swing.

Our Discovery Centre provides the perfect space for exploration during a science inquiry and our students have been very spoiled by the resources available to them in the centre. I would like to single out Nicola Long who does a magnificent job as our Discovery Centre technician to prepare the space for each unit of learning. Nicola has outdone herself with the Change environment.

Student Enrolment Numbers

In our last newsletter Jason spoke of our numbers reaching 400 for the first time in Concord’s history. These numbers are continuing to grow but rest assured that we are thinking outside of the box in terms of space. Our programs will not be impacted by greater numbers and we will still offer all of the supports that we currently have available to our students. We strongly believe that our strength as a school lies in our ability to individualise content for every child and we will not compromise this as our school grows.

Secondary 9-10 STEAM Night

On Wednesday the 3rd of August we had our very first STEAM night to celebrate the collaborative learning that has taken place in the Secondary 9-10 area. STEAM learning focusses on inquiry through science, technology, engineering, the arts and maths. Developing STEAM knowledge and skills are critical to facing current and future challenges, including living in a changing environment, effectively managing food and water, delivering improved health and wellbeing, and ensuring Victoria’s prosperity and development. These skills are considered vital regardless of a young person’s intended future pathway.

I would like to thank the Secondary 9-10 team for the extra effort that it takes to showcase an event such as the STEAM night. All staff completed many extra hours of work to ensure that the students were supported during their big night. It was great to see such a fantastic turnout as our students really do feel a great sense of pride and achievement around their work and it is wonderful when we can support them together as a community. We look forward to future STEAM evenings and hope that this becomes an annual event.

2016 Presentation Ball

The Presentation ball has really crept up on us this year. I personally can’t believe that it is being held next Friday on the 12th of August. This is always a great experience for us here at Concord. The motivation of our students this year has been exceptional with preparations firmly underway. I have made sure that I don’t attend any of the practise sessions so that I can see the dances for the first time on the night. The students involved are starting to get very excited as they can’t wait to show us all how successful they have been.

National Literacy and Numeracy Week

This year we will be celebrating National Literacy and Numeracy week from the 29th of August to the 2nd of September. This year the focus is on digital literacies and our students will be participating in a series of activities during the week to celebrate improvement in the literacy and numeracy skills of our students. On Friday the 2nd of September we will be inviting parents to attend our special Read for Australia event. More information will be available closer to the date but we look forward to parent involvement here.

We will also be holding a special assembly on Monday the 5th of September to celebrate the week and showcase our student achievements. We hope to see you all at this event.  

Welcome to our School

We extend a very special welcome to all the new students and their families.  

The new students to our school recently are: Noah W (PFC), Lachlan G (SMC), Veda N (PKC), Wolfgang K (PJT), Shivani T (PKE), Liam A (SRM), Jasmine Hill-McGrath (SCI), Steven P (SKH), Jessie R (SCS) and Ross S (SSD). 

Principal's Award

The principal's award goes to Tommy.

Tommy is a happy and caring student who is always willing to help others.  It is a pleasure to see his smiling face each day.  Tommy’s positive attitude and his eagerness to learn makes him an excellent role model to his peers.  Tommy has made many academic achievements this year.

Congratulations Tommy, you are a worthy recipient of the Principal’s Award!

 "Students striving to be the best they can be"

Jason Coningsby

Principal