It's been a great fortnight since our last Chatter, with school photos, Katanning Sheep Show, Meckering Cross Country, Italian Night and 2024 Student Council nominations closing on Friday.

This year we have had 22 students nominate for one of 6 Student Councillor positions. It is heartening to see one third of the year group bravely put themselves forward for one of these important roles. This indicates the importance our students place on the role of Student Councillor, and the positive impact they can have on their peers. Each nominee provided a written statement as to why they would make a good Student Councillor, and these will be distributed to students and staff this week, with voting occurring next Tuesday 29 August. Good luck to our Nominees!

Drought Resilience and Innovation Interschool Challenge

This year we are rolling out the Drought Resilience and Innovation Challenge to students in Year 12. The challenge requires students to design an innovative tool, system or solution to increase WA farmers' resilience for hotter, drier and more variable climates.

Four Ag Colleges in total are participating in the challenge this year, which is fantastic.

Students can undertake the challenge individually or in groups of up to three. Along with utilising their creative and critical thinking skills to develop a creative and innovative solution, there is fantastic prize money up for grabs (1st $1000, 2nd $700, 3rd $300), just for our College's entrants!

I encourage parents to chat with their child about participating in this fantastic initiative.

Post-School Transitioning (Year 12s)

It is important we acknowledge the stress and pressure that Year 12s face – pressure to finish off all of their school, farm and trades work requirements (to a high standard), and the pressure felt about leaving school, leaving their friends and entering the ‘real world’. Many students take this in their stride; they know what they want, how to get it and feel comfortable pursuing it. For others though, they can be somewhat paralysed by fear and not utilise the time remaining and resources at hand (us) to help set them up for that next big step.

For those students who require additional support in planning their transition, our staff are here to help.

Our College is always flooded with employment, apprenticeship and training opportunities and staff do a great job updating the Employment Notice Boards around the College (Farm, Trades and Residential Rec Foyer). Other ways students can investigate options include:

With low unemployment rate, and high vacancy rates, there has never been a better time for young people to access a career of their choosing, particularly in Agriculture. In order to make the most of these opportunities, now is the time for our Year 12s to assess their interests, skills and abilities against possible employment, training or apprenticeship options, and we are here to help.

Fortnight Ahead

Wishing everyone a great fortnight ahead, which is set to be a busy one with Dowerin Field Day, the College Ball, Dress up in Pink fundraiser dinner, 2024 Student Council elections, Aus Chem course, Elevate Education Study Sessions and Open Day Prep - a busy and exciting two weeks ahead for sure!

Also, well done to Zarah and Kallen for their efforts at World Skills in Melbourne last week - you most certainly did us proud!

Matt Dowell

Principal

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