Principal Team Editorial
New Stadium
After months of cold weather and waiting for the rain and mud to dissipate, we have been very excited to pour the concrete and see the walls of our new double court basketball stadium start to emerge. In the coming weeks, the roof will take shape and the steel frame for the Performing Arts spaces will go up too. It certainly feels like the construction of our new building has picked up speed and we are excited about what is to come, particularly with state-of-the-art facilities that our students will have access to in Term 2 next year.
Highlights of Term 3
As we head into a well-deserved term break, it would be remiss of me not to take some time to reflect on some wonderful achievements over the past 10 weeks.
We started the term with a catchy retro jingle as our new bell and it wasn’t long before everyone had ‘Do The Right Thing’ stuck in their heads and were singing it to each other. The Rubbish Campaign is still in full swing as we take collective responsibility to care for our environment – I’m loving the videos that are coming in by the way!
Curriculum Information Evening was an opportunity for parents and their children to meet with teachers of all subjects and Learning Areas to ask questions and make informed decisions about pathways. With over 70+ subjects at Year 9/10 alone, the choices can be overwhelming, and our info evening certainly helped families navigate these decisions. Having over 16 tertiary providers in attendance was impressive, giving students and families an even greater understanding of possible pathways beyond school.
An absolute highlight of the term was Mamma Mia with standing ovations most nights to sold out audiences. Every year the production goes from strength to strength and this year was no exception. Outstanding set, music, singing, acting, lighting, costumes and comic timing – Mamma Mia was exceptional, and we couldn’t be prouder of what our 2024 Production team achieved.
'We will continue to listen to our parent, staff and student feedback...'
We introduced a new acronym and a new way of doing things by trialling ARC (Academic Review Conferences) across Year 7-12. With a massive increase of students attending this year (90%+), in striking contrast to the 25% of attendees at the traditional parent teacher interviews last year, we are confident this new format has potential to reach more students and consequently have greater impact on improving student agency and learning. We will continue to listen to our parent, staff and student feedback to tweak the format and ensure conversations are meaningful and effective.
Our sporting achievements were another highlight on the term calendar with the Athletics carnival being a resounding success and our Senior Boys Footy team going all the way to State Finals. Not to mention the outstanding achievements of our students at the Knox Division Athletics (read on for all the details).
Our music ensembles excelled with our Symphonic Band taking 1st place at the prestigious South Street music competition, outperforming well known music schools such as Ballarat Grammar, S Patrick's College, Ballarat & Clarendon Grammar, Mount Waverly SC, Carrum Downs, Box Hill HS, Newcomb SC, Blackburn HS. It was great to see our 20 ensembles perform at the GALA on Wednesday night as we celebrated the exceptional talents of our music students and the thriving music program we have here at Wantirna College.
The Senior Ball was another highlight with a record number of Year 10 and 11 students attending. It was a fabulous night with students dressing up in their best outfits and having a great time with their peers and teachers.
The Library celebrated Book Week with daily activities and students searching for teachers who had volunteered to read their favourite book somewhere in the yard. It was a fun week focused on fostering a love for reading – a lifelong skill that all students will need in their pathways beyond school.
Vocational Major and Connect students were seen throughout the school designing and improving our physical spaces with new garden beds, painted staircases, R U Ok festivities and organising food drives for community groups to name a few.
Our VCE Unit 4 students collected their massive pile of practice exams (5 per subject – most students have a pile of 25 exams) last week which we believe is essential for preparing them for their upcoming exams that kick off early (ish) next term.
Term 4 Parent Forum
Next term, I look forward to hosting our Parent Forum, on Tue 19 Nov, where I’ll be sharing our school’s strategic for the next four years. It’s an opportunity to hear learn more about the key initiatives of the school, provide us with valuable feedback and meet other parents who are invested in their child’s educational future!
I wish everyone a safe and restful break.
Carrie Wallis
Principal