Principal's Report 

PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

And, just like that, the term is almost at an end.

As some of you will have heard, Nathan Jones will be missing from our school next semester as he takes on the Acting Assistant Principal role at Timboon P12. 

This is a great opportunity for Nathan, and although he will leave big shoes for us to fill, we wish him all the best for this secondment. In his absence, existing staff will expand their allotments to cover his teaching load and VCE coordination. 

We are fortunate that we already have staff qualified in the required learning areas. This will however mean some timetable changes to accommodate the new roles and, consequently, a couple of the 7-10 electives may change. 

Students will be given the opportunity to re select subjects in those blocks next week if this impacts them.

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Lion King Jnr, whose show opened last Friday night to a very appreciative audience. Our Performing Arts’ program is held in high esteem across the state and I thank the large team involved in keeping that reputation intact. It is a privilege to witness the learning that happens in that space and the growth in confidence and grit of the students involved. There are still some seats available for Wednesday & Thursday night so don’t miss out! 

As I mentioned in the last newsletter, I am looking forward to seeing Clancey Greene star as the Little Mermaid in Warrnambool’s Primary Performers next week. What a great opportunity and achievement for Clancey!

Next week the Yr 10 students will be out on Work Experience. Thanks to Liz Fowler for facilitating these placements, in a wide variety of local and regional businesses. No doubt the students will learn a lot about what the real workplace looks like.

This week, all students undertaking a VCE unit 3/4 subject will sit the GAT exam in the GGC. 

Reports will be available via Sentral at the end of the term. In this report you will find a rating against the year level standards of the Victorian Curriculum for your child in each subject, along with the usual marks for Attitude & Effort, Behaviour and Organisation. If you have any queries about your child’s report, please contact your child’s mentor teacher at the start of next term. NAPLAN results are also due and will be sent home as soon as we receive them.

As with the wider community, we are continuing to experience an uptake in respiratory illnesses- colds, flu, RSV and Covid! During the colder weather it’s much harder for us to keep up our room ventilation processes so viruses spread really quickly. If your child is unwell and experiencing coughing/sneezing/upset tummy symptoms, please keep them at home until they are better and their symptoms have subsided. 

A reminder that timely notification of absences via Sentral is appreciated. The department insists that every absence is accounted for so your notification saves Cherie from making lots of phone calls.

Our year 11s have been sitting exams this week. For most it is an opportunity to demonstrate their learning, for some it is a reminder that great results don’t happen by chance; they are achieved by strong work ethic, revision, feedback and review. The results of these exams will appear on the mid year reports.

Our current School Wide Positive Behaviour focus is our school value of Respect. 

Unfortunately we are seeing a bit of a rise in inappropriate language in the yard. I think a lot of this language comes from the reels and clips students are watching online. It’s a timely reminder to keep an eye on the type of digital content our children have access to.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. Thank you so much for the support I have been given whilst in the Acting Principal role this semester.

Stay warm & well

Anne

Anne De Manser

Acting Principal