From  The Acting Principal

Term 2 has begun positively with numerous events and the theme of community building underpinning a lot of the work we have been doing.  I can’t recall a recent period of time where we have engaged in so many activities and events in such a short period and I am really very proud of, not just the talents on show of our students and staff, but also the desire to lead and participate in school and community events with the purpose of contributing to a greater cause.  At Parkdale our vision is challenging our community to strive and achieve.  An important aspect of being able to do this is providing opportunities for all students to engage with.  We are pleased so many students are taking advantage of the opportunities available to them and look forward to providing more opportunities as the year progresses.

BUILDING COMMUNITY - EVENTS

From the outset of this year, we have focussed on building our community through running vibrant events.  During April and May numerous events have been held to showcase and promote the wonderful work occurring in the college and to invite the community in to participate and engage with our staff and students.

Open Night, held 26th March, was a very successful evening.  The changed format saw a more carnival style approach for prospective students to actively participate in activities and view performances from students.  This is an important night in promoting the college offerings and I’d like to thank the students and staff who supported the night.

Year 12 Camp and the Year 11 Futures program ran smoothly as always with highly valuable sessions for students and importantly, great social bonding occurring in the year levels.

Our ANZAC Day assembly and presence at Mentone and Cheltenham RSL services was a highlight early this term.  Ms Quinn arranged a very fitting school service with the Hon. Mark Dreyfuss and Mr Tim Richardson, local member, in attendance. Thank you to Ms Quinn for preparing a moving and informative assembly and to the student leaders and performers who led us through the service.  Students Marcus O’Meara Hayes and Matilda Caughey also attended the Mentone and Cheltenham RSL services to lay books at the respective cenotaphs, representing the college with pride.

Junior school Parent Teacher Interviews were held online 24th April.  Staff feedback was that these were valuable meetings with specific feedback on student progress provided to parents/carers.  There has been much discussion about the use of online interviews, and we will continue to evaluate the feedback provided to inform our approach the following year.

Year 9 Koorie Day was held Wednesday 1st May.  Thank you to Ms James and Aunty Katrina Amon who facilitated the day and spoke with students, as well as Uncle Steve Parker and Uncle Ron Murray. Student participation and behaviour was excellent as expected.  We are extremely lucky to have such a great day in our school calendar.

Our Science Department has initiated running Science Masterclasses for our local primary schools.  Our Year 9 Enhanced Science class has developed the masterclasses as a part of their enhanced curriculum.  Parkdale Primary School attended last week for our first masterclass. Thank you to Ms Tilmanis and Ms Mullins for leading this with the year 9 class and for providing this opportunity for students in our local Primary schools to see the great programs we have on offer. 

For the first time Parkdale hosted a Mother’s Day Breakfast on Friday 10th May in the senior centre with a special guest speaker, Kingston Mayor, Jenna Davey Burns.  With over 150 guests, the Senior Centre looked amazing.  The impressive Mayor Burns, who would normally have won the day, was outshone by our own Storm Hor, and the talented Ankita Mahanty finished the breakfast off with a beautiful song.  While there is a big team behind events such as these, a very special thanks must go to Ms Douglas for leading this event.  A Father’s Day Breakfast is now earnestly being planned.

STUDENT SAFETY

Two areas of concern around student safety continue to be bike safety and buses.  Personally, I have attended numerous accidents over the past few years involving our students coming off their bikes while riding to or from school. Thankfully, in each of those cases students were wearing helmets and injuries were minimised.  If your child rides to school, please check in with them and ensure they have a helmet (a number of students spoken to claim to not have a helmet at all) and they understand the need to wear it.  We do what we can by engaging with students as they enter the college gates, but this really is a broader issue which could have a tragic outcome if not addressed.

The second space which is of a concern is students catching buses home from school.  Some buses, particularly the Dingley bus is very full.  We will speak to transport authorities to see if there is anything that can be done about the bus allocation, but students are reminded that they need to be patient when entering the bus and that access is limited to the assigned gates in the bus bay.  Students should stay off the driveway at all times and remain behind the safety fencing. Again, if your child catches a bus home, please have a discussion with them about appropriate public transport etiquette to ensure as smooth a ride for all as possible.