College Chatter

From  Principal

Jonathon Arnott

Principal

Welcome Back

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you back to Term 2. I hope you all had a chance to relax and reconnect with family and friends. Hopefully some rain will begin to arrive for everybody's sakes.

Term 2

In addition to a longer term than normal, Term 2 is exceptionally busy. Our learning programs ramp up their intensity and deadlines become ever so nearer. A number of camps take place, including Surf Camp, ATAR Camp, Follow the Dream Pathways Camp, and Country Week. We have incursions such as Growth Hunting and the University Roadshow, and excursions such as the Pork Industry Tour and West Coast Fever Cup. Students will be participating in a whole school wellbeing day and Teen Mental Health First Aid, and somewhere between all of that our Year 12s will commence seeding and our students will sit Externally Set Tasks (EST) and Exams. I encourage all students to keep up to date with what's going on via the Chatter, Term Planner, Lunch Notices, and Assemblies. Again, I emphasise the importance of attending each and every day, and it has been great to see almost full attendance with the return from the school holidays.

ANZAC Day Service

On Thursday 25 April 2024 our student leaders will form part of the official party at the Cunderdin ANZAC Ceremony to commemorate ANZAC day and lay a wreath in respect of the sacrifices that many service men and women have made and continue to make for our country for past, present and future generations.

 

On Friday 26 April 2024 the College will host its own ANZAC Service at 9:30am.

 

Boarding will remain open on Thursday and normal programs will operate on Friday.

Personal Accountability

Today I reminded students about personal accountability, or as I described, taking ownership of what happens as a result of our choices and behaviours. Some students need to focus on not blaming others or making excuses, allowing them to learn from their mistakes. On the other hand, some of our students need to own the positive feedback they get and recognise that their hard work deserves the praise they are getting. We place importance on preparing our students for the world of work and holding high expectations of what we expect of them as their future employers will expect this in the not too distant future. 

 

Here are 10 ways students can demonstrate personal accountability in their day-to-day life at the College:

  1. Be Punctual. Showing up on time shows that you’re responsible and dependable.
  2. Dress the part. Dressing for success shows that you’re taking your job seriously.
  3. Be a team player. Working as part of a team requires cooperation and communication.
  4. Take initiative. Being proactive shows you are willing to take on new challenges.
  5. Follow through on commitments. It shows that you’re reliable and trustworthy. 
  6. Be mindful of social loafing. Social loafing is when people put in the minimum effort and do less work because they assume others will do it. This creates a culture of entitlement and can lead to a decline in performance.
  7. Say sorry if you mess up. We all make mistakes, owning up to them shows responsibility.
  8. Be positive. Enthusiasm helps create a happy work environment.
  9. Treat mistakes as an opportunity, rather than as a threat. Learning from mistakes allows for personal development.
  10. Track your progress. It's easier to see how far you've come if you know where you started.

Jonathon Arnott

Principal