The first 4 weeks in term 4 are always extremely busy as the release of 2024 school budget is the catalyst for planning to be finalised. I am pleased to inform you that a number of Government initiatives (Tutors in Schools, Middle Years Literacy and Numeracy, Primary swimming, Primary Wellbeing and Mental Health Practitioner) continue to be funded and at a slightly higher rate.

2024 staffing is beginning to take shape however in this current climate, the number of jobs to be filled across the state far outweigh the number of teachers available.

The Year 12 exams have just begun which signals the beginning of the end to 2023. Year 11 and Year 10 students will start their exams just after Melbourne Cup day with their respective Head Start programs soon to follow. Teachers are busily finalising assessments with report writing just around the corner. The Grade 06 students are also looking at transitioning into secondary school with orientation days and Graduation events planned for early December.

The Year 12 students celebrated their final week at school with some fabulous events organised by Mr Light and members of the Senior School Team. The students attended an evening retreat at the Upper Plenty Conference Center on Thursday 12 October which was followed up the next day with a whole school assembly at 11am and a valedictory dinner at the Casa D’ Abruzzo at 6.30pm. I am sure that the students had a memorable send off, and I would like to thank everyone involved in making these events possible. Please refer to the relevant section in this newsletter for photos and details.

Below is a copy of my farewell speech to the Year 12 students:

We are here today to acknowledge and celebrate the last day at school for our 2023 Year 12 students. Finishing school is one of life’s milestone.

The phrase milestone comes from the Romans. So that people knew where they were, how far they had travelled or had left to go the Romans placed a marker stone at every thousandth double step. A thousand double steps was a mille and so the stones were called millestones. The measurement of 1000 double steps later became known as the mile and hence the stones were named milestones.

In life, Milestones are reference points. They often mark the end of a significant event and highlight the start of a new journey

We all experience many milestones in life. Some of these include:

1.Starting school

2. Finishing school

3. Moving out of home

4. Obtaining financial independence

5. Getting married

6. Having children

7. Retiring

So after 13 years, today marks the last day of school for our Year 12 students. That journey has ended. Routines, friendships, how you see the world and your position in society will never be the same again. The year 12 students have now reached “young adulthood”. Young adulthood is defined as being between the years from 18 to 28. These years are considered to be the most important phase in a person’s life. Decisions made during this period have the largest impact on a person's future life trajectory. It is during these years that many of life’s other major milestones or markers are achieved – you will move out of home, obtain financial independence, develop lifelong friendships/relationships and some of you may even have children.

The best years are very much ahead of you. And they can be whatever you want them to be…

I am not sure if at last night’s camp you noticed the older gentleman that was helping serve dinner. He attended Macleod College in 1968. He built every building on site. He cut every beam using a chain saw, packed every mud brick by hand and laid every paver. He did all that whilst he ran a very successful farm. It took 50 years for him to create the wonderful facility that we enjoyed last night.

As much as you’ve changed during your time here, more change is coming. You’re going to continue to evolve in unforeseen ways. You are full of complexities and wonders that haven’t even begun to surface. Life’s unpredictability will draw these out and what defines you now will be a mere shade of a more vibrant you over the next five, 10, 30 years. Who knows what will your legacy be in 50 years time?

I hope that your experiences at school have challenged and inspired you, helped you to identify your values and instilled in you the strength of character to live by them.

I hope that you take time to tend to the little things as well as the big things around you,

That you make an effort to enjoy the company of friends and strangers and that you embrace all that life has to offer.

Good luck with your exams and may you all have every success in future endeavours.

Middle East Conflict

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to cause distress for staff, students, families and carers, especially those who have family and friends in the region. Our school is a rich and diverse community and acknowledging that it is vital that our students, staff and families all feel safe and included in everything we do. I want to assure you that the department is monitoring the situation from a school security perspective.

While we want to maintain an open and welcoming environment, we are also being vigilant in terms of safety, ensuring all our procedures, like visitors signing in and out, are being followed. If your child is impacted and/or distressed by the current conflict, you may find some aspects of this resource helpful:

Helping my children after trauma: A guide for parents.

Support is also available through external services including:

headspace: 1800 650 890
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636.

Please feel free to get in contact with me if you would like to discuss this further.

Spring Arts Gala