Assistant Principals' Report

Footy Day

Footy finals fever is alive and well in Whittlesea with the Eagles Division 2 Reserves securing a12-point victory in a tough, physical contest against Diamond Creek last Saturday. It's great to see the Whittlesea community spirit alive and well, as it was today, as we celebrated Footy Day, one of the much-anticipated whole school events of the year. The basketball court was awash with colour as the Pies, the Tigers and the Hawks were well represented. Well done to our house, SVT and school captains for introducing each of the teams throughout the assembly. It was great to see so many parents and carers come along to enjoy the parade, too.

We were lucky to have three student coaches from the Richmond Football Club visit this morning to run a series of activities for all our students. These coaches, all studying Diplomas of Sports, Leadership, and Management, facilitated kicking and handball drills and coached a game of touch football with the Year 5 and 6s, designed to maximise possession and ensure everyone had the chance to participate. A big thank you to Mrs Northridge for organising this fantastic event for our students.

The annual teachers versus Year 6 footy match took place during second break today, a game that’s been the talk of the school for the past twelve months. The Year 6s have been champing at the bit ever since they watched the staff beat the Class of 2024, and today it was their turn to pull on their boots, eager to showcase their skills and redeem their abilities.

Behind the scenes, and leading up to this week, the chatter has been relentless. The Year 6 students have been sizing up potential matchups across the field, while the staff have been laser-focused on strategy, mainly on how to get the ball into their forward 50 without anyone pulling a hammy! The more competitive staff members, aka Mr Dupuy and Mr Pain, have been taking extra precautions all week, strapping their ankles more times than you can count. The smell of Voltaren Emulgel filled the staffroom pre-match, with a solid couple of hours of stretching to make sure everyone was game-ready.

The final scores in our teachers versus students were 44 to 28, with the teachers going back-to-back. The teachers took the lead with the students, who were unable to get a score on the board in the first half. With a bit of help from the umpire and a staff member who kept forgetting which team he was playing for, the students were able to claw their way back into the game. However, effort alone wasn't enough, and it was the skill and talent of the staff.