Mini School Updates
Junior School Update
As we approach the end of a busy Term 1, we would like to acknowledge the hard work of our students and congratulate them on making a positive start to the year. The last few weeks of term have been busy with NAPLAN and students completing assessments in several of their classes.
NAPLAN Completion
Congratulations to all of our Year 7 students who are completing their NAPLAN assessments. In what can be a stressful time for many students, we are incredibly proud of each student's effort and resilience. Reports from the assessors are that students have worked hard and demonstrated our college values throughout all their assessments. We will be providing our Year 7 students with a small acknowledgement next week for their hard work.
Introducing Our Home Group Captains
We're thrilled to announce the appointment of our Year 8 Home Group Captains for this academic year. These students have demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities and a commitment to serving their peers and the school community. We have every confidence that they will excel in their roles and inspire others to do the same.
Congratulations to our Year 8 Captains Indy Reid and Cooper McGrath, and our leaders Zoe Peatey, Baron Kosta, Phillip Demetriou, Shayla Smith, Mitchell Hansch, Abby Lee and Kale Ryan.
Year 7 students will be working through the voting process over the next week, and we look forward to announcing our Year 7 Leaders in Term 2.
Year 8 Gumbuya World Excursion
Our Year 8 students recently attended an orientation excursion to Gumbuya World, where they enjoyed a day filled with adventure, laughter, and camaraderie. These experiences outside the classroom not only provide fun and excitement but also valuable opportunities for personal growth and social development. We extend our gratitude to the staff who attended. We look forward to our second day trip for Year 8’s who will try their hand at ice skating and visit Artvo in June.
Parent-Teacher Interviews:
A friendly reminder to all parents and guardians that our upcoming Parent-Teacher Interviews offer an invaluable opportunity to discuss your child's progress, achievements, and areas for growth. These meetings foster strong partnerships between home and school, ensuring that we work together to support each student's academic journey. Please be sure to book your appointments on Compass or contact the Junior School Office if you require assistance.
Year 7 Tech Taster Days
Excitement is brewing for our upcoming Tech Taster Days, where students will have the chance to explore and engage with various aspects of technology. Activities will focus on Virtual Reality, Laser Cutting and Autonomous Vehicles. These hands-on experiences ignite curiosity and creativity and allow students to experience something new. Please complete your child’s permission form on Compass.
Open Day
We are excited to again be hosting local Grade 5 and 6 students at our annual Open Day on April 24th. This is a wonderful opportunity for prospective families to discover the unique offerings and vibrant atmosphere of our school. Students will attend a range of classes and a music performance. There will also be lots of fun activities during recess and lunchtime to showcase all that makes Lowanna College a dynamic and inclusive learning environment.
Parents can attend a tour of the campus at 10am and 2pm. We are also holding an Information Evening at 7pm for any interested families.
The Junior School Team wishes all families a happy Easter and we hope you all enjoy a relaxing break. We look forward to seeing our students back for Term 2.
Kristy Bannister
Junior School Leader
Middle School Update
The Middle School Team would like to thank and congratulate the students who attended and competed in the Lowanna College Swimming Carnival. It was a great event and nice to see the students dress up, cheer on their house mates and be competitive. Congratulations to Blue House!
Our Home Group Challenge is underway, this is regarding students demonstrating the college values. A lunch will be provided each term to the top homegroup and the top 10 students in Year 9 and 10 will have an excursion of the student’s choice. The totals to date are:
9A - 103
9B - 54
9C - 55
9D - 41
9E - 87
9F - 70
9G - 47
9H - 39
10A - 59
10B - 50
10C - 43
10D - 31
10E - 32
10F - 27
10G - 62
10H - 52
I would like to acknowledge the Year 9 students who have just sat the NAPLAN. The reports from supervising teachers were that students were well behaved and attentive during this assessment.
We would like to remind students of the phone policy; all student phones need to be in their lockers turned off between 8.45am until 3pm, or they can be placed in the phone lockers in the Middle School and picked up at the end of the day by a parent. Students are more than welcome to use the office phone if they need to contact home.
Parent and Teacher Interviews will be on Wednesday the 27th of March between 4pm and 7pm and Thursday the 28th of March from 9am and 1.30pm. Bookings can be made on Compass or by calling Middle School on 5127 9246. I urge all parents to take the time to attend these interviews as they are a great way to receive, or give, information regarding your child and to meet their teachers.
The Middle School Camp to Queensland has been well received with over 100 families showing interest. As our limit is 50 students, the Middle School Team has been vetting the students due to GPA’s, attendance, and behaviour. The finalised list will be completed shortly, and parents will be notified.
I would like to wish everyone a safe holiday break and look forward to welcoming students back on the 15th of April for Term 2.
Upcoming Important Dates
15th April - Term 2 Commences
18th April - Athletics Carnival
24th April - Student Free Day due to Open Day (Year 7-10 students)
25th April - ANZAC Day Public Holiday, no school
Daniel Board
Middle School Leader
Senior School Update
Somehow we find ourselves with the end of term busy period upon us again. Our senior students have been busy learning to negotiate and balance the increasing work demands and the first round of SACs across all subjects. As well as the excitement of an upcoming period of rest and refreshment, there is the stress of finalising assessment pieces and demonstrating the required skills and knowledge for different subjects, not to mention all the other aspects of life including work, socialising and sports, musical or other extracurricular activities.
With Parent Student Teacher interviews coming up at the end of term, it is a pertinent time to reinforce that the opportunity to meet as a partnership between student, parent and school is an immensely valuable experience in terms of receiving constructive feedback on areas for improvement and to ensure we are doing all we can to support students to achieve their goals. Purposeful feedback is invaluable to the ongoing learning and success of students in their studies. These conversations should form the basis of some reflection of successes this term and some goal setting for students coming into Term 2. Setting explicit goals for success and tracking progress towards achieving them is a great way to ensure that we are committed to achieving excellence. For anyone who is unable to attend on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning, please don’t hesitate to contact the College if you would like to arrange a time to discuss your child’s progress over the phone. Contact with your child’s teachers can also be made using the email function in the Compass portal.
We would like to acknowledge and congratulate those students in both Year 11 and Year 12 who have received RIDGE Awards, recognising their embodiment and practice of the College values – Respect, Integrity, Determination, Growth and Excellence. Several students have received these awards in both rounds that have occurred this year. Well done to the following students:
Year 11
Daniel Hoekstra
Emerson Siddle
Rylee Clegg
Alaynna Abuan
Bayley Russell
Nate Taylor
Phoenix Chak
Toma Stojcevic
Zara Fussell
Year 12
Aaron Abuan
Kanyanat (May) Krutbangyang
Charlotte Long
Jasmine Asmussen
Kaitlyn Slocombe
Leon Tilsley
Shavonne Beecher
In Week 3 of Term 2, 50 of our Year 11 VCE students along with 5 staff will be heading to Melbourne to visit a variety of universities and tertiary institutions. They will also attend the 2024 VCE Careers Expo to explore, discover and learn more about the different options for potential course selections as they move towards the end of their schooling. The universities will be conducting detailed presentations about courses, benefits and supports they offer. Students will also take part in campus tours and briefings about entry requirements. The VCE Careers Expo has 150 exhibitors and students will be able to research and gain resources from the stalls. This is a really exciting event that we are ecstatic to be able to offer students and we encourage you to return consent forms to confirm your place, if you haven’t already, as spaces are limited. Thank you to Kirsty and Alisha in Careers for their efforts in all the planning that has gone into this event.
To finish, the Senior School Team wish you all a happy, healthy and positive Easter break with family and friends. We look forward to seeing you all return rejuvenated and revitalised for a strong Term 2.
Nicole Taylor
Senior School Leader