Principal's Report

With the start of Spring now officially here and Term 3 only two weeks away from completion the school has been a very busy hive of activity as students and staff work towards completing this term in a positive fashion. This time of year is also particularly important for Year 12 students (and those Year 11 students undertaking Year 12 subjects) with a range of final tests and SAC related tasks occurring across most subject areas. In talking with some of our senior students, while they are working hard, they are focused on finishing their high school journey in a positive way. In my first year here as Principal, I have been really impressed with the maturity of senior students and getting to know about some of the interests and potential pathways that lie ahead.

I would also like to acknowledge the fantastic work undertaken by the VCE Vocational Major students, led by Mr Ovens and the terrific staff that support our senior applied learning students each week. The “coffee cart” has been an overwhelming success and it has been a valuable opportunity for students to learn employment and customer service-based skills, while also allowing me to chat and discuss a range of topics with the students over the course of the year. On so many levels, this brief snapshot of the school, offers a clear example of the dedicated staff who oversee and run a wide range of programs and activities across the Years 7-12 learning program but also showcases and highlights how terrific our students really are.

In a similar vein, I also wanted to thank the staff who have been involved in the planning and provision of the up-coming trip to Indonesia, led by Bu Pritchett. This in-country tour will provide both staff and students with a terrific cultural immersion opportunity which I’m sure will be a highlight for all in attendance. We certainly wish you safe travels and hope that the trip allows everyone to further enrich their understanding of Indonesian culture and traditions. It is so important that we as a community here in Victoria are aware of our neighbouring countries, given the economic, cultural and security ties that Australia and Indonesia share. We look forward to following the tour and its highlights through our social media sites on Facebook and Instagram.

This week also saw the school acknowledging and celebrating student achievement and performance at our whole school General Assembly. These events are hugely important in allowing both staff and students the opportunity to showcase many of the activities, events, competitions and awards that occur across the school, and the following is a small snapshot of what was celebrated at the Assembly. They are as follows:

Oberon Way Award Winners – Amaya C, Leonardo G, Wyatt D & Olivia B
Book Week Wrap-Up & Library Competition Winners – Zayden M, Aspen & Jake
NAPLAN High Growth Awards for Numeracy and Reading – featuring approximately 20 students with terrific improvement results from Years 7-9
Public Speaking Festival (Years 7-12) – After weeks of competition, winners at every year level were announced. Thank-you Ms Richards for all of her work and to the students who participated in this event.
Education Perfect Victorian Languages Competition – Again there were multiple students who performed extremely well. Thank you to the language teachers and Ms Ray for organising and working with students.
Big Science Competition (Science & Engineering Challenge) – Thank you to Mr Vinton for his work and encouragement of students.
Girls in Physics Morning Tea – students were able to participate in this important forum to highlight the opportunities for girls in areas of physics and science in General

The Annual Art Competition was also announced, leading into the Art and Technology Showcase Night in Term 4 Thursday 15th October 5-7pm. This is a wonderful opportunity for all parents, students and the wider community to witness some of the fabulous work being done by students and wonderfully supported by art and technology staff.

And the final highlight of the whole General Assembly was Ari M (Year 7) performing a solo performance in front of the whole school!! This was a really positive example of our students showcasing their ability and our staff supporting them along the way.

The whole school Assembly definitely highlights the breadth and diversity of our school wide program and the high-quality teaching, learning and student performance across the school. I would encourage all parents and families to actively follow our social media platforms as we will be posting more activities and content on these sites to better communicate what is occurring across the school.

Thank-you for your support and interest in Oberon High School.

Warren Dawson

Principal