Principals Report

Welcome back to Term 4! Full disclosure my Principals Report also doubled as my letter to families which was published on the portal yesterday! So, if you read it yesterday feel free to skip - although please still look at the rest of the newsletter as it contains some great highlights of the second half of last term. Not included in this edition was the Yr 12 Graduation Assembly, a wonderful farewell to a great year group. Our resident photographer, Mr Caisley, is also Yr 12 advisor, so could not take photos, so we’re hoping families and students might send some in so we can publish.  Best of luck to our Year 12 students, who sat their first HSC exam yesterday. It was fantastic that so many teachers offered additional study sessions during the holidays to support them. We look forward to celebrating and farewelling them at the Year 12 Formal on the 6th of November.

Staffing Changes Our Head Teacher Teaching and Learning, Mr Peter Woodrow, has decided to step back into classroom teaching. I would like to sincerely thank him for his dedicated work and invaluable contributions in this role. Mr Woodrow has been a real team player and an integral part of our executive team. Mr Ben Ryan will be relieving as Head Teacher Teaching and Learning, and Ms Kelly Robson will take over as Year 10 Year Adviser. Mr Ryan is an excellent classroom teacher with prior experience in executive positions, and we are confident he will do an excellent job in this role. Ms Robson has already been supporting the wellbeing faculty, and I know she is very excited to take on this new role.

Technology Use You may have heard concerns in the media about the overuse of technology in schools, particularly the use of AI. While laptops remain an essential tool for learning and future workplaces, starting this term, we will be monitoring their use more closely in classrooms to ensure appropriate and balanced use. In line with the Department of Education, we will be reviewing our assessment policies to prevent inappropriate reliance on AI technology.

Uniform It was wonderful to see students returning in full school uniform. Please remember that navy shorts are the correct uniform. Recently, there has been an increase in students wearing the Tiger rugby shorts, which are not permitted. The canteen is hoping to order in plain Canterbury shorts (without the white logo) as we understand many families prefer this brand. More information will be provided soon.

Rewards and Attendance Excursion This year has seen significant improvement in positive student behaviour and overall attendance – well done! To encourage continued positive attendance and behaviour, we will hold a rewards excursion to Wet’n’Wild at the end of the year. There will be approximately 110 seats available for this. To be eligible, students must have reached silver, have 90% attendance and not have accrued 10 or more negative behaviour points. Please see the flyer in this edition for more information.  For students who prefer not to attend Wet’n’Wild, there will be an alternative excursion to the local pool.

Consent Workshops In week 3 of this term, the PDHPE and Wellbeing faculties will be hosting important workshops on consent and healthy relationships. This is an excellent opportunity for students, and I encourage all families to read the information sent home and discuss these important topics with your children. Further information will be provided shortly.

Grandparents Day One of our favourite events, Grandparents Day, will be held on Thursday, 22nd October. This is always a well-attended and much-loved occasion by both students and grandparents. I personally can’t wait to see the MPU filled for this!

Thank you for your ongoing support. We look forward to a safe, productive, and enjoyable Term 4.