Secondary School News

Head of Senior School, Ms Kylie Virgo

The opening weeks of our new school year has seen the theme of 'Connection' at the forefront of our activities as we welcomed both familiar faces and new additions to the Secondary School. 

Our Year 7 teachers and education assistants have worked hard to begin the Year 7 Transition Program allowing our Year 7 students to settle and feel connected to our school and its values. Our Peer Support Leaders also connected with the students to share some wisdom to help them organise their locker and use their student diary. 

Keeping with tradition, our Year 7 community enjoyed making and devouring some delicious pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. This provided an opportunity for our students to connect over a shared experience, debate the best toppings and for some of our students to demonstrate their teamwork skills. 

The Heads of House, along with student buddies have played a vital role connecting with our new secondary students. Meeting with all of our new students it is wonderful to hear many of them are feeling more settled each week. 

To start the day, some of our House Groups have been participating in Morning Circle routines to help build connection with class members and peers. The routines allow for values and expectations to be established, announcements shared and fun to be experienced through an energising game or activity; a great way to put a smile on faces setting up a day of learning. 

Furthermore, our Heads of House, along with their House Group teachers, House Councils, and House Seniors, have organised a variety of engaging activities to foster connections among students within their respective Houses. These initiatives range from collaborative game sessions promoting teamwork, to friendly competitions featuring card and board games. Additionally, events such as House barbecues and House quizzes serve not only as avenues for students to get to know House staff but also as opportunities to cultivate a vibrant sense of camaraderie and belonging within their House. 

The 2024 Student Leadership Councils have been selected, providing an opportunity for over 80 students from Years 8 -11 to be led by a School Prefect. The Councils provide an avenue for students to collaborate and connect with other students to contribute to the life of the School through initiatives and events throughout the year. We look forward to our Year 7s nominating to join a council and all students being recognised at our Colours Assembly in Term 2. 

Another way we provide opportunities for students to connect is through our Clubs program and Junior and Senior SAS competition. Our Clubs program and JSAS started this week with terrific options available for our students to develop their interests beyond the classroom walls. We look forward to being able to showcase our Clubs program in future editions. 

Without the dedication, commitment and inspiration of our staff many of these opportunities for our students would not be possible. 

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the P&F for their contribution towards a new outdoor seating bench for our students to use. 

A key to student wellbeing is sharing respectful relationships with peers. To support the School’s values and consistent messaging about the importance of being respectful through the relationships our students share with others, the Year 7, 8 and 9 students will be participating in a presentation on Respectful Relationships during their Wellbeing lesson next week. Key aspects of the presentation will include aspects of healthy relationships, skills that promote healthy relationships and enhancing self-awareness and self-worth. If you have any questions about this presentation, you are most welcome to contact me. 

An event that many of our students look forward to is the Inter-House Swimming Carnival. Normally our first competitive carnival is where opening bragging rights are taken and students get into the House Spirit by dressing up according to their House theme. Unfortunately, due to the extreme weather, this event was not able to go ahead as planned. A huge effort by the HPE Department, led by Alicia Anderson, saw the revised event take place on Tuesday with some record breaking performances: 

• Jasper Palmer – Open Boys 50 m Freestyle record 
• Isla Dwyer – U/13 Girls 50 Backstroke and Butterfly record

It was great to still be able to hold the much-anticipated Wollaston Sprint with Sophia Miao (Year 8) and Jasper Palmer (Year 11) our 2024 winners. 

Congratulations to all the swimmers and thank you to the parents and families who came to watch and support them and the staff who played a vital role in allowing the carnival to proceed in the condensed format. We look forward to revealing the Age Champions shortly and seeing our 2024 Swim Team represent the School at the Inter-School Carnival in Week 7. 

To conclude, at our Assembly in Week 1 I shared with the Secondary community some ideas on how they can best support their wellbeing this year in the shape of this year’s theme of Opportunity. 

I wish you all a wonderful year ahead. 

Kylie Virgo 

Head of Senior School