Head of Year 11 & 12 News

It is hard to believe how quickly this term is moving! There is plenty happening across our senior school now, with our Year 12s rapidly approaching the final stretch of their schooling and our Year 11s beginning to step into their role as our school leaders for 2027.

Year 12

Our Year 12 students are heading into what is a very exciting, and very important, final part of their schooling. Attendance is a real priority now. With only a limited number of school weeks remaining, every lesson and everyday counts. We really want our Year 12s to make the most of the time they have left, continue engaging with their learning and finish their schooling as strongly as possible. There is still plenty of work to be done and now is definitely not the time to switch off.

Formal preparations are also continuing, with our final formal fundraiser being held this Friday, 14 August, with a meat raffle at the Esk Grand Hotel. We thank Esk Grand Hotel sincerely for supporting our senior students and their formal. Our students have worked incredibly hard with their fundraising this year, and it is exciting to see them reaching the final one.

Coming up in Week 10, our Year 12 students will also be completing their First Aid course. This is another fantastic practical qualification for students to take with them as they begin preparing for life beyond school.

Nominations are also now open for the ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership and Teamwork Awards. These awards recognise Year 10 and Year 12 students who demonstrate outstanding leadership, teamwork and strong values both within the school and broader community. The selection criteria also consider qualities including problem solving, resourcefulness, communication, cooperation and community involvement.

Students in Years 10 and 12 are encouraged to self-nominate if they believe they meet the criteria. Nominations need to be submitted to me by Thursday 3 September (Week 8). I would really encourage students to have a look at the criteria and put themselves forward, sometimes our young people are much quicker to recognise leadership qualities in others than they are in themselves. The selected Year 10 student will receive a cash payment of $250 and the selected Year 12 student will receive $550.

Year 11

Our Year 11s are beginning the exciting transition towards becoming our 2027 senior leaders. During PDP, they have been working with Ms Stevenson, Ms Cole and Ms Cerchi to look at ways they can contribute to our school and make things better for other students. This includes thinking about both the small things they can influence every day and the bigger ideas they would like to work towards as next year's seniors.

It has been wonderful to see them starting to think beyond themselves and about the type of Year 12 cohort they would like to be and the impact they would like to have on our school.

Of course, there is also some very important Year 12 business underway, senior jerseys and shirts for 2027. Students are currently working through the process of selecting their designs, which is always an exciting milestone and makes Year 12 suddenly feel that little bit closer.

RYDA – Years 10, 11 and 12

On Friday 21 August, all students in Years 10–12 will have the opportunity to participate in the RYDA Road Safety Education program at school.

RYDA is designed specifically for senior secondary students and focuses on helping young people develop the skills and strategies they need to make safer choices on the road – not only as drivers, but also as passengers. The program uses practical activities, real-life stories, videos, quizzes and interactive learning to explore risk, decision-making and road safety. Importantly, RYDA recognises that every young person has a role to play in road safety, regardless of whether they are currently driving.

We are very fortunate to be able to offer this program to our students at school, during the school day and at no cost to families. It is a fantastic opportunity for our senior students and one that we hope will provide them with knowledge and strategies they can carry with them well beyond the school gates.