From the Principal

I offer my congratulations to the following students:

Our Year 6 students hosted an excellent PYP exhibition on Wednesday and Thursday last week. This was a wonderful way for them to share their research. It was also a time to recognise and celebrate the journey of learning development each student has undertaken throughout the course of the PYP program. I was impressed by the amount of thought that went into how they would engage with their audience. Each group had a different strategy to spark the curiosity of their visitors.
Our Year 7 Girls basketball team won their Grand Final 27-2 against Friends on Monday after going through the season undefeated. It was a strong team performance with each player making an important contribution.
Our Year 3 students participated in their first school camp last week. I have heard wonderful feedback from the staff who accompanied the students.

Good luck to our Badminton team who are playing in the final of the college inter-schools roster on Friday.

This week, we have hosted our College Open Week and last night welcomed our Year 7 2025 students and parents for an Information Evening. It was a delight to see the excitement of our students who are on the cusp of an important step in their educational journey. I particularly want to express my gratitude to Ruth and Darcy who spoke on behalf of the current Year 7 cohort. They ensured the Year 6 students knew they would be cared for and supported as they progressed into high school.

I spoke about some of the ways in which we endeavour to create an environment that supports student learning. I firstly spoke about the role of the community, one that helps students to feel safe and supported, where they know there are people who will listen to them and where there are people who will help them when they need it. I spoke about the importance of having a sense of belonging, that each individual needs to know they matter.

We also try to be a community that puts our values into action. We try to be a place where we recognise the importance of learning and where courage, faithfulness, compassion, empathy and love are not just posters on the wall.

I addressed the role of teachers in supporting learning. They do this by helping create a calm, ordered class environment where students can focus on the intended learning. They break material into bite-size pieces and endeavour to present information in a manner that is engaging. Teachers provide repetition and reinforcement to help new learning move into long term memory and they encourage students to deepen understanding through opportunities to apply information and skills to new contexts. They understand that each student is different and take account of that in their planning and delivery.

While it is still a few months away, I am excited for our incoming Year 7 students. I know they will be warmly welcomed and well-supported as they make their transition into high school.

Jodie Bennett

Principal