As Term 3 draws to a close, I feel fortunate that Molong Central School, along with most other schools in New South Wales, has remained open and has offered students many valuable learning opportunities, despite the restrictions the pandemic has imposed on us. Teachers have taken advantage of less interruptions to their normal routines and are now looking forward to the school holidays.

Year 12 Art, Industrial Technology and Design and Technology students breathed a sigh of relief last week as their major works were presented for marking. It is a significant accomplishment as the students plan, design and present their work and the build up to the final due date is followed by an overwhelming sense of accomplishment which our students and teachers share. It is a special time that will be remembered as a highlight of the year for students with a practical component.

I have also been extremely delighted to hear of so many early University places being offered to our students, and as news of these offers continue to come to light, I know many of our students are feeling relieved, especially those with unconditional offers. All students should continue to focus on their studies as time invested over the next 3 weeks can have a significant benefit to a student’s overall Higher School Certificate result.

Teachers have been busy finishing off course work and revising and practicing exam-style questions. The final week for Year 12 is Term 4, Week 1 and it will be celebrated with a virtual Graduation assembly on Friday 16th of October. Year 12 will commence their HSC exams on Tuesday 20th October.

Primary students have also raised an incredible amount of money by gaining sponsors for Jump Rope for Heart and we are really looking forward to hearing the final amount raised, which at the moment, is over $16,000. I am excited at the prospect of watching the students perform their newly developed skipping skills. Thank you Mrs Tamati. The feedback I have had on how much this event has been enjoyed by the students has been amazing and I believe that for many students this focus was a great distraction, as many of their other regular sporting activities have been cancelled.

Secondary leadership interviews for Captains are taking place this week and speeches will be delivered differently this year. Next term, students who have been successful at interview will deliver their speech to each Stage in the Secondary. Voting will take place electronically and Mrs Barrett and Mr Keen will determine the leadership team based on the votes in Week 1 of Term 4.

Cooler Schools - You may have noticed all of the work that is happening around the school, as you have dropped your children off. It is very exciting to think we have some major improvements to the heating and cooling systems in the school. It is true that the greater the comfort we can provide for our students, the greater the impact will be on their learning. This will deliver a short-term disruption with long-term gains for each student.

Interactive screens - Nine classrooms in the school have had old projectors removed and new interactive panels installed this week. This is a large rollout that has been planned as an IT upgrade this term.

Wellbeing Hub - The residence on the corner, which the school owns is also undergoing a makeover. This work was commenced on Monday and once completed will provide some much needed space for students to access the School Counsellor, Student Support Officer and a variety of other services and programs to support student wellbeing.

Club 200 Reading