Associate Principal, Operations Report

The first week of Spring is a time when we can look forward to new growth.  Hopefully, it will also mean a return, soon, to face-to-face (but socially distanced!) learning.  We will be interested to hear from the Premier this weekend and hope that the way forward for schools, students and teachers (and parents too!) will become clearer.

The current period of remote learning is scheduled to finish the following weekend but it may be that things will stay as they are until the end of term.  We shall see. 

Whatever happens, I believe that our students are well-placed to face the future positively and with enthusiasm.  They have done very well so far and all of us have learned a great deal about ourselves during these remote periods.

Planning is taking place for events in Fourth Term.  Some things will be different this year – a bit like the idea of the ’Gabba hosting the Grand Final – but I think we are best served by seeing this as a chance to explore new territory rather than bemoaning what has befallen us.

Year Twelve and most Year Eleven students are scheduled to sit the VCAA General Achievement Test (the “GAT”) during the first week of term and they will have had VCE Revision Lectures, remotely, over the holidays.  The good news is that there is a slightly longer period after the holidays this year to prepare and fine tune for the first examination.  Much can be achieved.

For other year levels, the new term will also see some differences.  We do not yet know what regulations will apply to schools and sports.  We already know that the Year 9 Camp will not go ahead.  But it seems likely that things will be improving throughout the term and so one can hope for sports to begin again and we are planning a vibrant camps programme for 2021, our planning taking into account a range of possible situations which might exist.

So let’s welcome Spring and, with a positive mindset, look ahead to the holidays and the chance to refresh before the new term.

Neil MacLean

Associate Principal, Operations