Associate Principals' Report
This week students in Years 7 to 9 have moved into their 2022 classes and begun focusing on new work. Students will also have noticed some new subjects and structures that we are introducing as part of a range of improvements for next year. For example, students in Year 8 in 2022 will have noticed they are mainly timetabled in C Block. This area will be the base for the Middle School next year, and they will share C Block with the new Year 7s.
The Middle School Leaders and Level Team Leaders will be based in the C Block staff area, along with Middle School teaching team. Year 8s will have started a new subject this week called “Thrive”. This will be a key subject in building a variety of key skills and developing each students’ abilities to be a successful and engaged learner. They will focus on areas such as good decision making, goal setting, mindfulness, organisational skills and problem solving.
The Year 9s also began a new subject called “Connect” and they will be based in the Library for many of their subjects throughout next year. Connect will be an exciting and engaging project-based program that will build teamwork, responsibility and positive relationships.
The Senior School (Years 12, 11 and 10) for 2022 will be based in A Block whilst we begin the rebuilding program in G Block. This will be a short-term measure and when we have the new building operational the Senior School will move into the revamped Science building. We have added a new range of electives to the Year 9 and 10 program with students getting to choose from an initial list of over fifty individual electives.
2021 has been a difficult year for many but we are looking forward to 2022 and fully implementing these changes and even more improvements to our school.
Paul Donaldson
Associate Principal
As 2021 draws to a close, there has been much activity around the 2022 teaching and learning preparations with our students engaged in their Grad Start and Smart Start Programs. Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 have been working in the Smart Start program and sampling a range of new and exciting courses.
Two innovative programs include Year 7 THRIVE (Teenagers who are Happy Resilient Inquisitive Valiant Empowered) and Year 9 CONNECT (Creative Opportunities, New Ideas Negotiable Themes, Engaging, Collaborative Teams) will be introduced next year.
In the THRIVE program, we aim to ensure that students are generally happy with their lives, both in and outside of school. This is achieved by creating positive relationships with peers, teachers and of course parents and carers; by developing resilience in our students so that they have the ability to bounce back when faced with difficulty; by nurturing their curiosity so they can better navigate their way through life, and by helping students to be courageous so they develop self-confidence, make the right decisions; set achievable goals; and develop their organisational skills and solve problems.
In addition to the THRIVE program, we have introduced Year 9 CONNECT program. Students will be involved in a range of project-based learning activities; gaining knowledge and skills by investigating and responding to engaging questions, problems or challenges. The students will further develop their skills by learning how to be effective collaborators; creative thinkers; develop their problem-solving skills. I look forward to working with Year 9 staff and students in this innovative program.
On a final note, I wish every parent, member of staff and all our student community a peaceful and relaxing holiday.
Karen Dean
Associate Principal