The Huntingtower Bulletin

From the Principal

Thought for the week:

'When man is governed by God, the ever-present Mind who understands all things, man knows that with God all things are possible.'

Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health 180: 25-27

 

Term 1 has certainly provided an action-packed calendar full of engaging learning, a diverse range of activities and lots of smiles and laughter.  It is truly a privilege for us to walk through the campus each day, immerse ourselves in school life and feel the heart of Huntingtower beating strongly.  It has been a blessing to arrive early in the morning and see students training for sport, involved in orchestra rehearsals and connecting with friends. Thank you to all the staff who arrive very early to organise these enriching experiences for the students.

 

Last Tuesday, Huntingtower competed in the EISM Division 1 Swimming Carnival held at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre. It was a terrific carnival with all our swimmers doing their very best to demonstrate personal excellence and team spirit. The culmination of the collective efforts of each team member saw Huntingtower win the overall event for the 13th year in a row.  Congratulations to all the students, HSAC staff, sport staff and teachers who accompanied the team and provided support on the night.

 

Next week we begin the Senior School camp week when staff and students from Years 7-12 engage in a range of outdoor activities across our beautiful State of Victoria.  Year 7 head to Point Leo, Year 8 to Toolangi while Year 9 will complete their triathlon and explore the CBD. Year 10 will journey down the Murray River, Year 11 will hike through the High Plains and Year 12 will engage in leadership at Lorne. It promises to be a wonderful week of applied learning, opportunities to try new things and connect with the outdoors as well as, hopefully, some personal reflection and getting to “know thy true self.”

 

Last week the Parents and Friends Association launched the Huntingtower Care and Share Program. I thank the staff and families who have already offered to provide support; we would be very grateful for some more volunteers. While it is our hope that we won’t ever need to call on volunteers, it is comforting to know if we have a family in need we can unite as a community to provide any support they may need. Please consider volunteering for the program. You can express your interest by using the link here:  https://forms.gle/XXRXxnsr55Ek3Etp8 

 

Over the last few weeks, the Huntingtower Office has received a number of phone calls from very concerned members of the public regarding the manner in which parents are conducting themselves while driving on Waimarie Drive and the surrounding streets during drop off and pick up times. It is my understanding that the behaviour of a few drivers has been reported to the police. I have also personally witnessed unsafe driving behaviour on campus and appeal to all families to please slow down, adhere to all road rules and more importantly, let love and kindness drive your actions. You are your child’s first teacher, and they will learn more from your actions than words. The safety of our children, staff and the community is the responsibility of every driver.

 

Huntingtower has commenced the Strategic Planning focus groups and I thank all the participants for generously giving their time to share their valuable thoughts. The participants of the focus groups have been selected from a cross section of the community and from those people who specifically requested to join a group. I look forward to sharing the feedback we received from the focus groups with the community shortly. Because there are many members of the community who would like to share their considered thoughts and cannot attend a focus group, we have set up a dedicated email address for people to write to. The email address will be monitored by myself and Mrs Vicki Schwab and any response de-identified before being shared with the Executive and Board. If you would like to share your thoughts, we ask that you answer the following two questions: 

  1. What does Huntingtower need to protect so we can retain our uplifting and loving community?
  2. What does Huntingtower need to do in the next 3 - 5 years to enhance our Teaching and Learning, Parent Engagement, Student and Staff Well-being, resources and facilities.

 

Please email your thoughts and ideas to strategy@huntingtower.vic.edu.au

 

We look forward to hearing from the community and building our future together.

 

Andrew Houghton

Principal