Susan Kerr

Susan.Kerr@education.wa.edu.au

As a new Principal to the College I have to say I am very impressed with the behaviour and attitude of students. The College continues to have a very strong reputation and this is evidenced by the number of requests we have from visitors both locally and internationally who ask to visit the College facilities and to view the College operations.

As usual we have been extremely busy with lots of events as you will see from my information below.

College Ball

Thank you to our staff, students and parents for a wonderful night at the 2019 Masquerade College Ball. It was wonderful evening and students seemed to really enjoy themselves, this was indicative by the number of students on the dance floor. A special thank you goes to Mrs Teresa Hickman, the office staff, the Ball Committee and all those staff who helped organise this event.

Dowerin Field Day

This year the Dowerin Field Day was on August 28th and 29th and all our Year 11 students had the opportunity to attend this important agricultural event. The field day has grown in popularity over the years and I can testify to this as I had to stand in a very, very long line before entering the gate.

During my one day visit I was able to watch our Year 11 students in action. It was very exciting to see students participating in the fencing competition and the sheep judging. I would like to thank the dedicated staff, Jenny Stringer, Paul Dyson, and Bob McGee who agreed to go along and supervise students and drive the bus.

Board Meeting

The Board meeting this term was on Friday 30th August, where we discussed future planning and how we can more actively involve the Board and Agriculture Advisory Committee in helping the College devise some future directions. The members were also asked to work with staff to devise the 2020-2023 Business Plan.

I would also like to commend the student representatives at the recent Board meeting for presenting a formal report to the Board members about some of their thoughts and recommendations for improvement. I would personally like to thank the Board members for their professionalism and there commitment in supporting the College.

Curriculum

The Year 12s are well on their way to completing all class based requirements and soon have their mock exams and/or class exams. All our Year 12s are aware of the expectations placed on them in their specific courses including the importance of finishing all certificates. I would like to encourage all students to take up the opportunity to attend the College during invitation weeks next term so they can complete any assignments and/or certificates.

A reminder to all parents and students that until the end of the College year it is most valuable for students to consolidate their knowledge and meet all SCASA requirements. With your support we look forward to continuing our strong Year 12 results.

OLNA

One of the biggest achievements for many of our students has been the successful completion of OLNA. This is an online literacy and numeracy assessment test. It is designed to enable students to successfully meet the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) requirement of demonstrating the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy.

Congratulations to those students who have completed 1, 2 or 3 over the last assessment period and good luck to those completing in the final testing.

STEM

Our College understands the importance of Science Technology and Engineering Technology (STEM) in particular the agriculture future needs in this area. With this in mind the College is investigating some new courses and certificates for 2020 which will include the use of and/or technical skills required to repair and operate drones. We are also hosting the South West Catchment conference in November the theme of which will be “drones” and how they can be used to support industry.

Surveys

It is that time when the College will be asking parents to complete an online Parent Survey. The feedback from the survey is used in preparation for the ESAT (Electronic Schools Assessment Tool) and is critical for our self improvement and to help us determine our priorities for our next Business Plan. It would be greatly appreciated if parents /carers could find the time to complete this survey.

Feedback from the previous survey and this survey will be reviewed. A copy of the survey results will be published in our 2020 Annual Report. Students are also going to be asked to complete a survey about the College, as we believe student voice is very important.

Finally, I just want to let parents and community members know that Tryouts and applications for 2020, Year 10 and 11 enrolments have now closed. Like in most years we had many more applications than positions available. I would like to thank all those who applied and encourage Year 10s that missed out for next year, to consider reapplying in 2020.

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