PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

We are so pleased and excited to have had all our students return on-site last Friday 22 October. It was so nice to see everyone so happy to be back together and for our students’ to be able to attend their usual classes on-site.

There are four things from our Term 4 ‘What Matters Most’ that we are continuing to focus on and ensuring we are all working towards supporting students in an orderly and positive learning environment:

Respect – modelling this and expecting students to be kind to each other and staff
Responsibility - students taking ownership of their actions and supported in areas of improvement
Resilience - It is OK to try and not succeed at first. Perfection is not the goal, learning is.
Routine - be clear, consistent, structured and predictable

Students have been wonderful in their return on-site and have remained calm and respectful in their classes, towards their teachers and each other which is fabulous. We appreciate our parent’s support and working in partnership with us as we contact home when required if your child needs support with their attendance or completing work requirements, so they can finish their year off strong and successfully. If you have any questions or concerns relating to your child’s attendance or learning please contact your child’s Mentor Teacher or Learning Community Leader (LCL).

A big congratulations to our Year 12 students on their final classes and assembly on Tuesday, Celebration Day and colour run obstacle course on Wednesday.

This is an extract from my section of the Year 12 assembly, which summarises our sentiments as we celebrate these wonderful young people finishing their classes this week:

This year is certainly one that has tested everyone’s ability to maintain a positive attitude at times. I am sure that there have been times this year that your outlook on the path ahead of you, whether just completing Year 12 or beyond, was clouded. This moment in time is not about just your final year of schooling; it is about the journey that you have taken to get here. All 13 years of learning, and growing as people. I hope that you have completed your time as a student of Surf Coast Secondary College with so many wonderful memories of your peers, teachers and experiences along the way that have helped to shape the person that you have become so far. In saying this, I would also like to thank our staff for all their hard work and commitment to supporting your child. I am so proud to be the Principal of this wonderful school that you have all been an important part of. We look forward to celebrating further at the Valedictory Evening in November.

A reminder to families about the COVID-safe measures for schools at this current time:

Students aged 12 and over must continue to wear face masks indoors and outdoors, unless a lawful exception applies. We ask families to please ensure your child has some spare masks in their bag.
Practise good hygiene and regularly and thoroughly wash your hands.
Maintain physical distancing, keep at least 1.5 metres away from others.
If your child feels unwell, keep them home.

This continues to be a challenging time, despite the relaxing of restrictions and return to on site schooling.

We also encourage everyone to look after themselves. For students The Mental Health Toolkit has advice and resources to support student mental health and wellbeing. This includes advice on positive mental health promotion, curriculum support, how to identify and access support as well as parent and student-specific pages.

There are also lots of things you can do to look after yourself. You could:

take a break from the news and social media
spend time with people who make you laugh and feel happy
do some exercise
try to eat healthily and keep the unhealthy snack foods and drinks as treats
get creative with some art, poetry or music
try meditation and mindfulness

Take care.

Warm regards,

Erin Wright

Principal