From the Principal

Dear Friends,

It is wonderful to see all students back in the College. Their faces tell their joy in being able to see friends, to play and work together. Hopefully this will be the new normal for the foreseeable future. We trust Year 12 students are doing well in exams as they conclude these formalities of senior schooling. The anticipation of dinners and celebrations to follow will be on their minds and well deserved. Our end of year calendar for both sections of the College hold the highlights of graduation ceremonies, and for Junior School, the school production of Annie Jr, and then Final Assembly. It is a remarkable effort by students and staff that we have been able to finish the year so well. 

Families may recall the College conducted an online wellbeing survey of students in Years 5 to 11, through Youth Dimension. Some seven contributing areas of personal wellbeing have been surveyed across Australia for the last 20 years alongside many international studies. Levels of wellbeing are a social indicator of great interest to governments, and so there is an enormous amount of data to reference our survey against. Students at Oxley returned survey results within normal ranges of the seven indicators assessed, except for a feeling of connection to community and overall satisfaction of life. With COVID in play, perhaps not unexpectedly, these two elements were below the Victorian student normative range. However, the pleasing result is in the high sense of optimism, feelings of safety and positive relationships that students reported. The detailed report provided by Youth Dimension, will give the College insight in helping students return from disruptive periods of lockdown. 

As the College year draws to a close, we are sometimes reminded of the fragility of our support for each other and what seems to be any interest in our common good. It is understandable that some parents, staff and even children are feeling wearied and annoyed by the restrictions, the rules and challenges associated with the pandemic. We are not alone in the apparent unfairness of life in Melbourne. As a Christian community, the apostle urges us to be worthy of the calling we have received to become God’s children. As St Paul continues, Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Wise words of relationship for our times from Ephesians 4. The small acts of grace and kindness, the encouraging words, the patience and respect conveyed in a humble attitude towards others, all characterise the Spirit of God among us. May this be the experience of the Oxley community.

We ask our community to prayerfully uphold our state government in its deliberations over proposed amendments to the Equal Opportunity Act (2010). These amendments will affect our ability to employ staff in the future. As part of our College community, if you have concerns about such matters, you can become more informed by a web search on equal opportunity act – religious exceptions. 

Warm regards,

Douglas Peck