Principals' Report
Principal
Ken Murray
Assistant Principals
CHANGE TO PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEW TIMES
Parents attending the morning sessions is under half the number that attend the evening sessions. We are concerned that there are many parents missing seeing their children’s teachers because they cannot attend the morning session due to work commitments and miss out booking the evening session because teachers are booked solid. So we have decided to trial a new approach to see if two evening sessions accommodates the needs of more parents. The two evening sessions will be on Thursday, 13th September (2nd last week of the term) from 4.30pm to 7.30pm followed by another evening session on Wednesday, 19th September, from 4.30pm to 7.30pm. Please note the slight change in times as well. Bookings for these interviews will be opened on Friday, 31st August, about 2 weeks before the first evening session
REPORTS ARE AVAILABLE
At the end of term 2, staff completed reports on all students. These reports were uploaded onto XUNO and have been accessed by many parents using their XUNO username and password. However we have noticed that there are still a significant number of parents who have not seen these reports. If you are having trouble accessing these reports or have lost your XUNO access codes, please contact the Main Office for assistance
WINTER UNIFORM
Great to see the majority of students wearing correct winter uniform and staying warm in the cold weather. Remember wearing a white or black T-Shirt underneath their school shirt or polo can make a huge difference in keeping warm. The new rugby tops seem to be a hit as many are wearing these. Thanks to all parents and guardians for supporting the school’s uniform policy. There are still some second-hand jumpers available at school if needed
GV PASSPORT
Term 3 sees our annual GV PASSPORRT program take place. Year 9 students will be heading to the Bullion Bar in their House groups for a double period commencing Tuesday, 7th August (Bates and Chisholm) and Tuesday, 14th August (Kenny and Melba). The GV PASSPORRT program is a health promotion activity that focuses on building students’ knowledge and understanding of Drugs & Alcohol. The program is striving to enhance informed decision making, focusing on healthy relationships and safety around drugs and alcohol. Students will be participating in small group learning activities, facilitated by professionals from Primary Care Connect, GV Area Mental Health, School Nurses and Victoria Police. Socially skilled young people make better choices when it comes to making decisions about their health. This is an “opt-out” program so if you do not wish your child to attend this session, please contact the Main Office
WORLD CHALLENGE
The Alliance is looking for students interested in a World Challenge adventure at the end of 2019. The World Challenge program enables Year 9 / 10 students to raise funds, with support over a year to attend an overseas 23 night trip – destination NEPAL, where students experience the culture and assist in a community project. To gain interest in this program, the World Challenge people will be at Wanganui Park SC on the 14th August to present to students at recess (10.30am). There will be a parent information evening on Tuesday 21st August at the Shepparton HS Hall. A time for this meeting has not yet been set. More information will be placed in the newsletter on 9th August
THE DANGERS OF OUR MOBILE DEVICES
Last year we introduced a new mobile phone policy that saw students and teachers place their phones into a tub as they entered the room. We believe that taking the phones out of students’ pockets is important in removing that temptation, that distraction that occurs whenever your phone vibrates in your pocket. Even just having it in your pocket can be a distraction without it ringing or vibrating. This YouTube clip tells us how mobile phones are affecting our lives and our relationships today and gives us, teachers and parents alike, much food for thought. We encourage you to take 5 minutes to look at this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC21TcRQzKs&feature=youtu.be