PRINCIPAL

YEAR 12 VARIETY NIGHT - STARS OF THE FUTURE

The highlight of last week had to be the Year 12 Variety Night on Friday and Saturday evenings. It was a marvellous and fun filled way to commence the new term. To say the performances were outstanding is an understatement. I, along with our RNDM Sisters, Peter and Debra Bothe, Trevor and Annette Lynch, and our many patrons, were treated to music, dance, and comedy throughout the night. I am in awe of our talented students and their commitment over the previous weeks to prepare for the show. My congratulations and thanks to all the Year 12 students on stage and behind the scenes, Mr Tim Martino, and to our fabulous Arts Department and Theatre staff for their hard work. 

YEARS 7, 8 AND 9 LEARNING CONFERENCE DAY

My thanks to the many parents who took the opportunity to meet their children’s subject teachers during the Learning Conference Day on Tuesday 3 May. It was a great opportunity for parents and students to get some feedback on Term 1's academic studies and I hope the process was valuable to all. The COVID-19 situation prompted us to have the interviews online using Microsoft Teams and some of the initial feedback from parents was very positive. Our next Learning Conference is in Term 3, and I kindly ask parents to complete the short survey below to assist us in determining the best mode for our parent/teacher/student interviews next term. 

HOUSE SPIRIT CARNIVAL – AND NEXT WEEK OUR ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 

After all the trials and tribulations of Term 1, I felt blessed to be able to enjoy my first House Spirit Carnival today.  We could not have asked for better weather; The Paul Clement Oval was awash with colour and feelings were high as students displayed their passion for their respective House. Students moved through various activities throughout the day with their Pastoral Care Group (PCG), challenging other PCGs in competition for points and House Spirit. 

As we all know, it takes many hands to organise a large event such as this. My sincere thanks to all involved, particularly House Coordinators Mr Julien Hunt (O’Reilly), Miss Christine Polglaze (Carden), Miss Michelle Moreton (Barlow), Ms Linda Anstiss (Hannan), Ms Gill King (Kimberley), Mr David Nelson (Normandy), Mr John Ryan (Thu Duc), Miss Monique Saunders (Trinity), our facilities team and Deputy Principal - Dean of College, Mrs Sandra Manning, for their dedication in ensuring that this day went smoothly and all students participated and enjoyed themselves. 

Week 3 will see our Athletics Twilight Carnival take place from 2:00pm to 6:00pm at the State Athletics Centre. Students will depart from the College at 12:45pm and are asked to wear a mask whilst in transit. 

EDUCATE PLUS AWARDS

Late last year, the College's Community Relations and Marketing team submitted a nomination for an Educate Plus Award for Excellence for their personalised video sent to each incoming Year 7 student prior to Orientation. This week, the team were informed that they are a Top 3 Finalist in three categories - Admissions, Marketing Video and Marketing Online. 

The winners will be announced at the Educate Plus International Conference in Adelaide on Wednesday 1 June. Well done to Head of Community Relations and Marketing, Mrs Narelle Burnett, Community Relations and Marketing Coordinator, Miss Natasha Camilleri, and all involved in making this project possible. 

NAPLAN

Next week, our Years 7 and 9 students will commence their National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing. The NAPLAN is an annual national assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. All students in these year levels are expected to participate in tests in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.  Students in Year 9 who achieve at Band 8 or higher will be exempt from sitting the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA) next year. We wish our Years 7 and 9 students well for their assessment period. 

P&F MEETING

Our next P&F Meeting will take place on Monday 9 May at 7:00pm in The Hywood Room (Staff Room). All are invited to participate and share your thoughts on various aspects of College life.

MOTHER’S DAY 

Although it should not be limited to just one day a year, Mother’s Day is a wonderful time to express our respect, honour and love for mothers, grandmothers and those who play a mothering role in our lives. I wish all who fulfil this important role in our community a very special day for this Sunday and hope you get to spend some quality time with your loved ones.

God Bless.

Mr Leo Di Gregorio

Principal