The 2018 WHSC College Production of 'The Wizard of Oz'

What a wonderful Production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’! The Burrinja Theatre in Upwey was a fitting venue for such a high quality performance. On each of the nights last week (5, 6 and 7/9/18) our College Community was treated to such a wonderful theatrical experience.

Our students were exceptional. We have such talented students at our College and their skills were there for everyone to see given the superb dancing, singing and acting that was on show. Furthermore, our committed crew together with a number of other dedicated and hardworking students supported the Production in a number of ways from sound and lighting, to props and costuming. The efforts of our students ‘behind the scenes’ did not go unnoticed.

We say thank you to our staff and families who began our Production journey many months ago with our students. Without the commitment from our hardworking staff, together with the support of our families, the opportunity of featuring in our College Production this year just would not have been possible. We also thank our Primary School Partners (and families) in Mulgrave, Waverley Meadows, Wheelers Hill and Brandon Park Primary Schools for joining with us and having their Year 4 students be a part of the Production this year. The primary school students were outstanding.

Whilst many staff worked tirelessly in the development of the Production this year, so many of the plaudits must go to our Performing Arts Leading Teacher in Genelle Lentini. Genelle lead the way from start to finish and it was through her skilful and dedicated leadership that allowed for such a successful Production in 2019.

Well done to all involved. We are proud of our students and what they have achieved with their superb performance of the Wizard of Oz this year.

Year 12, 2018

The end of the year is fast approaching for our current Year 12 students. The school holidays will allow students to embark on some practice exams, with Year 12 classes concluding by week three of next term. The conclusion of classes allows students to spend some time completing some revision before the end of year exams start with VCE English on Wednesday 31st of October.

We wish all of our Year 12 students all the very best with their studies and impending exams as the year quickly comes to an end. Our Year 12 students will be having a special Whole School Assembly on Wednesday 24th of October starting at 10:40am with families invited to attend.

Building Program

A quick update on the current Building Program with progress continuing to be made at the back of the College with respect to our Gymnasium and Performing Arts Complex.

The Program is becoming more and more ‘weather tight’ allowing for more internal development of the site. Expected completion remains December, 2018. Works to modernise and renovate our existing VCE Centre will not begin until after the Year 12 exams being late November / early December this year with the expected completion to these works scheduled for the end of Term One, 2019

Parent Teacher Student Conferences, Monday 17th September, 1:00 to 8:00pm

Our Parent Teacher Student Conferences were held on Monday 17th September, from 1:00 to 8:00pm at the College. It was a tremendous opportunity for families to come along and speak with teaching staff about the progress of their children across their subjects. The Parent Teacher Student Conferences aligned with our Cycle 4 Reports that were released to families. Attendance from families was strong and the Conferences were worthwhile for both families and teaching staff.

WHSC Languages Committee

Our Languages Committee met for the first time recently (5/9). The Committee has broad representation from staff, leadership, students, parents and staff.

The purpose of the WHSC Languages Committee is to determine which language (s) should be a part of our curriculum on the basis of:

Ongoing relevance with our College and Global Community
Having the strongest chance of being studied from Year 7 all the way through to Year 12
Further improving connections and enrolments from our College Community

The Committee is committed to reviewing and discussing our Languages Program in light of our agreed purpose. The Committee next meets on Friday 12 10 18. At this meeting, we will further discuss how to consult with our College Community in this important curriculum area of our College.

Value of the Week – Respect

We have had a number of Year 7 students 'meet and greet' prospective families as they arrive to take in a College Tour throughout the year. Our Year 7 students have been polite and respectful, representing the College to the highest of standards. They have also been able to discuss their experiences of their first year at WHSC with our guests.

Whole School Assembly - Eliza Baird

On Tuesday this week (18/9), we had special Whole School Assembly for Eliza Baird. Eliza was a student of our College and she passed away late last year after a prolonged illness.

The timing of our Assembly coincided with a memorial having been developed at the College, and Eliza's family was in attendance on the day.

There were a number of moving tributes to Eliza as part of the Assembly and we thank all those involved, particularly Eliza's family, for being a part of a Whole School Assembly.

We were always very proud of Eliza and her achievements. Our lives are so much richer for knowing her - we will always miss Eliza Baird.

Principal For A Day

We are participating in the Principal For A Day Program in 2018.

The Principal For A Day Program gives a wide range of community and business leaders from all walks of life a first-hand experience of a normal day in a Victorian government school. This year’s participants include several past and present Australian of the Year Award recipients.

Principal For A Day aims to:

increase understanding and awareness between schools, business and the wider community
promote the great work that schools do
provide business and community leaders with first-hand and current experiences of schools
enable school principals to develop on-going relationships with leaders from other spheres, and
increase opportunities for schools and the community to work together in mutually beneficial ways

On Friday the 12th October, we will be partnering Stella Axarlis AM, Former Maths Teacher, Opera Singer and Australia Day Ambassador on the day. We look forward to working with Stella as part of the Principal For A Day Program.

And finally................

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our families a safe and relaxing holiday period. It has been another very busy term at WHSC in term three and we look forward to term four after the school holiday break.

Aaron Smith

Principal

Sport

Sport Presentation Evening