Associate Principal, Operations Report

No doubt many of you, like me, wondered what ANZAC Day would be like without the usual community gatherings and commemorations.  I hope, like me, you were pleasantly surprised, moved perhaps, by the efforts so many people made to show that the isolation required of us did not prevent proper marking of this national day.

Electronic messages, like the one from Dr Hirst; recorded music, such as Liam Jeffery’s playing of The Last Post and Reveille; postings on a range of sites; services from state and federal capitals shown on television, with much reduced numbers but still with a sense of solemnity and respect; thousands who were in their driveways or on balconies at 6.00am; and many more demonstrated the importance huge numbers of Australians place on ANZAC Day.

I liked the message I received from a contact we have worked with for some time and who works as an expat. in Shanghai.  His weChat post noted the good fortune we have, despite our current conditions, due to the sacrifices of previous generations: “Good to remember those who gave a lot for our safety and freedom in any way.  We are really quite lucky that all we need to do to keep that safety and freedom is to stay in our homes.” 

It said a great deal about respecting the ANZAC traditions and reflecting on our own situation.  Gratitude and service should be to the fore in our thinking at this time.

On ANZAC Day, an item on the news added to this.  It was not related to ANZAC traditions, but I thought it fitted well with the idea of service and gratitude.

It noted that, last weekend, the Number One item on the music charts in the United Kingdom was a recording of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” featuring Captain Tom Moore, Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care Choir.  The recording featured Captain Moore, the 100 year old former serviceman who walked 1000 times up and down his courtyard to raise funds to help the National Health Service in Britain in their efforts to control the coronavirus pandemic.  The recording is on YouTube if you haven’t seen it – it’s worth a view.

Service and gratitude.

We are all called and just as the ANZACs and Captain Moore demonstrated, we can all respond.

Changes of Date

Pupil-free day

All members of the school community are advised that we have decided to move the date of the pupil-free Staff PL Day from Friday 5 June to Friday 15 May.  This means that the day will be in the middle of the term and it will allow staff to prepare for the Student/Parent/Teacher sessions we are planning for this term, about which more advice will follow.   

Friday 15 May will be this term’s pupil-free day.

Friday 5 June will now be a day of school classes.

Please adjust calendars accordingly.

Information Night for 2021 Years 11 and 12 students

The Year 11 and 12 (2021) Information Night was previously scheduled for Wednesday 20 May.  We have re-scheduled it to Tuesday 9 June at 7.00pm.  The information will be presented electronically by Teams and further advice will be provided nearer the date.

Student subject selections for these year levels in 2021 will be due the following Monday, 15 June.

Please adjust these dates in your calendars also.

Many thanks.

Neil MacLean