From the Principal

Finish to Year 12 Program

We had a very smooth and enjoyable finish to the Year 12 program this year. While some of our Ag Studies and Trades students finished their programs in week one of the term, a number were still working hard to complete their courses and industry qualifications late in week two.  

The two main achievement targets for our Year 12 students are the attainment of a WACE (Western Australian Certificate of Education) and the completion of a Certificate II in Agriculture.  At this stage it seems likely we will finish with very good results in both of these targets this year which is a tremendous result given the challenges of 2020. 

Graduation

Our 2020 Graduation will take place on Friday November 20 commencing at 11.00 am.  Unfortunately, due to COVID 19 restrictions the College is required to limit the number of people who can attend the ceremony to Year 10, 11 and 12 students, College staff, sponsors and a small number of invited guests. The venue capacity is determined by WA’s 2 square metre rule.

At the present time, each Year 12 student may invite two guests to the ceremony. Other COVID – safe requirements include good physical, health and hygiene practices such as no kissing, hugging or shaking hands. Hand sanitiser will be available to all participants and physical distancing remains important. We ask participants to please stay home if they are unwell.

The ceremony runs for approximately one hour and is followed by a luncheon. Lunch will be served in an individual food box.

Year 12 students are required to wear their full school uniform and arrive at the College at 10.00 am for photos and a quick dress rehearsal.  We also require students to adhere to the College’s grooming and jewellery policy, at least for one last time! 

Our guest speaker for the 2020 Year 12 Graduation is former Western Australian Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan – a position he held from 2004 to 2017. He was the longest serving post–war West Australian Police Commissioner and was formerly a career police officer having served for more than 43 years. 

2020 Year 12 Student Prefects

We have commenced the process of selecting our 2021 Year 12 Student Prefects. The elected student prefects will be announced on Graduation Day. 

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our 2020 Year 12 Student Prefects: Bianca Roth (School Captain), Murray Findlay (School Captain), Emma Gillespie, Sophie Cuthbert, George Rowe and Ethan Edwards for the great jobs they’ve done in their leadership roles this year.  We have generally had an exceptionally positive and enjoyable atmosphere in this school this year under difficult circumstances and a great deal of credit needs to go to our Year 12 Student Prefects for the example they’ve set.

2020 Parent and Residential Surveys

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to provide us with feedback in either our 2020 Parent Survey or our 2020 Residential Survey, or both. The surveys are still open and we would encourage all parents to click on the links below to complete the surveys. 

Just a reminder that we only get the feedback from those surveys that are fully completed.  At the moment we have a number of Parent Surveys (13) that haven’t yet been fully completed.

• The link to the 2020 Parent Survey is: https://www.schoolsurvey.edu.au/s/gkCz5JxT
• The link to access the 2020 Residential Survey is: https://www.schoolsurvey.edu.au/s/kYm5QMRc

The results of the surveys will be reviewed by College Staff and by the College Board as part of our annual self-review processes.  Copies of the surveys will also be published online early in 2021.   Feedback from the surveys is used to identify areas of improvement and change.

Public School Review

It has been confirmed that our 3-year public School Review will take place in Week 7 of Term 4. The review had originally been programmed for Term 2 but was cancelled due to COVID 19. The format of the review has changed over the past few months and schools have been provided information on the updated requirements of the process. We will be required to review and report on College operations including; Relationships and Partnerships, Learning Environment, Leadership, Use of Resources, Teaching Quality and Student Achievement and Progress. Parents, staff and the wider college community will be invited to contribute and provide feedback to the review panel.

College Board Elections

Nominations have been called for parents interested in filling three parent-member positions on our College Board which will become vacant at the end of this year.  The College Board consists of 11 members, five of whom are parents.  If you would like to discuss what’s involved with being a Board member please call either myself on 9848 0200 or Steve Jones, our Board Chair, on 0497228779. 

2020 Student Enrolments

We still have a large number of students on a waiting list hoping to get a place at the College next year, so it would be greatly appreciated if parents could inform us as soon as possible if their son or daughter is not intending to continue at the College next year.  The earlier we know the sooner we can contact those students who’ve been waiting patiently for an opportunity.

Staffing Changes

Jason Frankham–Eade was appointed as a Dairy Agricultural Training Officer (ATO) at the beginning of Term 3 and is doing an outstanding job.

Brad Seib has been appointed to the ATO – Beef position while Jo Parsons is on maternity leave. Brad worked in different roles with the Department of Agriculture and Food over many years and also held the position of Farm Supervisor at Pardelup Prison Farm for a period of time.     

Jack Marney has been appointed to the second ATO - Dairy position. Jack has worked on a number of Dairy Farms over the past 11 years and is highly qualified with a Diploma of Agriculture (Dairy) from Goulburn Ovens TAFE and a Bachelor of Education qualification. Jack is based in Victoria and as a result requires permission from the South Australian Government and the West Australian Government to travel interstate. We are expecting Jack to begin work at the College mid-January 2021.   

Priority Maintenance Program

As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, the College has been allocated $654,533 to address building maintenance issues identified through the College’s Building Condition Assessment Report.  This will be rolled out over the next two years. 

We requested that the removal of the old piggery and the widening and resurfacing of Jack Moore Avenue be the priority. The work on Jack Moore Avenue will be carried out during the end of year summer school holidays.

Work on the piggery will begin this week on Tuesday November 10 (preparation for demolition), with actual demolition and removal beginning Monday November 16. The contractor will not attend the site on Graduation Day (November 20). 

The contractor will access the College from Denbarker Road and will aim to minimise impact on student and staff activities.

The contractors will be wearing masks and suits for their protection from general dust and soil from the demolition and this is not in any way related to asbestos. The piggery building has been tested extensively and is free of asbestos. 

Please contact either Kevin Marshall (Farm Supervisor) or myself if you require further information.