Well done - all of you!

I would like to extend my congratulations to Year 8 on how well they have begun the 2020 year, which has involved many changes and challenges!

For the first time in their high school lives, students have been able to choose an Innovation Elective which they participate in twice a week. This semester, students are doing one of the following electives:

School of Rock
Recording Music
Food Lovers
Crime Scene Investigation
Xhibit It
Survivor
Street Art
Mind Your own Business
Create a Cake
Computer Aided Design & Manufacture

The Innovation Electives are focused on developing students’ skills of collaboration, engagement, communication, innovation and leadership.

I would like to congratulate the following year 8 students who have been recognised by their teachers for demonstrating excellence in the following skills:

Collaboration:

Victor Yort
Zara Manton
Elyse Henry
Hanzalah Shah
Damian Subotic
Zeljko Medic

Engagement:

Kyla Marama
Aralyn Sebastian
Nicole Xue
Jayden Filippin

Communication:

Amelia Lee
Teddy Dancey
Tatjana Antonic

Innovation:

Megan Lee

Leadership:

Russell Nematollahi
Damian Subotic

I have really enjoyed visiting these lessons and watching how well the students work together. I think Create a Cake has been my favourite so far as you get to eat cake!!!

The end of this term has not been ideal for year 8, but they have taken to online learning very well. Again, I have enjoyed joining many of these lessons and seeing student engage positively in their work. It is important that students maintain their routine and attend their online lessons during their usual timetabled time.

Year 11

Last year, most Year 10 students couldn’t wait to be a senior. Being a senior comes with many privileges, such as:

leaving school at 11.40am on a Tuesday
being able to select six different subjects to study
having the opportunity to study at TAFE
wearing a different uniform
having a study space in the library

However, being a senior also comes with more rights and responsibilities. I think that Year 11 discovered this very early on in the year. Many have been overwhelmed with the amount of work and the high expectations from teachers, but I have been really impressed by the maturity shown by the cohort in staying organised, seeking help and completing work.

One thing we really notice is that students who attend school regularly, achieve better results. Although we are now learning in an online capacity, it is crucial for students to still attend their online lessons at their usual timetabled time. Next term we will be closely monitoring this and expect students to communicate with their teachers and seek guidance during the lesson. This is a new learning environment for all of us and works best when we all work together.

The Year Advisers, Mrs Green and Mrs Kennedy, have set up a Google Classroom and a Microsoft Teams page for the Year 11 group where they aim to be online each morning at around 8.35am to answers students questions. I encourage all students to join this if they have not already done so. This will be an important form of communication as we head into Term 2.

Earlier this term, Mrs Green, Mrs Kennedy and I held a breakfast to celebrate International Women's Day. It was lovely to share a meal and a moment with Year 11.

I would like to thank the following students who made the event possible:

Tayyaba Akram
Maryam Khan
Nourhan Hamdache
Felicia Leong
Lorisya Qaqoz
Amy Yim
Kylie Nguyen
Edwin Tarawali
Anna Tien
Sophia Kouch
Tina Pham

These students spent much of their own time making decorations and preparing food, demonstrating outstanding leadership, motivation, communication and organisational skills.

While the last couple of weeks have been challenging for teachers, students and families, I would like to thank you all for your continued support. It has made this stressful time much easier. I encourage all Year 11 students to take some time out for themselves over the Easter break and away from their screens. We look forward to working with you next term.

Denise James, Deputy Principal - Year 8 and Year 11