Senior School

SHARON FRAME

Head of Senior School

The term has flown by, and in just a little over two weeks, the classrooms of the Senior School will once again become quiet. However, unlike the majority of the last term, it will be a happy absence, allowing time with family and friends and a chance to celebrate Christmas and the dawn of a New Year together. 

Between now and then, we have an important period where students will transition from their 2021 classes to their new 2022 classes. For the students of the Senior School, this is a critical time, as it will provide a head start for the new school year. In particular, students in the VCE will commence the study of the first Area of Study in Units 1 or 3. English texts can, and should, be read over the term break and the first of a number of work requirements completed ready for submission in Term 1.

The VCE examinations have been completed this week and the Class of 2021 now awaits the release of their ATARs on 16 December. Whatever the outcome, they are to be commended for their determination and resilience to complete two years of VCE under the conditions we found ourselves in. 

ANDREW PHILLIPS

Year 12 Coordinator

Year 12

We have finally come to the end of the road for our current Year 12s – all exams are complete and the nervous wait for results begins. Regardless of the result, all students who completed their VCE this year should be congratulated on surviving! There will no doubt be many tears – both of joy and sadness - on December 16. However, I encourage you to remember that no student is defined by his or her ATAR. There are so many options and pathways, that an ATAR is not the only way to achieve your dreams. Therefore, good luck Class of 2021; we are all so very proud of you and look forward to hearing about your journey in the future. 

The next few weeks will be quite busy with the Class of 2022 undertaking their Units 3 & 4 transition classes. This will be an important program for students building momentum for the break and ensuring they come back to classes next year well prepared for success. To help with the transition, we have developed a pastoral transition program that will see all VCE students off-campus for the day, participating in team-building activities with their pastoral teachers. It has been a challenging year, with many of the usual highlights becoming victim to the various lockdowns. We hope that a day off-campus will be a much-needed change of pace and create some positive experiences for our students.

MANOJ PATEL

Year 10 & 11 Coordinator

Years 10 and 11

It has been a busy term with students preparing for exams, handing in final assessments, and the anticipation of Transition into Year 11 or 12. This term has been disruptive for our Year 10 and 11 students; however, it has been rewarding to see our students rise to the challenge. 

Throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, another hurdle we have seen our students face is the large growth in the use of e-cigarettes, otherwise known as VAPE’s. Companies target teenagers that use marketing strategies to make these e-cigarettes seem more attractive and enticing. An e-cigarette or vape is a device that is slightly smaller than a whiteboard marker, comes in many colours to attract young people, and is filled with chemicals that are not only toxic but also so dangerous; they are often used in substances such as weed killer. 

Current statistics show that there is a large surge in the use of vapes among teenagers due to the fact that they are easy to conceal, taste fruity, cannot be easily detected, and because of their addictive nature. Vapes traditionally come with nicotine added into them, which makes them even more harmful and hugely addictive. They contain substances that are not tightly regulated, are illegal, and can cause serious long-lasting damage to the health of young people as they can stunt brain development and growth. 

Vapes have been a hot topic of discussion amongst students in the Years 10 and 11 cohorts so we decided to run a pastoral session outlining these dangers and the concerns that we had around them. If you are as concerned about these devices as we are or would like to continue the dialogue about these devices at home, please go to the link below as it has information from health professionals and is reliable. I also suggest you listen to a very good 25-minute podcast that is also available. 

https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/E-cigarettes_and_teens/ 

This is an area that we want to assist our students with. 

Temptation is constantly around them so having better strategies of how to manage the temptations is something that could be useful one day.