Principal's Report
End of Term 3
It has been another incredibly busy term and I am very pleased to report that our students have continued to perform at their personal best each day. I wish all students and staff a wonderful holiday and look forward to seeing you all on Monday 3rd October refreshed and ready for term 4.
Most of the Melbourne teams that our students barrack for have failed to make the AFL finals or have made an early exit. Good luck if your football team is still in with a chance of winning the Grand Final. The football finals mean that warmer weather is on the way so hopefully there will be opportunity for our students to play outdoors and share some adventures with family and friends.
Early Finish on Last Day of Term
Parents/carers please remember that our students finish 30 minutes earlier than usual tomorrow, Friday 16th September. That means that if you meet your child at the bus stop, you need to be there 30 minutes before the usual time.
Victorian State Schools Spectacular
Last Saturday Tenesha Rottura, Cara LoPicollo, Amee Heffernan, Caitlin White, Maddison Cooke, William Briggs and Zac Patterson performed with the mass dance cast at the Spectacular at Hisense Arena. They all did an outstanding job with their dancing and all of the other aspects of a large scale production. Over 3 full days (Thursday and Friday rehearsal days and two Saturday performances) they had to constantly listen and respond very quickly to stage directions and work in with 200 other schools.
It was evident that our students were amazed and so happy to be involved in the event. They kept talking about their family, friends and Concord staff who were in the audience watching them. Some were even able to see these people while they were performing, making their smiles even bigger. Dressing room and backstage staff commended our students on their good behaviours and ability to follow instructions. With 1200 mass dancers, it was certainly a challenge for backstage staff to control the excited and active students!
Thank you to our staff and parent helpers without whom this would not have been possible. The Spectacular will be televised on Channel 7 on Saturday 3 December at 7pm.
Visit by Peter Hitchener
The Concord School community was privileged to be visited by Peter Hitchener last Thursday. One of the Year 7 students is a huge fan and a staff member contacted Peter for a signed photo. Peter immediately rang the staff member and insisted on visiting the student and his classmates. Peter spent 90 minutes answering questions and providing an insight into journalism and his 18 years as the Channel 9 nightly newsreader. He emphasised the importance of perseverance and enjoying your family, hobbies and employment opportunities. Peter invited a group of students and staff to visit him at the Channel 9 studios.
Lower Primary Father’s Day Breakfast
On Friday 2nd September the Lower Primary celebrated ‘Father’s Day’ by having a special breakfast. Once again this was a wonderful occasion where dads and the significant males in the lives of our students came along to have breakfast with their child. The staff cooked up a wonderful feast of bacon, eggs and pancakes and also provided cereals and juices. They also organized special father’s day presents for lucky raffle winners.
Thank you to Kath and the team for organising this breakfast.
Whole School Assembly
A school assembly was held on Monday, 5th September to celebrate National Literacy and Numeracy Week. This was the culmination of a week of related activities. As usual, the student performances and presentations demonstrated how much our students achieve by participating in the outstanding teaching and learning programs that are provided for them. There was a mixture of photo stories, videos, demonstrations and dances to keep the large crowd educated and entertained.
As is traditionally the case, I presented an item at the Literacy and Numeracy Week assembly. This year I read the story ‘The Cat in the Hat’ (in full costume of course!).
Urgent Notice for Parents: Student Absences
If your child is absent from school, it is vital that you communicate this to the school. This can be via email, phone call or written in your child’s communication book. If your child travels in one of our school buses, you must also ring the bus supervisor and inform them of any absence or change to the bus arrangements. This is vital as we need to account for every student in the school at all times.
Principal's Award
The principal's award goes to Phuc.
Phuc is a young man who always works responsibly and independently in class to finish all of his learning activities.
He produces thoughtful and creative work in all sessions (especially design work) and takes pride in what he is doing.
Phuc has recently taken on a section-wide responsibility in order to assist the teaching staff and is working hard to done on a daily basis. In sport sessions, he demonstrates a strong desire to participate and compete but always displays good sportsmanship.
Well done, Phuc!
"Students striving to be the best they can be"
Jason Coningsby
Principal