From the Principal

Despite the challenges of the 'circuit breaker' lockdown last week, 2021 has started incredibly smoothly. Staff and students have quickly settled down to learning and we are all committed to building on the successes and achievements of last year. In assemblies across the school, students have identified a key learning they want to develop based on the challenges they faced during the pandemic and outlined three goals they can put into action. The focus for everyone at school in 2021 is 'Maintaining Momentum'.

It has been wonderful to welcome many new families to our community. A real highlight of the first few weeks has been the opportunity to tour the school with Year 7 parents and get to know them. There are four more tours available this Term and Principal Tours will recommence on the third Tuesday evening of each month.

I would encourage new as well as prospective families to meet with me and get to know our school and the incredible learning experiences we offer. Details on how to book are on our website.

Although we have postponed some events this term due to the snap lockdown, the Year 7 Welcome afternoon took place this week, as did our Badges Assembly. This important school event on Friday morning recognised our High Achieving Year 12 students from 2020 and our newly appointed student leaders were presented with their badges. The Mayor and Gabrielle Williams, State Member of Parliament and MP for Greater Dandenong, joined us for our celebrations.

Finally, we have awarded the contract for Stage 5 of our building project and construction is due to begin in the next few weeks. The demolition of the old hall and gym at the front of the school will radically change our landscape, as will the state of the art facilities we are about to complete. Further details, including pictures of our new Food and Technology Centres, will be showcased in our next edition of the newsletter.

There is no doubt this an exciting time to be a member of the Dandenong High School Community.

Susan Ogden

Principal