Principal's Report
Start to the new year
We have had a very happy and calm start to the new year. It was terrific to see two full year levels now in the new summer dress, and many more girls in the senior year levels are starting to change into it.
The Year 12s had a serious and determined look and I’m sure they are looking forward to the Year 12 Orientation Day at Deakin University next Tuesday. I would encourage Year 12 parents to attend the evening session – Dr Michael Carr-Gregg is a remarkable speaker and has a strong formula for success to share with you.
The Year 7s were very sparkling in their new uniforms and looked quite grown up from last year in their primary uniforms. I was lucky to meet many of them when they were on their treasure hunt of the College in the afternoon and they dropped into my office for the bonus point question of finding out what I do in my spare time! At the Opening Assembly in the morning I had challenged them to leave the College in 6 years’ time with “No Regrets”. They should leave feeling that they have made the most of their time – they have put their effort into learning as much as they can, into developing as many skills as they can and being involved in co curricular programs as much as they can. There is a really interesting video you can look at about Regrets on Youtube. A group set up a black board in New York where people wrote up one thing they regretted in life. What they found was that most people regretted not taking opportunities when they arose. Have a look: http://aplus.com/a/clean-slate-blackboard-experiment. (Thank you Ms Tate for finding this.)
Bomb hoaxes
It has been such a shame to see so many schools disrupted by bomb hoaxes as Preps are settling in. At this point in time we haven’t received such a threat. However, if we do, we have our evacuation plans in place and will swing straight into action. We will evacuate students if it happens, as we won’t take risks. Fortunately there are almost no threats as a joke from the local community any more, as students realise their calls can be traced.
We are a well-oiled machine in this area as we practice evacuations and lock downs several times a year. You can help us by not coming anywhere near the school if it does happen. Our focus must be totally on the safety of your child, and we cannot be distracted by parents arriving and adding an element of confusion. Trust that we (not your child sending a text) will let you know via text message if we need you here. If we do have to evacuate, we will let you know after the event when all the students are back in class.
Theme for the year
Each year we have a theme for the College. We talk to students about it, and all try to live it and work together to make our community a better place. In the past they have been around kindness, which has led to increased awareness about empathy for others, or about celebrating success to build a student’s sense of achievement. Last year the theme was “Be your confident Self” with the aim of building each student's confidence as a learner. We are continuing that concept this year as there is till more to be gained This year’s theme, which has been introduced to all year levels except Year 7, is “Life is learnt through our mistakes.” Mistakes aren’t something to be feared, or ashamed of, or something to freeze us into inaction. They are just a normal part of learning that we should reflect on, learn from and then have another go. I will write about this in greater depth a bit later in the year.
Booksale 2015
On your behalf I would like to thank the Parents Association for the remarkable job they do in gathering second hand books and putting on the Book Sale. It is a lot of work, and they start in earnest in the middle of the year to make it happen. I think it is a great service to our community. Thank you also to all the volunteers who come along (some of them every year) to help out on the day. And thank you to the Performing Arts Parents Association for feeding the hungry hoads last year – at least while you were standing in the queue you could get something to eat!
Car Park Drop Off
If you are dropping your child at school please do it at the bottom of the school grounds in Amesbury Avenue. It is too dangerous in the car park next to Salford Park.
First Day
