DEPUTY PRINCIPAL'S REPORT 

Attendance

It was wonderful to see so many of our students participate fully in JJAMM Week, attending both the Mass and the Walkathon. These are important days on our school calendar and it is important that students participate fully in school life. This means attending on days where there are no scheduled classes. Rather than take the opportunity to stay home, it is vital that students continue to ‘opt in’ to our community by being present. We have the Athletics Carnival coming up next week and it would be wonderful to see full attendance from our student body.

Preparedness for Lessons

We are a 1:1 MacBook school and what an enviable position that is. Each student has a MacBook to support them in their lessons. However it becomes problematic when students attend class with a flat MacBook. This should just not be happening. Students should be charging MacBooks overnight and if, for some reason this is not possible there are charging stations available in the LRC at recess and lunchtime.

Additionally, all students should be attending class with materials other than their MacBook. A pencil case with pens, some paper such as an exercise book, the appropriate novels or texts are all things that students should take to each lesson. Being prepared reduces the opportunity for learning to be interrupted. 

Lost Property and Uniform

We are almost overwhelmed in Pastoral Care by the sheer amount of unclaimed uniform items, lunch boxes and water bottles. Please ensure that all items are clearly named so that, if misplaced, they can be returned to students. Unnecessarily replacing uniform items can be a very costly exercise and having items that are named makes it much easier to identify which items belong to which student. If any student has lost an item of uniform we encourage them to come into Pastoral Care to see if they recognise their belongings.

Say hello to someone

Each Tuesday I do morning Yard Duty on the East gate on Splatt Street. This is very often the highlight of my morning as our students arrive at school, happy and smiling and always, always always say hello. It strikes me every Tuesday how important it is to greet each other, to say each other's names, to smile and to acknowledge each other’s presence. It is part of being human. Our school can be a very welcoming place and there is no limit to spreading the good vibes - I encourage everyone to deliberately and genuinely greet at least five new people each day and see how it makes them (and maybe the person being greeted) feel. I am willing to bet this is a positive practice to include in your daily routine. What a blessing it is to be part of our community where everyone has a place.