Across the Principal's Desk
I spent some time at the Year 8 camp last week and thoroughly enjoyed getting out in the water and having a surf with our students. I was impressed with the way in which they were enthusiastic about having a go, as they persevered throughout and made the most of the opportunity to learn new skills. Some of our students picked up the skills quickly but a stand out was Tasha, who was a natural on a surfboard, whilst Mr Hooper looked as though he was dancing across the waves – although some of those moves might not have been deliberate! Surfing was just one of a number of activities our students were involved in over the camp. Thanks to Mr de Zoete-Spiero for organising the three day adventure and thanks also to Mr Collins, Mrs Ham and Mr Hooper for giving up their time at home with families to be on the camp – much appreciated. A terrific experience for our students!
It’s been a big year for us with our building project being completed in April, followed by some further refurbishment going on in the existing buildings around our school throughout the rest of the year. We’re not quite finished yet but we certainly have amazing new spaces and facilities to support learning for our students and staff.
We also implemented our new Middle Years structure which provides our students with a broad range of subject choices for Year 9 and 10, enabling them to tailor their learning to their future pathways. Our students are more engaged and motivated with their learning and our parents are having more input into the education and direction of our young people.
We have three key staff members moving on at the end of this year. Mrs Joy McKelvey is retiring after 25 years at Beaufort Secondary College and 40 years of teaching over her career. Joy has been a passionate Art and Textiles Teacher who has also played a key role in our Chaplaincy program and led our prestigious School Choir. She will miss the students enormously but is looking forward to time with her family, particularly her grandchildren. Ms Belinda Evans has been a great ‘connector’ with our community and has made significant contributions to the development of our VCAL program, amongst other roles in our school. She will be heading back to family in Melbourne and continuing her work in VCAL at Narre Warren South P-12 College. Mr Troy Cunningham has been a valuable contributor to our school and performed a number of key roles, including Sports Coordinator, Year Level Coordinator and more recently he successfully developed some of our Alternative Programs. He is making a career change, as he has been successful in securing a position in the highly competitive and sought after role of Career Fire Fighter. All three of these staff members will be missed. We wish them well!
There are less than two weeks of school remaining and Christmas is fast approaching. Presentation Evening is next Tuesday, December 17th, beginning with a BBQ at 5.30pm and formal proceedings starting in the Drama Centre at 6.15pm. I look forward to seeing everyone there before the holiday break. We will then begin next year with teachers returning on Tuesday January 28th and 29th. Years 7,11 and 12 will begin on Thursday 30th and all students will attend the following day on Friday 31st.
As this is the last newsletter for the year, I would like to thank our staff for their hard work this year. There is significant time, effort and care put into the education of students at our school. I would also like to thank our students and their parents and our community for their support. On behalf of the staff, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and a safe and enjoyable holiday period.