Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have now had three weeks with all our students back and are adapting to the routine of face to face learning. For some students, socially this has been a harder transition than others. I wish to remind people of the support we have at O’Connor in the form of our PAC teachers and PAC Leaders as well as our Wellbeing Team of Mrs Mellissa Bell, Mrs Katie Biddle and Mr Darryl Harper to address any particular needs or concerns. Counselling is also available from Centacare and the forms needed to access this are here.

We are analysing the data that the Student Representative Council has collected through surveying students, teachers and parents/carers. If you have not completed the survey, here is the link. The more information we gain, the better we can plan for the future. 

Feedback from students, parents and teachers outlined many positive and challenging aspects of Connected Learning due to COVID-19. The three main areas outlined by students that they liked during this time were - independence, flexibility and trust. We are giving our Year 12 students the opportunity to continue some of this in a post-COVID world. 

Year 12 students will have the opportunity to learn at home on Thursdays. This is a negotiated arrangement and will not be accessed by all students. There will be parameters set to ensure learning is happening on this day. Students can use this day to catch up, follow their Compass timetable, complete work as directed by the teacher and/or work on their major works. We think this flexibility will help students to take ownership of their learning.

Students who require extra support or who require teacher direction will need to attend school on Thursday. Ultimately this is a decision by parents and will be supported by the College. We will trial this arrangement for the last three weeks of Term 2 and then re-evaluate.

Masterplan and Building Works

On Thursday 18th June, we officially announced Stage 1 of our Building works. The successful contractors are O’Donnell and Hanlon and we look forward to working with them to enhance our learning community. This project will incorporate contemporary spaces into a significant heritage building. Preserving the past and building for the future. 

Work will commence on site next week. Stage 1 includes 

• Relocation of infrastructure
• Conversion of old Gym into Performing Arts space
• Building of a new Gym/multipurpose building

Rescheduled Events from Term 2

School Photos - Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th July

College Athletics Carnival - Friday 28th August

Upcoming Events for Year 12

Trial Exams 17th August - 27th August

Year 12 Graduation Mass - Tuesday 22nd September 7 pm

Year 12 Graduation - Friday 25th September (Venue Ex-Services Club) 12 noon

What new learning will you undertake this week?

Regina Menz