Assistant Principal 

 11& 12

Welcome back to all members of the Lalor College community. We hope this year will be a successful one for all of our students in the senior years. The year 12 students launched their year with a three-day Study Conference at Lady Northcote Recreation camp, where they we treated to a variety of activities to challenge and motivate them for what will be a fabulous year ahead.  I was fortunate to attend the first day, and privileged to listen along to the team from Loupe, provide a very informative session on Mindfulness and how to maximise study practices to achieve academic goals. This was the very first activity of the camp, and it really supported our key messages required for a strong start to the year, and gently shifted the focus away from holidays to the serious side of preparing to be a successful student in year 12. We have again invested in the LOUPE program this year, drawing on form the successful student engagement last year. The presenters will regularly deliver workshops to students in both year 11 and 12, during assembly sessions to support the development of resilience and positivity to reach set goals. The students also participated in a number activities which stretchered their comfort zones and reinforced personal confidence through a series of team-based challenges. 

A really big thank you to Kat Carmody and the year 12 student managers, Simon Hill and Zak Zdraveska for their tremendous planning and energy throughout the three days to ensure the camp was an enjoyable one for all students.

The Year 11 program started with a full day of re connection activities, designed to allow students to refocus and settle back into n academic routine. Students completed activities to allow for discussion and thinking regarding resilience and the personal skills and attitudes, or mindsets, to address working towards goals productively. Thank you to Amanda Cartisano and Mario Ladnjak, the year 11 student managers for the planning and delivery of the program. In the final session of the day, students were privileged to listen to a guest speaker Abdi, who spoke about the horrific ordeals beset upon him growing up in Somalia and a young adolescent. 

After a fabulous start to the new school year, the senior school has settled into a busy rhythm, with students finding their feet and preparing for their first (CAT) common assessment task in their relevant studies. As parents and guardians, can you please take the time to quickly check to ensure that all senior students have their required text books and subject requisites, as they will not be able to achieve their very best if they already behind in vital materials. I am pleased to say most students are well placed with these necessities, however, there are some instances where a few students have not purchased class text books.

Financial assistance is available to families who maybe experiencing financial hardship.

The college has also purchased subscriptions to Edrolo for our year 12 students to supplement their classroom learning experience so that they may be armed with additional resources and content tutorials to place them in good stead to do well in their studies. Please support us, in encouraging your kids to log on and regularly use this platform as a routine part of their daily study. Features include quizzes and practice exam questions for a multitude of topics. In case you are looking, I have placed logon instructions on the Compass feed. 

Laura Forster 

Assistant Principal 

Senior School