Assistant Principal - Curriculum

Mrs Mellissa Bell

The end of one year means planning for the next..

As I sit here and take a few moments to reflect on the Year of 2022 I find myself falling into the trap of getting caught up in all that needs to be prepared for 2023 before the end of the year. There is no doubt that we have faced many struggles over the past few years and in some ways we are still finding ourselves in a position of juggling the realities of the disrupted learning years of covid and a constant need to be agile both in the classroom and in terms of our priorities in curriculum. This year has seen O’Connor work towards the possibilities of early commencement in some VET courses, allowing some of our students to start a HSC course in Primary Industries in Year 10, we have an extension Mathematics class for some identified Year 8 students and we also have a student moving well beyond their stage in Mathematics, working towards completing a subject for the HSC before completing Year 10. All of these things are only possible with a clear vision and commitment to ensuring our students are known for their strengths and that we have passionate teachers who want to provide such great opportunities.

Over the past fortnight we have had a group of Year 9 students accept a challenge given to us to become young future thinkers and try to solve a current problem facing society today. This small group of students had a one day workshop here at school working with some young entrepreneurs. Two groups' presentations were successful at this stage and have advanced to the next stage where they present against several local secondary schools. Good luck for Monday when the finalists are announced. It was a real privilege to watch these young people get engaged in a task that required out of the box thinking, skills of collaboration and negotiation along with strong clear communication skills.

I look forward to passing back the cap of Curriculum back to Stephen Chapman. It has been a great challenge to shift my thinking from the realm of all things well being to the workings of teaching and learning. I look forward to working closely with Steve to continue the hard work of leading the school forward, meeting the needs of our students and the demands of the world we live in.

May you all have a restful break, enjoying times spent with family and loved ones.

Mellissa Bell

Assistant Principal - Curriculum (Acting)