Senior School

From the Head of Senior School

This year’s National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence theme of promoting a kindness culture was evident at our annual Year Twelve Ball this week.  The joyous spirit of the students as they celebrated the event together was wonderful to witness.  Perhaps there was an added sense of achievement at this year’s event following the hurdles that we all had to overcome to have the Ball at all. Regardless, the young people ate together, danced together and laughed together.  I saw several examples of young people reaching out to others to include them in a dance or a joke.  I saw our students using good judgement in a safe environment.

Of course, this does not happen by accident.  On one hand, we work hard to ensure that the structure of the event is safe.  Before we arrive, we are confident that the venue is safe, our young people will be safe with the staff, the food will be safe and we have clear plans to deal with any kind of incident. 

The students behaving safely is more complex.  We have to be confident that they have the knowledge and skills to look after themselves and each other.  The Ball is a high stakes event for a Year Twelve student.  They are challenged by peer pressure and to take risks.  They want to impress each other in a context outside of their typical environment.  The years of protective behaviour training in Health lessons and elsewhere in the curriculum, not to mention the invaluable conversations held with families, are put to the test on a night like Ball night.  I was delighted to see our students having fun and looking after each other.  Watching our students use good judgement and make choices that allowed them to have fun, safely, made me proud.  Well done, Year Twelves!

Mrs Victoria Turnor | Head of Senior School

University Road Show

This year's University Roadshow was live-streamed (due to current COVID regulations) to our Senior School students on Wednesday 16 March during VACS. Representatives from each of the five Perth Universities presented a speech. They presented an invaluable information session followed by a Q&A opportunity.

Following this, there will be a parent information session on this Thursday,17 March from 5.00pm to 6.15pm. This live-streamed presentation has been tailored specifically for parents in the Albany region. Information regarding access to this live presentation was emailed to families last week from Senior School Student Services.

Mrs Renae O'Donnell | VET and Careers Coordinator