In Flagstaff we have started the year off really strongly by welcoming the year 7’s, new and returning students to the RED house and showing these students what it means to be a powerful and pride filled Flagstaffian. We have focused on our strong link to the Red Cross Foundation doing wonderful work with the recent Bushfires Australia wide and have created a strong link to this with our upcoming swimming sports focus.

We have also recognised the Flagstaff year 12 students who are beginning a very important year for all. We look forward to supporting all Flagstaff students across 2020.

Live it, Own It, Be It , Be Flagstaff – Go RED!

Mr White, Mr Struth, Mr Hall and all Flagstaff staff.

A busy and exciting start to 2020 in the House of Hopkins. Our official home the

‘A wing’ is currently under construction so we’ve buddied up with our orange counter-parts down the hall for Term one. Although space is at a premium it’s done little to stifle the Hopkins spirit and our students are looking towards bigger and brighter things in 2020 across all facets of their schooling. Students got their first chance of 2020 to meet their Tutor and find their ‘new’ tutorial room with interviews late last week. It was great to see some familiar faces and of course meet and greet our new students and their families. Our first House competition is coming up on Monday with the Warrnambool College swimming carnival, Hopkins are keen to show some carry over the aforementioned House spirit and get as many students involved in the day as possible. This does not have to include swimming but can include partaking in the novelty events, being a student helper for the day, encouraging others and or developing relationships with others in the House or indeed in the school. We encourage all students to come along, we would also welcome parents to get involved in the day and see what Warrnambool College and in particular Hopkins House is all about.

Welcome back to all the Logans students and families. In 2020 we have welcomed 36 new year 7’s and have 198 students as part of Logans House, along with a number of new staff. The student leaders have all commented on the positive nature of the house and students engaging in activities.

The first week has been a great success, with students settling in well and the year 7’s finding their way around the school. As we get ready for the swimming sports on Monday, there were plenty of students keen to tie dye shirts today to maximise the colour purple on the day.

There is lots happening in term 1, with sports days, camps for year 7’s and 8’s, Academy sign ups, excursions as well as all the learning that occurs in the classroom. We encouraged all students last week at assembly to leave their mark on the year and decide how they would make the most of all the opportunities offered to them.

We would like to take the opportunity to wish our year 12’s good luck as they embark on their new year. There will be lots of firsts and lasts this year, make the most of each one.

The Merri House would like to welcome all the new Merri year 7 students and new students from other schools to Warrnambool College in 2020. We would also like to extend this welcome to the families of all Merri students. We are looking forward to seeing what you can bring to the mighty Merri team this year.

As always, there is a team of Merri staff working alongside me to support your child/ren as Merri students at Warrnambool College. Collectively, our aim is to work with all Merri students to ensure they feel comfortable, connected and safe during their time at Warrnambool College and therefore support them to strive to achieve success at Warrnambool College.

As far as it seems most Merri students have settled in nicely to the new year. All students have been allocated a locker and need to provide a lock for this to be able to keep their personal items secure during the school day. If you are having any issues with your locker please see your house leader or tute teacher to help out.

We are all excited to see the Merri spirit in full flight on Monday at the annual swimming carnival. Don’t forget to dress in orange to show your Merri pride. It is looking like Monday is going to please us with some beautiful swimming weather so please don’t forget to be sun smart. Bring a hat, sun smart clothing and a water bottle. There will be sunscreen available on the day and a station to fill up your water. In addition to this, it is going to be a great opportunity to cool down by getting in the pool. Don’t be afraid to get in and have a go. Merri’s moto is ‘All in, all win!’ as we believe participation is the key. Help Merri in our endeavour to win the Swimming cup by winning points for the house. You can win points by swimming, getting involved in novelty events (in and out of the pool) or being a ‘helper’ on the day. GO MERRI!!!

On Thursday 20th February Warrnambool College will be holding the annual Year 7 Induction BBQ. This is an opportunity for all new year 7 students to be officially welcomed to Warrnambool College and inducted into the Merri House. I look forward to seeing you all there. Please come up and say hello to me or one of the house assistants present on the night.

I would like to take this opportunity to talk about Merri’s chosen charity; The Taksenkangbloung Community Centre (a mouth full, we know, so we often call it Taksen for short). If you are not aware, Taksen is a small village located near the UNESCO world heritage site of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia in which a small group of Warrnambool locals founded a Community Centre to empower the community through improving access to education. Each year Merri hold fundraisers and awareness programs to raise money for this charity and the school has now run two cultural study tours to visit the Community Centre and learn about responsible tourism. This is just a small introduction to the Taksenkangbloung Community Centre. You are guaranteed to hear more about it throughout the year, but in the meantime, if you would like to find out more about this incredible inspiring charity the following link will lead you to their website. http://www.taksenkangbloung.org/

Chloe Hammond - Merri House Leader

Community Notices

Junior Squash - Come & Try

Tennis Coaching

Parenting Program - Tuning in to Teens

Panmure Primary School - 150 Years

Exchange Student - Host families