Parent News
Presentation Night 2018 | Tickets Now Available
You are cordially invited to the Suzanne Cory High School Presentation Night: A celebration of student academic and creative achievement throughout 2018!
Presentation Night is an event for the whole community, and parents and families are warmly encouraged to attend. 2018's event will be at the Melbourne Town Hall, located in the centre of the Melbourne CBD. The evening will consist of award and musical presentations, as well as guest speakers.
Tickets are $10.00 (plus booking fee and GST), and are only available to purchase online (click here).
Please note that due to strictly limited seating, tickets are restricted to 2 tickets per family. Additional tickets may be announced closer to the event, subject to availability.
Students of Suzanne Cory High School attend the event for free, and do not require a ticket. Please be aware that students will be seated with their year levels, and not with families. All students will be expected to attend Presentation Night.
We look forward to seeing you on the night, and celebrating the 2018 school year with you and your family!
Suzanne Cory Presentation Night 2018 | Wednesday, October 10th
At the Melbourne Town Hall - Main Hall (90-130 Swanson Street, Melbourne)
Doors Open: 7:00pm | Presentation Commences: 7:30pm
Book Week: How a Culture of Reading Supports Achievement
At Suzanne Cory, English teachers such as myself appreciate the strong culture of reading our students bring to the school. The enthusiastic participation in the annual book week festivities are evidence of this. At our recent parent-teacher evening, I listened to several reports of enthusiastic readers who balance school work with their love of curling up with a good book. This is great to hear as a vast quantity of research supports the view that young people who read often and for their own interest, achieve highly in many facets of school and life.
There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, there are significant cognitive benefits to reading for pleasure such as improved reasoning, critical thinking and communication skills. As we all remember from primary school days, stories teach us about resilience, empathy for others, problem solving and ethical decision making. Moreover, the wealth of input - words, ideas, experiences - that reading provides, translates into confident and clever users of language.
Parents and students often ask how to improve as writers. The VCE English exam is still three essays in three hours, I am afraid to say. The simple answer is by reading. Reading widely will lead to less time spent trying to learn how to write. It is also linked to academic achievement in other subjects. Even reading in a language other than English is beneficial. We are all jealous of that natural writer who can just put pen to paper and the words flow out. That person is undoubtedly a voracious reader.
The culture of reading at SCHS is reflective of a strong culture of reading at home. This is clear from conservations I have had with students about their childhood reading experiences. Very few SCHS students claim to dislike reading and everyone can name a favourite book (At the moment I will say The Count of Monte Cristo). My Year 9 classes love silent reading on Fridays and enjoy chatting about and critiquing their books even more so. However, by Year 10 many say they do not have the time or energy to pick up a book. If it isn’t study, it is the ever-present screen that absorbs attention. It is at this crucial point that the ability gap widens. Those who drop reading are made to work harder for their marks later on.
Students should try to read outside the school curriculum as much as possible and read a variety of texts, from old favourites to news media. Reading should be challenging but more importantly, it should be enjoyable. Take advantage of our spectacular library collection and ask the staff for a recommendation. Parents can provide the time and space at home for quiet reading and model these habits themselves. We can all put down our smart phones and pick up a book once in a while.
After all, book week should not be just an annual event.
- Mr. Glenn Kellam (English Faculty)
Community Trivia Night | Calls for Raffle Donations
Parents, business owners, and sponsors are warmly invited to donate raffle items for the SCHS Community Trivia Night. This year's Trivia Night (Friday, November 16th) will be a twilight welcome for our new Year 9 students, celebrating Suzanne Cory's community spirit with food vans, games, music, and more! Goods, services, and vouchers to be used as raffle and door prizes are very much appreciated.
To donate, please contact Mr. Jack Richardson (richardson.jack.j@edumail.vic.gov.au).