Principal's Report               

Term 4

As we come to the end of the term we are still busy working hard to complete all of our work and make all the arrangements for 2017. Many exciting events have taken place since our last correspondence including the Secondary 7-8 Food Festival and our volunteers’ morning tea. Students have also been very busy and had great opportunities in their classroom to really show off the culmination of the skills they have learnt throughout the year. It has been extremely rewarding to walk around the school and talk to students about the learning that has taken place at Concord in 2016.

Secondary 7-8 Food Festival

This semester the 7-8 team have been learning all about heating and melting. To celebrate what they had learnt throughout the semester and to integrate the use of some other curriculum and life skills, students hosted a food festival at Concord School on the 22nd of November.  Each class sold items that they had made using melting and heating experimentation. On the night, students practiced important math and social skills by interacting with the people that they were serving and by exchanging money and making change. This actual hands on experience is so important for our students and the pressure of dealing with multiple people in short periods of time and making sure you give them correct change is quite daunting. However, our students excelled in the challenge with several coming to my office the next morning beaming with confidence and keen to ensure that I had paid sufficient amounts for the items that I had purchased. Next year I will have to remember to take my wallet with me on the night.

There was a great turnout of parents and students and it would be remiss of me not to mention the tireless work of our amazing staff. As you can imagine events such as these take extra special effort from all involved and we would not be able to run such extraordinary events without strong commitment from our staff. Secondary 7-8 staff and Food Tech staff gave many hours of their own time to ensure our students could have a truly wonderful experience. I thank them all for their effort and look forward to the next such event.  

Annual Christmas Concert

As you may well be aware we will be hosting our Annual Christmas Concert on Monday the 12th of December on the Loyola Oval behind Concord School. As has been the case in the past, festivities will start at 5.00pm with the famous Concord barbeque in full swing. The entertainment will commence at 5.30pm with our school band ‘Unbroken’ performing some of their songs and the concert itself will start at 6.00pm. We hope to see everyone there as this is a great opportunity to catch up with other members of the Concord family while watching your child perform on stage in front of a large audience.

Last year we did have some significant issues with parking and fines were dispersed throughout the evening. We are hoping to avoid this but it will be worth your while adhering to the following tips. Please be mindful of parking signs on Gleeson Drive. There is no parking on the side that has housing on it and limited parking on the school side. Please be sure to abide by parking signs. There is access to parking in Andrews Place and street parking adjacent to the school. There is also street parking behind Loyola reserve on Daniel Court and Ricky Court. There is easy walking access from these spots. I have attached a map to support you with your parking needs.  

Volunteer Morning Tea

On Wednesday the 16th of November we had our annual volunteers’ morning tea. This annual event on our calendar gives us the opportunity to demonstrate our great appreciation to the people who donate their time to support our programs at Concord School. This year we had increased numbers in attendance as we have been really fortunate to build up the number of parent helpers across the school. Our programs have been enhanced as a result and we truly are very grateful for all the support.

The Concord School community thanks you all for your support in 2016 and we look forward to your further support in 2017.

Speech Pathology Access in the Secondary School

We are very excited to inform you that we now have a Speech Pathologist, Nicole Haspell, supporting our Secondary school one day a week.

In 2016 she will be observing students in classrooms to understand how teachers are currently working and supporting students’ communication needs and development.

In 2017 she will continue to be at Concord one day a week working collaboratively with teachers throughout the Secondary school. Her role will be to assist teachers to improve supports and practices to help make the curriculum accessible and meaningful and to develop the students’ abilities to listen, comprehend and communicate effectively with others. 

We hope that these extra supports will assist our students to ‘be the best they can be.’  

Orientation Day

Just a reminder to all families that the Concord School student orientation day will occur on Friday 9th December. As far as practicable, the students will move to the classroom they will be in and be taught by the teacher they will be with next year.

Families of those students who are either new to the school, or will be changing learning areas, will also be sent this information via mail or email. 

The arrangements for this morning are as follows:

9.00am

Current students will line up/enter their classrooms as normal. Secondary 9-10 students will meet in the gymnasium.

9.05am

Current students will move to their classroom for the following year.

9.15am

Bundoora Campus

New parents/carers and new students will meet at the Discovery Centre.

New students will be escorted to their classroom by the section Team Leader (or a section aide).

Kirrily (Acting Principal) and Colin (Assistant Principal) will address both new and current parents/carers.

Watsonia Campus

New parents/carers and new students will meet in the multi-purpose hall.

New students will be escorted to their classroom.

Kath (Assistant Principal) will address both new and current parents/carers.

Parents/carers are then invited to share morning tea with Kath and the other parents/carers at the conclusion of the meeting.

Prep students will leave with their parents at the end of this meeting/morning tea. Other parents/carers are requested to leave the school after this.

9.30am

Bundoora Campus

All Team Leaders will then address the parents/carers of all students who will be in their section the following year.

Upper Primary – Library

Secondary 7-8  – Discovery Centre

Secondary 9-10  – Conference Room

Secondary 11-12 - Transition Centre

Parents/carers are requested to leave the school after this.

Start of recess

All students will play in the playground area that they will be in the following year.

End of recess

Students will return to the classroom.

11.45am

Parents/carers of new students will collect their children from the office.

Current students will return to their current classroom escorted by an aide.

Principal's Award

Tenesha is in every way a model student.  Her respectfulness, motivation, passion for learning and friendly and inclusive attitude are of the highest standard. Tenesha has proven her abilities both in and out of the classroom.  Due to her hard work over the year she has had many advancements academically, as well as creatively through imaginative writing and singing.  Outside of the classroom Tenesha is attentive to her friends, supportive and a true shining light of what we can aspire to be with her amazing ‘glass half full’ attitude to life. 

Congratulations Tenesha!

"Students striving to be the best they can be"

Kirrily Lamers, on behalf of Jason Coningsby