Dear Students, Parents and Carers,

I wanted to quickly thank everyone for their support as we transitioned into remote learning, after the announcement that we were returning to stage 4 lockdown.

We are aware that some students and their families are finding this return to lock down challenging in a range of ways. If you require additional support please do not hesitate to reach out to the College for assistance.

Last week we celebrated the growth and achievement of our College through a whole school assembly. Taking time to consider our connection to the College community and celebrating the life of Dame Elisabeth Murdoch. Penny Fowler (Dame Elisabeth's granddaughter, Chairman of the Herald Weekly Times and the Good Friday Appeal), joined us to present the College Captains (Jasmine Hofen, Tighe Perkins) with their blazers, recognise the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Community Award (Teaghan Crynes) and the THRIVE - Live Your Values Award (Eli Agius) recipients. Penny spent almost an hour with the school captains, giving her own insights into leadership, careers, opportunity and character, sharing her values and beliefs with the group. She shared the importance of taking every opportunity that is presented, making sure that you always do your best, are true to yourself and above all prepared to work hard.

Our school strives every day to make a difference in the lives of each and every student. This job is made easier when every child chooses to THRIVE. Our THRIVE framework is recognized internationally for the community and network approach to wellbeing, resilience and mental health. We know that our students are THRIVEing when they show up to school ready to be their best.

Being ready to do your best, happens when parents support children to have sound sleep routines, have healthy boundaries around the use of mobile phones and social media, have healthy habits including diets and exercise. But most importantly, when they regularly discuss values and beliefs about the importance of school, being your best and living your values. Academic, personal and social development requires the input from all of us, and it starts in the home. Students need to understand that they have a clear set of responsibilities to ensure they are prepared for learning, like being on time, bringing correct materials, following teacher instructions, respecting others and working hard - getting the job done.

I am sure that we can all remember when our grandmothers and grandfathers told us that hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. Learning is hard, and it requires hard work, children need to understand that you cannot learn without doing the work. Learning involves failing and trying again, it requires persistence and it requires determination. I hope that you can find some time to discuss these qualities with your child / student, and assist them with study routines in the home and opportunities for them to understand that their personal growth and academic achievement and hard work now, will influence their lives as an adult and their future pathway success.

Our College is focused on improving student literacy skills across the curriculum, with the knowledge that when we increase each child's ability to access learning we improve academic success. With this in mind I encourage parents and carer's to consider the reading material in the home and provide opportunities for our young people to develop a love of reading across as many different forms of reading as possible, from love stories to newspapers, to books on mythical creatures to technical books on how to change a car tyre or how make your favorite meal, to the books about people and places or the events of world history. Reading consistently and widely makes a real difference in the academic outcomes of every child.

We know that people who read for 30 minutes a day have significantly improved academic outcomes when compared to those that don't, as they develop the reading skills and vocabulary required to access the curriculum across different learning areas. We need to value reading more and support young people to read.

I look forward to a year that is focused on developing the learning behaviours for success, the reading and literacy skills for learning and the personal attributes of hard work and determination, to ensure that every child is supported to be their best and access their pathway to success.

Warm regards,

Dean King

Principal.

Middle School Update