Senior School

Year 9 students completed their City Cite experience this week following 12 days of adventure within Melbourne’s CBD. City Cite looks to provide students with many opportunities for personal growth and development over the course of the program. Our Year 9 Coordinator, Mr Gavin Fox, and accompanying Oxley staff, led the students into the very heart of metropolitan Melbourne, where they were able to see the sights, engage with the locals and develop a true appreciation for the city. 

The Year 9s were challenged and encouraged to test their skills and gain a greater sense of independence as they navigated through a range of unexpected situations and novel experiences within a new and unfamiliar environment. Our students were able to show initiative, develop an appreciation for the wider world around them, and nurture a greater sense of empathy and understanding for one another and those who are less fortunate. 

We congratulate the students on mastering the travel complexities that came with station and rail line upgrades, public transport cancellations and the ever-taxing Myki ticketing platform. An enormous thank you to Mr Gavin Fox and his team for their coordination and continued dedication to the ongoing success of this fantastic program.

We trust that your child has enjoyed the City Cite experience and has been able to share with you the details of their exploits and undertakings over the past few weeks.

Year 7 students were able to enjoy four days on camp at Anglesea. Mr David Cutler, Year 7 Coordinator, and Oxley staff worked with AusCamp staff to provide an age-appropriate introduction to camping and bush activities. It will be exciting to report on what they discovered about themselves and God’s creation, as they spent time in this beautiful part of the world. We welcomed our Year 7s back and congratulate each of them on the successful completion of their first term of Senior school. 

Students and parents are advised that the first round of formal / formative feedback for Term 1 2023 was finalised on Monday 3 April. We encourage all parents to review each subject with their child and discuss the feedback provided by their teachers over the course of the term. This can be a truly enjoyable and fruitful time that provides parents with great insight into how their child is progressing and what steps may be taken to help them achieve their God-given potential. Though assessment has been closed for the remainder of Term 1, teachers will continue to provide frequent feedback to students for the remainder of the term in the form of verbal feedback, written comments on submitted work, suggestions on practical work, etc. 

Interim Reports are now available for parents and students to view. The six work habits shown for each subject provide invaluable information and insight into the efforts your young person is making, which can be discussed at the Parent Teacher Interviews early in Term 2. 

With the work for Term 1 now complete, and the school holidays now upon us, I am sure students are looking forward to a well-deserved break, where they will rest and recuperate, so that they will be ready to tackle anything that Term 2 is due to bring. I pray that parents too may find time to reflect and encounter peace and great joy with their children at home over the Easter break.

We give thanks for the time that has passed, we give thanks for what is to come, and we give thanks for blessing, purpose and salvation that can only be found through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

James Avram

Deputy Principal – Head of Senior School