Dear Parents/Carers, Families and College Community

As we approach the final weeks for our Year 12’s, the final weeks of Term 3 and the start of some lovely spring weather, it is understandable that there is some positive energy around the College. Our collective goal at present is to maintain a calm and stable school environment so Year 12’s can finish off on a positive note. We are mindful that they will be anxious about leaving but need to be conscious that we maintain our standards and systems so they don’t do anything to spoil their last few days of schooling.

Student Councillors

Jennie Stringer has been coordinating student councillor nominations and this week arranged the oral presentations to their peers and the voting. Voting was carried out exactly as done in State and Federal Elections, so that students get a taste of how the process is carried out. Next term we will take the new councillors on a leadership camp along with the student leaders from Narrogin Ag, where they will learn various leadership and organisational skills.

Vaping

Last month we provided some information on vaping. In recent weeks we have learnt about disposable vaping implements that are quite difficult to identify and appear as marker pens. They are designed to appeal to young consumers with bright colours and fruity flavours, but contain high levels of nicotine (a lot... the one pictured has the equivalent of 3 packets of cigarettes) in a form more comfortable to consume and more easily absorbed by the body. As they contain nicotine they are illegal to be sold to under 18 year olds and not the sort of thing we want to encourage our young people to use. The attached picture gives an idea of how these devices look.

Year 12 Parent and Student Survey

Thankyou to those Year 12 parents who completed the online survey recently. We also surveyed all Year 12 students and will work through the responses. (The Year 10 and 11 students, along with their parents will be asked to complete next term). One of the things that stood out to me in the student responses was their view about the food on offer. This surprised me as I observe a wide range of foods on offer catering for lots of tastes and still adhering to healthy eating principles. The menus are on a five week rotation and I know that in my own house and probably most others, there is not the same degree of variation. Below is the current week menu for your information.

I am pleased that amongst lots of really positive feedback, a number of parents identified the Weekly Wrap up as a valuable tool in keeping you up to date with what is happening around the College. We are always looking for ways to improve our College, so any good ideas are always welcome.

Student Drivers

Could parents whose child has a car on site reinforce the need for them to obey all traffic signs and particularly the stop sign leading onto Mornington Road from our entry. I have had reports from members of the public that some of our students are not stopping and putting themselves at risk on Mornington Road which is quite busy at times.

Year 12 Graduation and College Awards Ceremony

We have settled on 12th November for our Year 12 Graduation and College Awards Ceremony with visitors and guests arriving from 2.00pm. Due to COVID restrictions we still need to limit numbers of guests in the gymnasium, so will limit numbers of Year 10 and 11 students in order to maximise numbers of Year 12 family members attending. The event will be livestreamed and recorded. We will share details when we get closer.

HARVEY AG WEEKLY WRAP-UP

"Excellence and Innovation in Agricultural Education"

Issue 26 · 17 Sep 2021

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