Principal's Report

Monday before Cup Day

Just a reminder that on the Monday before Cup Day we run an alternate program for students who attend.  As classes are disrupted by the number of children away, students will work in the Library on assessment work they are currently doing for their classes.  The Orchard will not be open, so students should bring any food or drinks with them they need for the day.

Congratulations to our Athletes

Congratulations to the Wantirna College Athletics Team who participated in the School Sport Victoria State Track and Field Championships.  The results were amazing, and Mr Black has written a full report with the names of those who placed later in this newsletter.  We are certainly very proud of all students who participated.  Particular congratulations to Eleanor Leeson of Year 11 who finished first as State Champion of the Girls Under 16 High Jump.  There is another round of competition against students from private schools, and we wish her the best of luck.

Personal Best Year 8

It is always a great joy to watch the presentations of the Year 8 Personal Best project.  The students take this project very seriously and they gain so much from it. Many of them are quite surprised at achieving something they thought was incredibly difficult, and are really quite proud of themselves - and we are definitely proud of them!   Below is a list of the students who were chosen by their classes to represent them in the Personal Best Showcase - congratulations to each of you.

I would really like to thank parents and coaches of the students for the time and support you give to the Year 8s.  It is great to see the strength of these relationships build over the time of the project.  Thank you also to the parents for the financial contribution you make to support the project - we really hope you got something out of it for your homes.  I think Zoe Lynch's building a new half court in the backyard hit a new all time high!

Year 7 parents - you can look at the list of exciting projects here and see what is ahead of you for next year!

Student                               HG       Project

Alysse Allen                          8I         Renovating Backyard

Ben Barrett                           8S        Gameboy Zero

Ben Bayley                            8H       Dog Kennel for Pugaliers

Olivia Bedford                     8D       Wish Dolls

Rylee Cartledge                  8E        Level 1 First Aid Qualification

Chloe Cheok                        8F        Painting Myrtle the Turtle

Tom Crofts                            8G       Speed Running

Charlotte D’Arrigo             8C       Basketball Challenge

Shaylan Geldenhuys        8B      Jujitsu

Amy Hamley                        8C       Re-doing Wardrobe

Charly Hindhaugh            8G       Choreographed Dance

Eric Lang                               8S       Making Game

Amber Law                          8C       Improving Football Skills

Zoe Lynch                            8E       Building A Half Court

Chloe McMillin                   8H       Collage on canvas

Jason Phan                         8A       Drawing Michael Jordan

Aliyah Place                        8B       Making a Dress

Shayla Pritchett                8I         Lyme Disease Letter to raise awareness

Cayden Scanlon               8B       Mixing Music

Haelee Small                     8G       Sewing a Jumper

Luke Smith                         8F        Building a Billy Cart

Maddy Veness                   8D       Garden Renovation

Tom Williams                    8A       Playing Challenging Song On The Piano

Launch of the updated Values Wheel

Over the next two weeks we are relaunching our College Values Wheel with students.  It has been updated and made a little clearer.  Each child will be given a copy to stick into their planner.  As we move towards the end of the year, sometimes we get too focused on the holidays before us and forget about how to be respectful to each other.  Teachers will be working with students in Home Groups to help them remember what respectful relationships look like.   It would be terrific if parents could have a read of the Wheel and talk to your children about it.

Compass and "Secret Files"

If you were reading The Age last week there was a ridiculous article about schools and Compass keeping secret files on students.  I am always amazed at how newspapers like to take something that is very straightforward and transparent and turn it into something sensational.  Schools, particularly large schools such as ours, have always kept notes on individual students.  It is something we do to a make sure we can give each child the highest level of care - to do this we need to know what has happened for them during the school day.  We used to do it on bits of paper that went into a file, but that was hard for people to see quickly and easily.  It was one of the reasons we actually chose Compass as an online system.  Currently I can see any note a teacher puts up about a student.  It might be a congratulations about a positive attitude, a great piece of work, or a concern about an incident that happened in class.  Year Level Leaders and Home Group teachers can see all the notes about their charges, and if a combination of them raise concern, they will immediately contact parents.  As we get better at writing these comments over time, we will begin to make them available to parents through the Compass individual page for a family.  Please be confident that we will contact you immediately if we feel there is a concern for your child.

Year 12 Farewell at Springfest and Exams

Last week we farewelled Year 12s at Springfest and at their final Assembly.  This year's group didn't seem quite so nostalgic as in the past, but every group is different.  The whole College joined together to celebrate the end of their 13 years of schooling on their last full day with the normal great weather, music, fire twirling, balloon blowing, fake tattoos and face painting and other things.  To have a look at the photos from the day, check out our Facebook page for the College.  If you don't already follow it, please like and follow the page.  

At the Assembly the College Captains made some excellent points for younger students in their last speeches.  I will see if I can get a copy of them and put in the next newsletter.

The Year 12 exams have started very well, and students and teachers alike were very positive about the English exam.  They thought it was a fair exam that tested their knowledge, but they felt well prepared for it. The exams will continue in the next two weeks.

Process of appointing a new Principal

The process of finding a new Principal for Wantirna College is well underway, with applications closing on Friday next week.  College Council has been working with the Department of Education and Training to set up the Panel that will run the selection process.  There are two members of Council, a teacher representative, a Principal from another large secondary school and a representative from DET on the Panel.  Interviews will take place shortly after applications close and the aim is to have the successful person announced well before the end of the year.

Thank you for all the positive comments you've been making as I've seen you at various events over the last few weeks.  I'm looking forward to working hard for the rest of this term to leave the College in the best possible position for the new person coming in. I'm sure it will be a very smooth transition.

Sue Bell

Principal