Thank You

As this is the final newsletter for Term 3 I’d like to thank students, families and staff for your support, hard work and care that you’ve given so generously over the past 10 weeks.

Without a doubt it has been a very busy term so it’s no surprise that we’re all ready for a break! I hope that everyone enjoys this time with family and friends, and the opportunity to move at a less hectic pace.

Cultural Nights

Over the past two weeks we’ve enjoyed two very successful community events; an African Cultural Night and a Love Asia night. Both were a wonderful celebration of the traditional food, dance, music, stories and culture of our African and Asian communities. Each offered a feast of new experiences, colour and lots of laughter. 

From the beat of the Ghanaian drummers to the fleet of foot bamboo dancers; from moving poetry to ancient stories; from beautiful lantern parades to the joy of the Bari dancers, the nights were not only lots of fun but also an opportunity to learn more about each other’s culture.

Nights such as this are the result of vision and much work. I thank the students involved in the planning, preparing and hosting the nights; Mr Atem George, Mr Tung Phan, Ms Mai Nguyen and Ms Laura Cioccia for all their work in bringing the nights together; the families who brought food and everyone for your willingness to be involved. A special thank you to Trixie May Celestial and her mum Triccia for sharing their musical talents and to the girls involved in BLOOM who have been working for weeks on their dance.

Start of Term 4

Students will return to school on Tuesday 09 October. On the Monday staff will be involved in a whole staff professional learning day. This will be the second of four days, planned over 2018 and 2019, where staff will work with external facilitators to learn about the Berry Street Education Model which focuses on positive education and wellbeing practices that support students’ academic and personal growth.

Term 4 Timetable

There will be some adjustments to the timetable for Term 4. The new timetable will be published on SIMON in the second week of the holidays. We will begin on Week 1 and Day 2 of the timetable.

Catching up with Year 12 students

Last week it was lovely to see our Year 12 students back at the College for an early dinner and the chance to catch up with staff. With less than 6 weeks to the start of exams they’re understandably tired but in good spirits. They enjoyed the downtime and a few enthusiastic games of down ball. Thank you to Hayden O’Doherty and our student leaders for organising and hosting a very successful night.

Please keep our Year 12 students in your thoughts and prayers over the coming weeks as they conclude 13 years of schooling.

Preparing for Term 4

School holidays are certainly a time for rest and recreation, however, the time between Terms 3 and 4 is more like a semi-colon than a full stop. It is a pause in the semester, a chance to catch your breath before the important final term. Some students will have projects or homework to complete over the break. It’s a good idea to get this done earlier, rather than later.

With exams only 7 or 8 weeks away, the holidays are a good time to begin revision of Term 3 work and / or to catch up on any missed work. Those who struggle with organisation might use this time to put some order into folders. Filing old notes and worksheets might be a good start. Ensuring that you have all the stationery you need for Term 4 would help.

If students do little else it would be helpful to find some time to read each day.

Term 4 Uniform

Families are reminded that Weeks 1 – 4 are a transition period for uniform. Students can wear either full summer or full winter uniform but not a mix and match of both.

Following the Cup Weekend, from Wednesday 07 November all students will need to be in full summer uniform.

The holidays may be a good time to check that students have all that is required.

Since our last newsletter…

Over and above the day to day activities of the school since our last newsletter students, families and staff have participated in the following:

• Author in Residence program
• Year 7 Reptile Encounters incursion
• Reis Week
• Trinity Great Race
• Chinese lunch
• SACCSS Interschool Tennis
• Year 10 Visual Arts MoMa visit
• Year 9 Focus groups
• Year 9 Visual Communications gallery visit
• Year 7 Visual Arts Gallery visit
• Year 8 Premier League
• Year 9 Camp
• Year 8 Reflection Day

I am sure that students and their families are very appreciative of all these opportunities and the time and energy that staff put into organising and offering these experiences.