The beginning of Term 1 is traditionally an intense time for both staff and students. On top of the usual preparations for the academic year and the start-of-year events, much hard work has gone into implementing some exciting changes; and by all reports, people’s experiences have been very positive.

Our classroom teachers have thoroughly enjoyed meeting our parent community in recent weeks at our new Information Nights. There was a lot of enthusiasm from our families during the evenings, and we have had much positive feedback. Both staff and parents appreciated the opportunity to meet each other in the same learning environment that our students experience daily. Thankyou to all who attended, and I trust that this opportunity was helpful in giving you further insight into the expectations of each course.

Community Time

Our students and staff are well and truly settled into the routines of Community Time and meeting each morning in their Community Groups. During this week, each Community Group selected their Community Leaders and from that group of students, House Leaders were also chosen. These leaders will be announced in the coming days, and their first real test will be in the form of managing their House in the lead up to Sports Day, held on Friday, March 8 (Week 6). These leadership opportunities are invaluable to the development of those students, and their leadership abilities crucial for House success.

House Shield

Now that the new Community Group and House Leadership system has been rolled out, one of our goals this year is to review our High School House Shield system. Our aim is to consider how it might best represent the College values, incorporate more areas of school life, and recognise student contribution to the College and the wider community. We look forward to establishing a new system once this review is complete, which will also promote a greater sense of House pride.

It has been an encouraging start to the year so far. We look forward to witnessing the growth of our students in 2019!

Mr Andrew Lock, Head of High School