We have made it! It has been a long year and yet in the blink of an eye, we have made it to the end. The year 7’s have completed their first year at high school and last week when we welcomed the year 6’s for their two transition days there were many comments about what it was like for the year 7’s when they were doing the same thing.

This final week has been busier than ever and has been a celebration of the achievements of our students both this year and throughout their schooling years. The Class of 2022 had their school formal with family and friends at Bowman’s Park last Friday. The evening was a lovely chance for them to celebrate the end of their high school with a delicious meal in a familiar setting for many of them.

The Presentation Night on Monday evening was a wonderful reflection of the hard work and efforts of our students. A tremendous thank you must go to all of the staff who made the event run so smoothly and for all their preparation in the lead-up. The skills of our students in Art, Technology Studies and Food and Hospitality were on display and they certainly did not disappoint. We certainly appreciate the efforts of their teachers.

The guest speaker Gerald Higgins provided a thought-provoking and insightful speech, reflecting on his years from school to life as a father, son, community member and employee. His “rules for life” certainly resonated with the audience.

Thank you to all of the staff, students, parents and community members for all of your support this year. Have a safe and relaxing break.

Tyler Hogan - Principal

Thursday and Friday of last week (8^th and 9^th December) saw our 2023 Year 7 class have their two-day Transition Program. Students participated in a range of activities to get a taste of high school life. These included:

• Art with Miss McAllister– focusing on “Blue and White Porcelain” and creating their own model vases
• Science with Mrs Gaunt – introduction to a range of science processes and equipment. Students experimented with chemical changes and observed changes
• Maths with Mr Gillard – exploring chance and probability through counters and game boards.
• English with Miss Johnson – exploring language through story writing
• PE with Mr Palmer – volleyball
• Pastoral Care with Mrs Cameron and Mrs Seidel – games, Amazing Race and activities from their Transition to Middle School booklets

Students also got to meet some of the SSOs who will be working in classrooms and with small groups of students, including Ali Gulin, Deb Davis, Meredith Kleinig and Hannah Pech.

A new activity for the transition program which was introduced this year was a targeted workshop about Transition to High School from the Life Matters Team. This involved discussions about change, mindset, relationships and how to manage fear and nervous feelings. There were some motivational videos and the group also participated in some games. This was a great opportunity for the students to learn and talk about transition with adults who aren’t their teachers. This was organised by our Pastoral Care Worker, Sarah Treasure. Thank you, Sarah, for making this amazing experience available!

I would like to extend a big thank you to all of the teachers and SSOs who prepared activities, joined in and helped out in any way. We are looking forward to welcoming our new Year 7 students when school resumes in 2023.

Kate Seidel - Middle School Coordinator

Year 8’s enjoyed hot chocolates in their handmade and glazed mugs they created this semester.

Jackie McAllister - Art Teacher 

The student home internet program can provide internet access to students who do not have reliable home internet, so they can continue to learn and study at home.

Find out more about the program and how parents and carers can apply by visiting the department’s website.