End of Term

I would like to congratulate everyone on making it through another disrupted term.  Hopefully we will be able to have a nice break over the holidays and come back refreshed for the final tilt before the end of the year.  While the majority of students are attending WebEx classes and submitting their work, we do have a number of students who are not which will be affecting their educational outcomes and possibly their ability to progress to the next year level.  I strongly encourage all students to stick at their work and ensure they have a successful year.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Alicia Greenaway who has been working a couple of days per week in our Office while Kerrie Swanton has been on 6 weeks Long Service Leave.  Alicia has certainly taken some of the pressure off with Kerrie’s absence and has fitted very nicely into the College.

The end of term also marks the end of the year for me and I would like to wish everyone a very safe and successful Term 4, particularly our Year 12 students who will be moving on to bigger and brighter things next year as a chapter in their life ends.  I would also like to remind and encourage everyone to get behind and support Dr. Taylor, Mr. Marland and Mrs. McCormick as they take over the reigns of the College in what is shaping up to be another very busy term.

Year 12 arrangements

It is certainly getting to the business end of the year for our Year 12 students, especially those studying their VCE with exams starting in Week 4 of the Term.  The staff have discussed and put together a holiday timetable of particular classes which has been distributed to students and included in this newsletter.  I encourage all year 12 students to make the most of this opportunity – and to complete as many past papers as possible.  The Year 12 GAT is also being conducted in the first week of Term and again, I encourage all students to undertake the practice GAT that is being run during the holidays as well.

2022 School Captain Presentations and Announcement

On Wednesday, Ella Darby, Deon Tannock, Berrie Walsh, Jesse Wandel and Josie Wilson presented speeches to all Year 7 to 11 students as they outlined why they would be suitable candidates for College Captains in 2022.  Once again, the students did a great job and each presented in their own unique way.  Following the presentations, students in Years 9 to 11 all voted on their preference for Captain, as did the staff.

It is my great pleasure to be able to announce that Berrie Walsh and Jesse Wandel are the College Captains for 2022, and Deon Tannock and Ella Darby are the College Vice Captains.  Congratulations to everyone involved and I look forward to working closely with you in 2022.

Year 5 – Yr 7 2023 Information evening

On Wednesday night we held an information session for Year 5 (and 6) students considering enrolling at our College in 2023 (or next year).  This session was conducted over WebEx, which, while it is not the preferred option, is clearly much better than not offering a session at all.  Thanks to all the families who attended the evening and to Mr. Marland and Miss. Griffiths for their organisation of the slide show and ‘virtual tour’.

Student movement

As I mentioned last week, at this time of year we ask that if you are aware of any student movement for 2022 that you notify the College as soon as possible.  This means that if you know of families that are coming, or students who may be leaving, we would greatly appreciate a heads up as our planning (and funding) relies directly on student numbers.  We have already gained a number of enrolments and indications of new enrolments for 2022.  Thanks in advance for your assistance with this.

Student immunisations

The Government remains clear that they would like to have every Year 12 student with at least their first shot of vaccine prior to the end of this Term. We have been really pleased and impressed with our students' attitude and initiative with this, and we are aware that a large proportion of our Year 12 cohort will be fully vaccinated prior to the start of Term 4. As of September 13, Vaccinations have opened up to anyone aged 12 and over.  If you have not done so, I would encourage you to make an appointment as soon as possible. As more information comes to light we will pass it along to parents as soon as is practically possible.

Tony Hand

Principal

Recently the College has purchased another 4 mountain bikes to add to our fleet. We now have a total of 18 mountain bikes that students can use for class and other extra-curricular activities. All of the bikes that we have purchased were sourced locally through Sportfirst St. Arnaud. The College would like to thank Bruce and Casey Hando for their ongoing support of the College and we wish them all the best for their future endeavours!

On Monday, 30th of August, our Year 11 HHD class completed a virtual visit into Prep/Grade 1 class at the Primary School. We had planned to do this observation in the classroom, but were able to have the opportunity via Webex in order for it to be achievable. Students were looking at development in childhood, specifically the physical, emotional, social and intellectual characteristics. They were able to get some valuable 'real-life' information to consolidating their understanding for their upcoming SAC. We were very grateful for the experience and thank Mrs. Ezard for having us.

Year 12 Chemistry Pics...

Students are pictured completing an investigation into proteins.  The peptide link in the proteins react with copper sulfate in a sodium hydroxide (alkaline) solution to produce a pink to purple colour.  The copper ion forms a complex ion with the peptide link in the protein.  The darker the purple product turns, the more peptide links and thus the more protein chains (more amino acid monomers) are contained in the food. 

Year 10 Cycling Pics...

In Term 4, the year 10 Physical Education class will be completing a cycling unit. This will involve students riding racing bikes on the roads around St. Arnaud. In Monday’s PE lesson they will be riding to the nearby areas of Kooreh, Beazley’s Bridge, Gowar and Coonooer Bridge. The unit will culminate with a ride to Navarre and back, a distance of around 80 km. We are really lucky to once again have the assistance of two very experienced cyclists in Andrew Weir and Flo Andison, who will be riding with the students.

On Wednesday this week, students came up to school to complete some small skills testing in preparation for this unit. They completed “U” turns in a confined space, slalom riding, slow riding and practised gear changes. During remote learning students have been looking at road rules, safety, riding in small groups and studying the different parts of a bicycle.

This year our group is larger than previous years. Therefore, we may be short of a couple of racing bikes. If anyone in the school community has a bike they could lend the school for a few weeks, it would be much appreciated.

Craig Cornwell