Principal Newsletter
Student Leaders 2019 – Congratulations to all the students who have been named as leaders for next year. As I said at Assembly on Friday, we look to all our Grade Six students to play a leadership role in their final year of school, whether it be as a Prep ‘buddy,’ a House Captain, Junior School Council representative, a School Captain or Vice-Captain, or as a student that younger kids look up to as a role model. Special mention must however be made of Jaime and Nash (School Captains), and Star and Ryan (Vice-Captains), who besides their school-based leadership, will also represent the school proudly in many different public forums during their tenure. We certainly look forward to a positive and constructive year ahead where we can consider their input and perspectives to offer better educational opportunities for all our students.
Grade Three Camp – Thank you to all the staff and parents for supporting our Grade Three students on their camp to Anglesea last week. Besides the exceptionally hot weather, they all really seemed to enjoy the experience and were exhausted on their return. It seems the orienteering, low-ropes and archery activities were hugely popular, but the kids had ‘rave reviews’ about the other activities as well!
Prep Café – It was absolutely fantastic to see so many parents join our Prep students to enjoy a ‘café experience’ on Friday last week. Thank you for giving up your time to enjoy this wonderful activity with our young students. A big thank you also to the Prep teachers who coordinated and organised this hugely successful event.
Student Learning – The DET and our school recognises the importance of forging positive partnerships with parents and carers to enhance student learning. This partnership falls under the banner of ‘community engagement in learning,’ and is focussed on three key expected actions by staff at our school:
Teachers establish open and sustained communications with parents. (This is done through a range of communication channels to identify concerns, celebrate successes and to overcome potential challenges in order to strengthen the partnership.)
Teachers seek and use parents/carers’ knowledge and feedback. (Parents/carers can provide feedback and input through formal surveys, being members of bodies such as a School Council, being a volunteer at the school, or simply regularly discussing educational and welfare issues with staff members.)
Teachers facilitate parent/carer involvement in education within the classroom, school and beyond. (Parents can involve themselves in setting learning goals, helping in the classroom, involving themselves in regular homework activities together with students, assisting with camps and excursions etc.)
Final Assembly – Just a reminder that the final Assembly for the year will be held this Friday at 2pm, and not on the last day of school. Next Friday, 21 December, students will be dismissed from their classrooms at 1pm.
Bike Safety – I always encourage kids to stay fit and do physical exercise, and riding a bike is an excellent way to enjoy the outdoors and get the heart rate up. Unfortunately though, many kids who ride to school are also confronted with a large volume of traffic on their way to and from school. Recently I have had a number of people concerned with the safety of some of our students due to their actions in and around traffic. Please stress to your kids the importance of cycling safely, especially when they are navigating between cars, buses and pedestrians.
Have a great last two weeks of term, and I hope this year has been a fruitful learning experience for your children. We are very fortunate with the facilities, resources and teachers that we have, and these all add to making Torquay College the special place it is!
Adrian Waters