Principal's Report
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I would like to acknowledge the work that you are doing in partnership with us to safeguard our community and to thank you for your continued diligence in observing COVID-19 protocols. It is clear from the data and our own personal experiences that we are in the midst of another wave of COVID-19 cases, yet the levels of reported cases has remained relatively stable to date. Proactive behaviours, such as keeping students showing symptoms at home and using RATs as part of early prevention, seems to be helping. RATs are available for collection from Student Receptions as required. We also continue to report on a daily basis, so we greatly appreciate the early notification that we are receiving at the College from parents/guardians. Students are strongly recommended to wear face masks when indoors and masks are freely available from Student Receptions. In accordance with MACS guidelines, we are not mandating the wearing of face masks.
Staff shortage due to illness remains a challenge for us and while we are trying to avoid the cancellation of activities, we appreciate that students are not always under the tuition of their regular teacher at the moment. Our staff are doing an amazing job of trying to support their colleagues through these challenging times and I thank you for understanding that we are doing the best that we can with the available resources. Your reassurance that continued application and effort will see good outcomes is especially valuable if your young people are expressing concerns about their progress. You will also get more feedback on student progress over the next few weeks. In the meantime, you are asked to contact the relevant level leader should you have concerns about progress.
We enter the season of parent / student / teacher interviews over the next few weeks and there are events for each year level with some in an online mode and others, hopefully, able to proceed in person at the College. There are a number of whole school events coming up and these have been included as advance notice of early closure times and student free days:
- Monday, 1st August
Year 7 2023 Parent Evening is a normal school day - Monday, 8th August
Staff Spirituality Day is a Student Free Day - Wednesday, 17th August
VCE/VCAL P/T Interviews (online) - School finishes at 12.15pm - Thursday, 25th August
Year 7 P/T Interviews and Subject Expo Yrs 8-10 (onsite - TBC) - Student Free Day
Staff Spirituality Day
Ongoing formation in our spirituality is a cornerstone of our staff development policy and on Monday, 8th August we are gathering for our Staff Spirituality Day. The keynote for the day is titled: 鈥淏eauty, Reason, and Justice in a Time of Pandemic鈥. Advance notice that this is a student free day.
Parent Student Teacher Interviews - VCE / VCAL Students
Parent Student Teacher Interviews are scheduled for Wednesday, 17th August (2pm-8pm) for students in VCE and VCAL only. Please note that all students will finish school at 12.15pm to allow staff to be available for these interviews. These interviews will be conducted online.
Year 7 Parent Student Teacher Interviews
Year 7 Parents/Guardians will have the opportunity to meet with Homeroom Teachers on the evening of Thursday 25th August (2pm to 8pm). We are hoping that these interviews will be able to be conducted in person at the College.
Subject Selection Expo
Interviews for Years 8, 9 and 10 will take the form of a Subject Selection Expo on Thursday 25th August (2pm to 8pm). Please note that this is a student free day. Aquinas teaching staff will have Professional Practice Time prior to the commencement of the Subject Selection Expo. We are hoping that students and their parents/guardians will be able to attend the expo in person at the College, but will review this closer to the date in consideration of COVID-19 cases.
Year 7 2023 Information Night
The first Information Night for guardians of students joining Aquinas for Year 7 in 2023 will be held on Monday, 1st August at 7.30pm. We are targeting families whose oldest child is commencing Year 7 and those new to Aquinas. Current families are welcome to attend if you seek a refresher about transition. This is the final reminder to Aquinas families regarding enrolment in Year 7 in 2024. Applications close on August 19th and there are no guarantees that places will be available for applications received after this deadline.
Year 8 Camps
The feedback from Year 8 Camp participants over the last two weeks has been very positive and many students have found that overcoming the physical challenges posed on the camp is very rewarding. Special thanks to Camps Coordinator, Ms Jess Lane, and to the staff who have made this experience available to our students through their willingness to contribute their time and pastoral care.
Premier鈥檚 VCE Awards
Congratulations to Tanisha Wu (Business Management) and Kaelan Boundy (Physical Education) who were among a select group of 300 students acknowledged for academic excellence in 2021 as part of the . This is an outstanding achievement. Congratulations also to their teachers, Ms Camilla Bar-Ness and Mr Steve McGrath.
Aquinas Advisory Council Seminar
Due to our presenter experiencing illness, we have had to postpone the Advisory Council Seminar that was scheduled for this week.
Darren Atkinson
Principal