Principal's Report
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Announcement from Premier Andrews
Last week Premier Andrews made an announcement that a process will be introduced by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) to help alleviate the 鈥渁dverse impacts of Coronavirus鈥 on Year 12 students this year, particularly as these may be reflected in the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR). This 鈥淐onsideration of Educational Disadvantage鈥 sounds like it will be applied in a similar way to the process that is currently used for individuals seeking 鈥渟pecial consideration鈥, but will be more wide ranging. We await more specific advice as to exactly how this process will be undertaken and Mrs Greenwood, Head Senior Years, will make this information known as soon as it becomes available. Mrs Greenwood also discusses this announcement further in this edition of The Lighthouse.
I continue to offer my encouragement to all of our students, and our Year 12s especially, to stay focused on completing each task to the best of their ability and use the time that they have with their teachers as productively as possible. It is completely understandable that they are uncertain as to how the year will finish, we all are, but the VCAA are resolute that the General Achievement Test (GAT) will occur on October 7, exams will proceed in accordance with the new timetable, and students will get a statement of results by December 30. We should all continue to prepare accordingly.
There is great support available at the College. Please do not hesitate to contact the subject teacher, mentor, or Year Level Coordinators should you have concerns.
Wellbeing Day - Friday, 28th August
Please note that there will not be any classes conducted on Friday 28th August to allow for a Wellbeing Day. The feedback from our Wellbeing Day in Term 2 was overwhelmingly positive and the chance to down tools and catch our breath was found to be very beneficial for both students and teachers. There will also be no supervision of students onsite on this date.
Parent Student Teacher Interviews and Subject Selection Expo
By necessity, our Parent Teacher Interviews and Subject Selection Expo will need to take a new 鈥渧irtual鈥 form this year. Significant planning has been put into ensuring that these meetings are purposeful and as easy for you to access as possible. Of course, we are entering new territory and seek your understanding if these events have some minor limitations. There is also trepidation from some staff about conducting meetings in their family homes. I know that you will appreciate, only too well, the challenges faced with conducting your work from a busy family home and will be generous in response. Deputy Principal, Mr Box, has provided a detailed outline of the arrangements for Parent Teacher Interviews and the Subject Selection Expo in this edition of The Lighthouse.
Year 7 2021 Information Night
The first Information Night for guardians of students joining Aquinas for Year 7 in 2021 will be conducted on Monday night. As has become the pattern in 2020, we will be meeting with our incoming families in a virtual environment and endeavouring to share the important information they need about the transition from primary to secondary school. A number of the normal orientation activities will need to be planned differently this year, but we hope the next generation of our students remain excited about joining Aquinas and we will be making every effort to ensure that we extend a warm welcome.
Enrolments and re-enrolments for 2022
Families received a request from the College Registrar last week to log in to the and indicate that they are seeking re-enrolment for current Aquinas students and update any details that may have changed since last year. Can I please ask that you complete this process today, as requested, to assist in our planning for 2021. Should you have any questions you are asked to contact the Registrar. Enrolment deadlines for Year 7 2022 have been extended in response to the disruption we have experienced this year. Enrolment will now close on October 9 and applications can be made here.
Launch of College Website
Since early February, our marketing team has been working with a website development company to update the College website and produce a more user friendly interface for the wider community. The new website has gone live this week and, as you may have noticed, it incorporates The Lighthouse. We hope that the new website is easier to access on smaller mobile devices as this was one of the limitations in the older versions. Thank you to Mr Ben Johnson, Mrs Janet Blackwell, Mrs Rebecca Presta and Ms Emily Scott who worked so diligently on this project.
VRQA Visit
The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) is charged with the responsibility to accredit non government schools in Victoria and, every five years, schools are required to demonstrate that they comply with all legislative and safety requirements. This year it is our turn and, today, we have met with an assessor to demonstrate our high levels of compliance. Thanks to Mrs Janet Blackwell, Director of Marketing and Development, who has coordinated the collection of all of the evidence that we need to produce for this purpose. We also continue our preparations for reaccreditation with the Council of International Schools (CIS) which has now been deferred until March 2021 given travel restrictions.
Darren Atkinson
Principal