One of the joys of our community is to hear from former students and discover the occupations they end up pursuing in life. This week I was taking stock of the number of former students I know who have gone into occupations that involve particular service to their community and their country. Without thinking too hard I can list several who are engaged in careers in the police force, fire brigade, armed forces, paramedicine and in various medical fields including nursing. It is inspiring to see the courage and commitment they show in protecting and caring for others, often in desperate circumstances.
A desire to serve others is such a precious quality to nurture in adolescence. Teenagers quite naturally tend towards a focus on self as they develop their own identity. But they also have a wonderful capacity for empathy and a willingness to be involved in helping others when given the encouragement and tools to do so.
When I think about some of the activities for which our students volunteer, I am impressed by their attitudes of service.
- Our VCAL Students planning a fundraiser to go towards gift hampers for our local emergency services personnel.
- Our Year 8 prefects served 500 sausages to a hungry crowd at the Middle School Athletics and raised over $800 for two charities close to their hearts.
- The Year 5 & 8 Buddies program gives older students a chance to encourage and support a younger student.
- A group of Year 5 students organised a delicious Bake Sale this week to support the Leukaemia Foundation.
- Students in the Ping-Pong-a-thon team are running a series of Movie Nights for Years 5-8 to help release children from forms of slavery in South-East Asia.
Every day there are many unsung heroes in our classrooms who go the extra mile to help a friend, do a job without being asked or show initiative to make their classrooms a better place for all. To all these servant-hearted heroes big and small, I say ‘well done’ and I can’t wait to see what you do next!
NAPLAN Online
Our Year 3, 5, 7 & 9 students are finishing up their NAPLAN tests this week. This year, our school was required to migrate to the new NAPLAN Online tests. I am very pleased to report that this has gone exceptionally smoothly for our school with all test sessions being completed without any significant technical issues. Students were well-prepared beforehand with a trial of the new system in Term One and have adapted to the new format confidently. When the online system has been completely rolled out nationally next year, it will provide parents and schools with faster results and provide students with tests that are better tailored to their individual abilities.
Year 7 & 8 Exams
Students in Year 7 will sit exams in English, Mathematics, History and Science on the 5th and 6th of June. Students in Year 8 will sit exams in English, Mathematics, History, Science and French or Chinese on the 4th, 5th and 6th of June. In the next couple of weeks, teachers will be helping students to revise and prepare. The exams provide an opportunity to demonstrate a range of key knowledge and skills, and revision beforehand helps to consolidate and reinforce the valuable learning that has gone on throughout the semester. Please note that Friday the 7th of June is a student-free day for the whole college.