This week our senior students completed their Midyear exams. I congratulate all of them, particularly our Year 11 students. They have done their first set of senior exams and shown yet again how beautifully they have adjusted to the expectations of senior secondary students.
Our Year 12 students are now on the "home stretch" of their school years, and I wrote to them this week to encourage them all to have a real break from study over the school holidays. I ask parents to encourage them to enjoy some genuine downtime, especially as they will want to study over the October break in preparation for external exams in November. I am proud of all of them. I have the privilege of seeing firsthand how hard some of our students work and am thrilled to see the fruits of their work reflected in their results. I know all my colleagues share this pride.
In last week's newsletter, we included a parent factsheet for eHeadspace. This week all our Year 8 students have been guided through setting up their own eHeadspace accounts. I encourage parents to set up their own accounts to familiarise themselves with the services they offer.
This week's newsletter includes a parent factsheet regarding vaping. Like all secondary schools, we have instances where students experiment with vaping, and we always inform parents when we become aware. This week's Four Corners episode featured a comprehensive report on the issue, which I also encourage parents to watch. We ensure that we contact the tobacco control officer responsible for the North West Coast when we become aware of any person selling or supplying vaping materials to minors.
This week we held our annual whole staff mandatory reporting briefing. It occurs to me that parents can sometimes become aware of concerning stories or information. When you become aware of something, if you are not comfortable contacting a student's parents directly, please do not hesitate to contact me at school. While we are not at liberty to discuss the outcome, we will pass on the information in a sensitive manner. This allows us to support students in their development and learning.
- Ms. Kim Walters
