Tomorrow sees our Year 10's enjoy their much anticipated celebration dinner. For us, it marks their transition from junior to senior schooling. It also gives them an opportunity for a "special" event. Much planning has gone into the event and there has been a generosity of the human spirit evident in all those who have contributed to the night. This is the first time it has been catered "in-house", and I particularly thank Mr Nick Sallese and Mrs Sue Weslake for being the driving forces in that area, along with the members of the committee, all staff attending on the night, our student photographer and especially Mrs Mollie Neil, for whom this is her first big event in her role as Marketing and Events Coordinator at the College. The arrivals will be livestreamed via our Facebook page from approximately 6pm.

This week is Teacher Aide Appreciation week. The warm and gentle support of our Teacher Aides is yet another example of the generosity of the human spirit within our community. Their presence allows all our students to engage fully in the curriculum. 

This week the SRC have held their Mental Health Week 2.0. Throughout the week students and staff have been encouraged to jot down three things each day that they are grateful for. You will read more about the week elsewhere in this newsletter, but I wanted to share one gratitude slip that I read. The three things this student had listed were Mum, footy, food. I noted that Mum was top of the list, and was heartened. It can be difficult with teenagers to know that they appreciate and take in what you have to offer. I thought all the parents in the community would appreciate knowing that you do rate a mention in their gratitude list.

A reminder that tomorrow is Moderation Day and a student free day.

This weekend is Father's Day. I wish all the fathers in our community a blessed day and thank them for the sacrifices they make for their children, and if my dad happens to be reading this, thanks - I appreciate you.

Kim Walters

Acting Principal

This week 7D & 7E English classes, as part of Mental Health Week 2.0, undertook a positive language workshop with Miss Lansley. In this workshop we looked at what positive language is, how we can use it with each other and most importantly how we can use it when speaking about ourselves. At the end of the workshop, students were given a random name of one of their peers and were asked to write a note to that peer using positive language. Both classes really engaged with this activity and wrote wonderful notes to each other that boosted the mood of everyone. 

This week we had our second Mental Health Awareness Week for the year, as this is an issue affecting many of us daily, meaning it needs to be addressed regularly. The SRC planned a week with activities and information which focussed on these three topics:

Acts of service - Doing selfless, kind gestures for another person in turn drastically improves our own happiness.

Gratitude - Truly appreciating the good in our lives or being grateful for the challenges we are able to learn from and overcome, allows us to think positively and realise how lucky we are.

Mindfulness - Clearing the mind through meditation, movement such as a walk, or just taking a deep breath, helps us to gather our thoughts and gain a sense of peace.

To help the school community experience these, we organised something for every day of the week. Starting Monday and running for the whole week, we asked everyone to write down three things they were grateful for on a colourful sticky note. These were collected in a clear container to become a beautiful visual representation of our school's gratitude. On Tuesday and Wednesday (later changed to Wednesday and Thursday due to bad weather), two houses each day went for a relaxing but active walk around the block during homeroom. In the mornings some information about these three topics was also read over the PA system to inform everyone of their benefits and how to achieve them. On Thursday, cupcakes were sold at lunchtime with “Your Mind Matters” written on them. These were given to the students and teachers in exchange for $3 and an act of kindness note for a friend. All funds raised were donated to Speak Up Stay ChatTy. On Friday it was Moderation Day so the students had a day off. We called this “Take a Day Friday” and encouraged everyone to take the opportunity to relax and recharge.

Overall, the students and teachers really enjoyed the week. We hope it not only aided in helping someone find positivity or calmness but that people carry on these tips and this mindset to see more benefits.

Emily Swanson - College Captain

Reminder to make sure you have booked an appointment for Senior Secondary (Yr 11 & 12) Parent Teacher interviews that are happening on Wednesday 8 September from 3.20pm - 6.00pm in the Westcourt building.

The procedure for booking Parent Teacher interviews was contained in the email sent out on Tuesday, 31 August.

If you require any assistance or experience technical issues, please contact the College on 6424 7622. "

The VET Cert II in Animal Studies visited The Cat Lounge in Devonport this week. The students completed a list of assessments with the cats while zooming in to their trainer in Victoria. They were able to demonstrate restraining the cats, checking vital signs, assessing workplace health and safety issues, first aid for cats, feeding and enrichment exercises. We are very grateful to the staff at The Cat Lounge for being so accommodating of our students and their learning needs. 

Today Skin Cancer Tasmania presented their Run from the Sun 2021 Programme to our year 7 and year 9 students.  The aim of the session was to continue reinforcing the Sun Safety message to ensure that our students give themselves the best opportunities to protect themselves from Skin Cancer.

To celebrate Teacher Assistant week, Sue Larkey (a highly qualified educator who has taught students with autism spectrum disorder) surprised 5 schools with a bunch of flowers. A total of 3000 schools were nominated. What a kind gesture!