Principal Piece with Justin Harrison Term 2 Week 2 2023

Even though we are already into week two, I would like to welcome all students and staff back from a well-deserved holiday. I do hope everyone took the time to relax, recharge and spend some quality time with friends and family. A special welcome must go to the new students and families who have started their educational journey here at Toolooa.

With academic report cards being emailed home, it is imperative that all students sit down and reflect on their term one report card and set goals for this term and the remainder of the year. To support all students through this process, I encourage all parents/carers to spend ten minutes with their child reflecting on their report, paying particular attention to those areas where there have been successes and address those areas where improvement is needed. To all parents/carers who are attending the parent teacher meetings tonight, thank you. For those who could not make this evening, please contact the office to arrange a time to meet with your child’s teacher.

At Toolooa SHS, we take great pride in our senior student tracking, support and intervention processes that lead towards outstanding QCE attainment and more importantly, a successful transition to further education, training or employment. As part of our commitment to supporting all Year 11 and 12 students and parents as they navigate through their senior phase of education, Mr Thomas and his senior schooling team will be making contact with parents of any child who is currently deemed "At Risk" or "On Watch" on their QCE pathway. More specifically, a discussion will take place to identify concerns, discuss support options and/or intervention processes that will support the student moving forward. In addition, can I please encourage all parents/carers who are unsure or concerned for their child in the senior phase to contact the senior schooling team to arrange a time to discuss your concerns?

To help foster a safe and supportive learning environment, students and teachers will again be involved in the explicit teaching of the school’s expected behaviours this term. These behaviours are in the student success journal on page 4. Each year level will have a specific focus, however, they are all linked to the school’s core values; Respect, Achievement and Responsibility.

This week we celebrate Guidance Officer appreciation Week. We would like to thank Karyn Baxter, Jenny Morris and Silke Hetherington for everything that they do to support our students and our staff at school.

A number of important information sessions and activities have been planned to support students in Year 10 and their parents to learn about:

The following list of important events and dates will assist you to attend sessions/meetings, meet deadlines for subject selections and course enrolments.

As you may appreciate, there is a diverse range of programs on offer for students continuing their education and/or training after the completion of Year 10.It is vital that students attend all information sessions at school and bring the relevant information home to discuss with parents.

We look forward to seeing you at our information evenings and then meeting with you to discuss your child’s Senior Pathway, subjects and course options included in their SET Plan. Please contact Mark Thomas (Deputy Principal) or Darren Boase (HOD Senior Schooling) should you wish to discuss Senior School options.