Principal Piece with Justin Harrison Term 2 Week 10 2022

As we reach the end of semester one, I would like to congratulate the Toolooa SHS teaching and non-teaching team for their dedication, flexibility, responsiveness to innovation, and unwavering support for student learning. We are fortunate to be a committed community of educators who keep student outcomes at the heart of all endeavours. In addition, a special mention must go out to our parents and carers for your support of our school and the vested interest you have displayed in your child’s education. A positive connection between school and home has never been more important.

To keep our community abreast of all staffing changes, I have included below some changes to our staffing team that will begin next semester.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish Mr David Capill and Miss Sally Christensen all the very best as they both have been awarded acting Deputy Principal roles at other schools for the remainder of the year. I wish them the very best in their new role, one that they are both well-equipped to perform. Both Sally and Dave are going to be missed. A formal process to backfill behind both staff is currently underway. In the interim, I congratulate Mrs Libby Small and Mrs Paula McDonald who will be relieving in Dave and Sally’s positions respectively. Finally, I would also like to wish Mrs Zoe Davey and Mrs Ashton Shonhan all the best for their upcoming leave.

To support the school’s strategic direction moving forward, one that provides all students with an outstanding education in a safe and supportive environment, the school has decided to appoint two additional 0.5FTE Deputy Principal positions for Term 3 and 4. Not only will this allow the school to strategically manage the school’s key portfolios, it will also provide support to current Administration staff in the proactive management of students. Upon completion of the application process, it gives me great pleasure in congratulating Mr Greg Hage and Mrs Georgina Schluter who will take up these positions at the start of Term 3. Having been in the acting Deputy Principal position before, I am sure that you will all agree that both staff members are very capable of carrying out the role. I am looking forward to working with them. Congratulations goes to Ms Georgia Milne and Mr Gerard Clarke who will be supporting both Greg and Georgina as part-time acting Heads of Department.

All Year 10 students have now selected their Semester 2 subjects which should align to their Senior Pathway and Senior subject aspirations. This Semester 2 "Foundation to Senior" approach will enable students to trial particular subjects and get a "feel" for the academic rigour and assessment/study demands required of Senior students to be successful in their chosen pathway. Our 2022 Senior Subject Selection and SET Plan processes will commence next term. More information will follow.

With Term 2 assessment now finalised, teachers will be compiling reports to advise parents and families about their students’ progress in the areas of achievement, behaviour and homework. Senior reports will be sent home just before the holidays, with junior reports going out in the first week of next term. As a key partner in your child’s education, this is a perfect opportunity to have a discussion with them about how they are travelling and what their goals are for Semester 2. Whilst there are no parent teacher interviews this term, our staff are always happy to discuss student progress with parents and collaboratively map out the next steps to achieve the best possible outcome for every student.

We are starting our 2023 Year 7 transition very shortly. Enrolment packages will be available for collection from the office from the first day of term three (Monday 11th July 2022). We will then be hosting a transition information session on Tuesday 2nd August 2022 at 5pm. Please follow our school’s Facebook page to keep up-to-date on all the latest transition info!

The annual suite of School Opinion Surveys will be conducted in Term 3 and will close on 12 August 2022. All families, school staff and students in target year levels (8 and 11) will be invited to participate. We encourage you to take this opportunity to have your say about what our school does well, and how we can improve.

An invitation to complete the Parent/Caregiver Survey will be emailed to one parent/caregiver per family in the week beginning 11 July 2022. The invitation will be sent from the Department of Education, not the school, and it will have the subject line School Opinion Survey for parents and caregivers, 2022. Check your junk email folders if you can’t find it. The survey can be completed as soon as the invitation is received and will take approximately 5 minutes using a computer, tablet or smart phone. Parents/caregivers who do not have access to the internet at home are welcome to complete their survey online at the school. School computers/tablets will be available.

Term 2 has again been a busy time in our school with a significant number of students involved in sporting, cultural and academic opportunities outside of their standard classroom routines. Before I mention some of the notable achievements, I would like to congratulate a large number of year 12 students whose results in their General subjects for Unit 3 are exceptionally high, setting them up for rewarding ATAR results at the end of the year. Keep up the great work.

A range of school camps, excursions and sporting events have also taken place this term. I congratulate each and every one of the students who have participated and represented Toolooa in accordance with the school’s core values. Finally, our student’s community service commitment continues to be strong and I want to congratulate our junior/ senior leaders and our Interact Club for the service they provide.

As I mention all the time, I am very proud of the achievements of our students and would like to thank the staff for their support and contribution to the students of Toolooa. If it was not for the time and effort teachers put in, students would not have the opportunities to engage and excel in academic, cultural and sporting fields.

Well done to all students who attended the annual athletics carnival on Tuesday. It truly was a fantastic day. A special thank you must go to the HPE Department for the organisation of such a terrific carnival. Congratulations, goes to Elliot for taking out the carnival and to all the students who broke records, and were awarded Age Champion.

With this being the final newsletter to be issued before the holidays, I would like to take this opportunity to wish the Toolooa community a safe and relaxing holiday. For those travelling on the roads, please be careful as we want all students to return safely on Monday the 11th of July.