Principal's Report
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After a welcome return to in-person learning last week, we are all disappointed to find ourselves in another period of lockdown. Its important to thank the students and staff for their efforts this week to ensure that we maintain high standards of compliance with the guidelines, especially in relation to the wearing of masks. The students seem to have taken the responsibility to protect themselves and their community seriously and I thank them for doing so. Id like to encourage our students to try and maintain strong momentum now by staying engaged with their online learning. The easiest way to stay engaged is to attend each class, participate in your learning (dont be a passenger!) and provide helpful feedback to your teacher and your peers.
I appreciate that lockdowns impact our families unevenly and, in many cases, create a juggling act for parents/guardians that requires a superhuman effort. I pay my respects to your tireless efforts to keep your children focused on the schoolwork and enthusiastic about their learning. Please contact the team leader if there are concerns, or if we can be of assistance. Lets pray that we have a speedy return to in-person learning.
We enter the season of parent/student/teacher interviews over the next few weeks and there are events for each year level with some in an online mode and others, hopefully, able to proceed in person at the College. There are a number of whole school events coming up and these have been included as advance notice of early closure times and student free days.
We await further advice from the VCAA on a rescheduled date for the General Achievement Test (GAT) which was to be held on Thursday 12th August.
Parent Student Teacher Interviews - VCE/VCAL Students
Parent Student Teacher Interviews are scheduled for Tuesday, 17th August (2pm-8pm) for students in VCE and VCAL only. Please note that all students will finish school at 1.05pm to allow staff to be available for these interviews. In light of current Covid-19 visitor restrictions to the College these interviews will be conducted online.
Subject Selection Expo
Interviews for Years 8, 9 and 10 will take the form of a Subject Selection Expo on Thursday 26th August (2pm to 8pm). Please note that all students will finish school at 1.05pm to allow staff to be available for these interviews. We are hoping that Covid-19 visitor restrictions may be relaxed by this date and parents/guardians will be able to attend the expo in person at the College.
Year 7 Parent Student Teacher Interviews
Year 7 Parents/Guardians will have the opportunity to meet with Homeroom Teachers on the evening of Thursday 26th August (2pm to 8pm). We are hoping that these interviews will be able to be conducted in person at the College.
Year 7 2022 Information Night
The first Information Night for guardians of students joining Aquinas for Year 7 in 2022 has been postponed until Monday 16th August in the hope that we may be able to conduct a face to face meeting. We are inviting families whose oldest child is commencing Year 7 and those new to Aquinas. Current families are welcome to attend if you seek a refresher about transition.
Staff Spirituality Day
Ongoing formation in our spirituality is a cornerstone of our staff development policy and on Friday, 27th August we are gathering as a staff to learn online with Dr Anna Rowlands, St Hilda Associate Professor of Catholic Social Thought & Practice in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University. Advance notice that this is a student free day.
Premiers VCE Awards
Unfortunately for our award recipients the event that was planned to acknowledge their outstanding achievement in 2020 has had to be cancelled due to restrictions in relation to large gatherings. Congratulations to our award recipients, Jamie Hanrahan (Environmental Science) and Daniel Barber (Media) and their teachers, Mr Craig Cleeland and Mr Sam Higgs. A list of all award recipients can be .
Senior Play
Amidst tight restrictions, we were finally able to stage the senior play, Stories in the Dark, last week. It is a testament to our young people that despite multiple postponements due to lockdown, the actors were not discouraged and seized the opportunity to perform with enthusiasm and, I am sure, great relief. Thank you to those who supported this performance, especially teacher Ms Meredith Greenwood.
Enrolments for 2023
This is the final reminder to Aquinas families regarding enrolment in Year 7 in 2023. Applications close on August 20th and there are no guarantees that places will be available for applications received after this deadline. Families are also reminded to log in to the and indicate that they are seeking re-enrolment for current Aquinas students and update any details that may have changed since last year. Can I please ask that you complete this process as soon as possible to assist in our planning for 2022.
Aquinas Advisory Council Seminar
Our College Advisory Council gathered on Tuesday evening for their annual seminar program with a focus around our next School Improvement Plan. The members of our Advisory Council were presented with the feedback from our CIS Accreditation visit earlier in the year and were then set the task of describing the type of school they would like Aquinas to be in five years from now. There was a great feeling of optimism from the participants and a sense that we should celebrate being members of an excellent school and strive to make it even better. Staff and students will be provided the same opportunity later in the year.
Darren Atkinson
Principal
Please refer to our latest Covid-19 updates page for ongoing information.