Dear Secondary School Families
As a supplement to the other ways in which news, updates and information are shared with our community, we will be using this platform for some material pertinent to the Secondary School at Duncraig specifically. Please continue to view DoveTales, emails and the School’s Facebook page as well as the School Calendar. We plan to use this fortnightly update as an additional stream to ensure that our families are as well informed as they can possibly be.
The end of 2016 is rapidly approaching and we are halfway through the first academic term. As the weather has warmed and the skies have brightened, it has been a pleasure to see our students looking fresh and engaged – and to see students looking relaxed as they sit outdoors on the grass and under outdoor umbrellas. The Class of 2016 is almost halfway through their WACE exams and they seem to have been working efficiently and are taking advantage of the opportunities to meet with their teachers for additional support.
On Friday 11 November we have our GTKY Day (Getting to Know You) for the Year 7s who start in 2017. The Year 6 students from St Stephen’s Primary School are already spending time in the Secondary School. On Friday they will meet the “buddies” they have been linked to as 70 students from other primary schools join them in the homerooms for 2017. Next year the Year 7s come to School earlier than the rest of the secondary school – they join us on Friday 27th January for half a day: in uniform and with their IT device (iPad / Android tablet / laptop etc.). Computer log ins, lockers and school photos etc. will all be sorted out. PLEASE NOTE – if you are away because you have a break planned because of Australia Day and have taken the Friday off work – we will support your Year 7 child from Monday 30 January when the whole School returns. Please don’t cancel your arrangements.
The House Swimming Carnival takes place on the 31st January – and the Year 7 and Year 8 camps are both in February. The Year 7s are at Ern Halliday and the Year 8s will enjoy Rottnest again. Each year we have a wonderful group of students
Last week we farewelled Justin Beckett (Deputy of Care) and Bernadette Lhota (Head of Learning, HASS). Both Justin and Bernadette are currently on Long Service Leave ahead of significant career changes. Justin has been appointed principal of Trinity Anglican School in Albury-Wodonga and leaves for the east early in December. Bernadette has shifted to teacher training. Both Justin and Bernadette have been loyal servants to the School, wonderful and committed teachers and we are sad to see them leave. We wish Justin and his wife Zoe, and Bernadette and her husband Peter, all the best on the next step of their journeys. Richard Davies has already taken up the position of Deputy Care and we are privileged to have Stuart Gale as Dean of Carana.
The Awards Night on the 6th December in the Sports’ Centre at our Carramar campus will be a wonderful celebration of the achievements of our students and our final chance to farewell the class of 2016. In 2017 we look forward to hosting our regular coffee mornings for Year 7 parents and the mornings for all secondary parents and to getting to know our new families and to spending time with our current families.
I trust that you will find the material and articles written for this platform useful and a valuable source of up-to-date information and interest.
Regards
Bruce Titlestad
Head of Secondary School