Term Three was once considered the ‘quiet’ term by teachers and students, but I no longer think there is any such thing as a quiet term! We are almost half way through this term, which means the end of the year is almost in sight, although I am sure it seems a long way off for the students, although the recent sunny and warm Autumnal days have given a glimpse into what is just around the corner.
A holistic approach to education means that learning takes place both in and out of the classroom and gives different students different opportunities to shine. We were lucky with the weather for the Inter-House Athletics Carnival, hotly contended and we congratulate Florey House for winning and wish all our athletes all the best in the Personal Best Meets and ACC Athletics Carnival, where we are competitively in ‘A’ Division.
We also had the privilege of welcoming Paul Litherland to the School in Week 2. Paul was a WA Police Officer for just over twenty years and had strong messages for Middle School students and their parents in terms of internet awareness. Unfortunately, it is a message that constantly needs reinforcing and teachers and parents need to be vigilant of children’s use in the online world.
Within curriculum areas, we have had two busy weeks with Languages Week and Science Week offering students a chance to participate in many Indonesian activities and once again, we were surprised by the talents of our Indonesian Exchange students – Anne, Ava, Michelle, Daniel, Fabryant and Hans who delighted us with their cultural dances, songs and presentations in an Indonesian Assembly. ‘Space’ was the theme of Science Week and unfortunately, a cloudy evening on Tuesday meant no star gazing, but the Science department hosted a very informative evening nonetheless.
Friday 26th August was a big day in the life of our school. We had the official opening of St Gregory’s Chapel and our Peter Moyes Day service. We were delighted that Archbishop Kay Goldsworthy led both services. We welcomed our guest speaker, Jordanne Nuttall alumni student, who provided a witty and heartfelt insight into her student days and her many successes in her chosen field of nursing, including lecturing at ECU. The creed of Peter Moyes Day is ‘personal excellence with compassion for others’ and the theme was a consistent one throughout the service and particularly in the presentation of the Middle School awards to Laila Peacock and Bobby Yang. Once again, student talent was displayed with the School band and ‘Young Dilemma’ displaying their musical abilities. The term shows no sign of abating, culminating in Year 8 Camp in Week 10.
Ms Alison Grey
Acting Associate Principal - Middle School