One of the most enjoyable aspects of my job is when I am in dialogue with, and work with the students. At the end of last term, I had the honour of attending the Year 7 camp. This was a wonderful camp that provided me with the opportunity to get to know our new students a little better. I was so impressed with the way that they conducted themselves over the three days. I was even more impressed with their confidence and courage as they participated in what I would call hair-raising activities; flying fox, high ropes and tunnel crawl! Our Year 9 students were also involved in a three-day camp at the beginning of the term and once again, they had the opportunity to be a little bit daring and try activities that they had not tried before. For some, attending these camps was a challenge and I congratulate them for their tenacity and resilience as they were challenged to be outside their comfort zone.

A number of students during the break travelled to Japan as part of our Seirei Peace Program. If you followed our Instagram and Facebook pages, you will have seen what a wonderful time they had. I look forward to their report at our next College assembly.

As you will appreciate, staff attendance at these camps and trips is vital and I am, as I am sure you are, very grateful to them for giving up their time to ensure that the students have a very valuable experience.

I was fortunate this week to reconnect with a group of Year 12 students that I had worked with during their retreat at the end of last year. The students shared with me and with each other how the year was for them. Understandably, they were at times overwhelmed with the pressures of Year 12 but were also positive about their experience. We spent time discussing and setting goals for the remainder of the year and it was terrific to hear the strategies that they were planning to put in place so that they had every chance to achieve their goals. I am very proud of the way that our senior students have committed themselves to their studies.

I am pleased to inform you that in the next week or so, the landscaping that has been under construction since the beginning of the year will be completed. It is going to be a great outdoor space in which the students can both study and relax.

Thank you to the students, parents and carers who attended our parent/student/teacher conferences that were held this week. It is important that we do continue to work in partnership, to ensure that the students have the best opportunity to grow in their learning. Please continue to monitor CANVAS and PAM to ensure that you are kept up-to-date with all aspects of College life.

I would like to thank Joanna De Bono and Steven Mifsud who so ably managed and led the College while I was on Long Service Leave at the beginning of the term.

Kate Dishon