Secondary News

Dear Secondary Students, Parents, and Caregivers,

It's the end of Week 5! Just as we feel the transition of the season, there's a distinct air of excitement on campus. We are past the halfway mark, and the stream of events occurring each week shows the energy and commitment of our students as they enter the final leg of the year. Our focus is on encouraging every student to finish the year with purpose and confidence.

The final term naturally carries a great sense of spiritual significance. This week, we focused on how we treat one another as we approach the end of the term. In our assembly, we reflected on the importance of living in community with grace, using the guiding principle of:

Colossians 3:12-14: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

This is our privilege: to journey with each student and watch them grow, physically, academically, socially, and spiritually, knowing they are being shaped for the wonderful future that lies ahead.

Our Graduating Class

It seems like only yesterday we were farewelling our Year 12s. It is a privilege to journey with each of our students; we continue to reflect on the impact of the graduating class and the wisdom they left behind.

A particularly memorable line from the Year 12 speech summed up their legacy: "You can’t pick the class you graduate with, but you can pick how you treat them." This simple but profound statement about compassion and choice is a powerful challenge for every student to live by.

ACC Athletics Carnival

A huge congratulations to all our student athletes who participated in the ACC Athletics Carnival in Week 4. The atmosphere was fantastic, with students focusing on achieving personal bests, which resulted in many school records being broken on the day.

Thank you to the parents and caregivers who turned up to support our students.

• Carnival Winner: Congratulations to the Magpies house, who were the House Champions for the Athletics Carnival on the day.

• Overall Champion: After a close contest, the Kangaroos house managed to pip the Magpies to reclaim the overall House Faction Champion shield for this year! We are looking forward to our students participating competitively in the upcoming Interschool Athletics Carnival on Tuesday, 2nd December.

  
  

Click here to have a look through some photos of the day, taken by Photography teacher Mr Russell Hunt.

Albany Show Day Achievements

Well done to the creative efforts of our students that participated in the Cake Decorating Competition at the Albany Show:

• Annabelle Reddington received the Judges’ Choice Award for the Decorated Cake Section and took home the prestigious Sylvia Harris Trophy and Plaque.

• Angus Barnes received 2nd place for his Novelty Cake, and a 1st place for his Pokémon decorated biscuits, also claiming the award for Best Exhibit in the Under-12s Section.

• Zoe Downing received a Highly Commended Certificate for her Australiana-themed cupcakes.

  
  

Digital Citizenship

In today's landscape, parents being actively informed and in control of their children's technology use is more important than ever. This includes navigating the challenges posed by AI chatbots, general technology use, and social media addiction.

We strongly encourage you to visit the Australian e-Safety Commissioner’s website. They provide valuable, practical resources and guides specifically for parents to help manage screen time, set boundaries, and respond to online risks. This partnership is vital to ensuring our students thrive both on and offline.

Presentation Evening

Please mark your calendars for our End of Year Presentation Ceremony on Friday, 5th December. This important date is when we come together as a community to celebrate the significant academic, sporting, and community achievements of our students across all year levels.

Thank you for your partnership as we continue through this final term. I look forward to connecting with many of you at the upcoming events this term.