It’s been an excellent start to Term 2 in Senior School! In my first few weeks as Head of Senior School, I’ve been so impressed by our students and teachers. Students have strived for excellence on the pitch and in the pool, honoured the sacrifice of those remembered on ANZAC Day and served in order to lead well for the sake of others. Teachers have encouraged students during performances, supported them through challenges and enabled them to experience great learning and great opportunities. Senior School is a great place to be!

One highlight of the last few weeks was when we gathered on the first day of term to remember the sacrifice of our servicemen and women during the ANZAC Assembly. Mr Stuart Vowles, a member of our Inaburra community and former army commando, shared some of his experiences from his 21 year career in the military. In particular, Mr Vowles encouraged us to appreciate the efforts of the spouses and children who enable and support their loved ones to serve in the military. Mr Vowles’ contributions to the ANZAC remembrance were well received and greatly appreciated.

With so many happenings across Senior School, it’s difficult to choose a singular focal point – there’s been so many great things! Nonetheless, one feature has struck me most: the way our students strive. People who strive persevere to achieve goals amidst challenges and fears, and this has been evident in students. It takes a great deal of perseverance to develop an excellence and our students certainly demonstrated excellences this week on the sporting field, in debates and when public speaking. Despite their successes, which are many (you can read about many of them in other sections of this newsletter), I’m most encouraged by their perseverance in striving to develop their abilities and skills. Students who learn to strive are well equipped to continue to grow as learners and as people at school and beyond… so keep striving!

Finally, as the term commences and we settle into routines once again, I thought it’d be helpful to remind parents of how it’s best to communicate with Senior School. We’re eager to work in partnership with you and that involves good communication between home and school. As such, please refer to the table below to understand how to make enquiries related to a variety of school matters:

If you’re unsure who the Year Advisor is for a particular cohort, you can refer to 2023 student and parent handbooks available for each cohort through the Parent Console of Sentral (p.12). You can also see a current list of Year Advisors in the table provided below.

Mr Chris Smith
Head of Senior School