Welcome to Winter Term

Semester 2 brings a few changes as we return to school after a well-earned three-week break.

Over the holidays there have been some welcomed improvements and maintenance to the Junior School (JS) with painting, cleaning and refilling of play spaces.

We also have some small staffing changes with two new additions to the Junior School team. Mrs Danielle Marshall is working with the ELC students in Pre-Kindy as an Education Assistant on Mondays, and in the front office we welcome Mrs Claire Lucas who is the new JS Secretary on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays.

I would also like to welcome our new families to the Scotch community, and I look forward to getting to know you all in the coming weeks.

Leaders

The Junior School commissioned our new Semester 2 Captains and Class Representatives on Friday 31 July.

I spoke to the boys about the importance of recognition. Recognition is the act of identifying someone or something because of a previous experience, or to formally acknowledge someone for actions they have taken, a task they have completed, or the way in which they conducted themselves. This can be as simple as seeing a familiar face in a crowd or on a much larger scale, it may be at a national level such as the acknowledgement of Indigenous people and their treatment. Much closer to home, recognition could be the acknowledgement of the work our Semester 1 leaders have undertaken these past two terms and what work our Semester 2 leaders are about to commence after they are commissioned.

In the Junior School, it takes a team of staff, parents and boys to ensure that the leadership tasks and activities they plan come to fruition. Mrs Ritchie and Madame Vinton played a pivotal role in supporting the boys with regular meetings to plan and follow-up which ensured that wonderful activities were accomplished during the first half of the year. The specialist teachers also supported the Specialist and House Captains, and class teachers were always interested and engaged with the Class Representatives from their room. This combination of staff and students made for a healthy combination and led to a successful Semester 1.

The Semester 1 leaders were inspirational and motivated, which saw a range of activities and events take place. The students were exceptional in the way they overcame challenges to take their fortnightly reports into the virtual realm. This ability to solve problems and display such a high level of integrity is why recognising the outgoing leaders is extremely important. They have made an exceptional contribution to Semester 1 and the Junior School, and I am grateful for the positive outcomes of what was a challenging semester.

Well done to all the staff, parents and students who helped to support our Semester 1 leaders. I look forward to a busy and productive term ahead and to seeing lots of opportunity for consolidation and learning amongst the Junior School.

I hope to see you all at the Student-Led Conferences this week.