Principal's Report
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Celebrate Excellence Evening
On Monday evening we were finally able to gather as a community to acknowledge the students who had achieved excellence during 2020. This included those from our Graduating Class of 2020 who placed in the top 10% of graduates in Australia; those who excelled in VCAL and VET; those who achieved perfect 50 Study Scores; and those who received special awards. We were also able to acknowledge student excellence at each year level and I made note in my address that it was especially pleasing to see that so many students had continued to thrive even when their learning moved to an online mode during the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020. It was also wonderful to be able to finally invite parents and guardians back to the College to celebrate the success of their young people, albeit with area density guidelines and masks in force. Congratulations to the recipients of awards and thank you to those who put in so much work in preparation for this event: Ms Grierson, Ms Greenwood, Mr Box, Ms Kalla, Ms Crawley and many others.
Opening Mass and Assembly
On Tuesday morning we welcomed the newest members of our community into their first whole school gathering as our Year 7s paraded into our Opening Mass. To rousing applause, our youngest students were extended a warm Aquinas welcome, including those in the Rice team who joined us by video from Camp Adanac in Yarra Junction. Father Dispin John presided over a beautiful Mass and encouraged the community not to settle for mediocrity, but strive to make the most of our God given talents in an inspiring homily. He reminded us of the important role that our faith tradition plays in keeping us grounded and that we are strong as a people of shared belief because our roots go deep into fertile soil. Thank you to the Catholic Life Team and Ms Grace in particular for her work to prepare our liturgical celebration.
At the conclusion of Mass we moved into our Opening Assembly led by our College Leaders. Student voice is a huge element at our assemblies and we have very capable public speakers amongst our student body who benefit from the experience to present to their peers. The Deakin Shield was presented to Year 11 Dux (2020) Reuben Steen by Hon. Michael Sukkar MP who spoke to our community from Parliament House, Canberra. Mr Sukkar spoke of his own fond memories as a student of the College and acknowledged the excellent contribution that Reuben has made to College life. All student leaders were presented to the gathering and given their badges as they made a pledge to serve the community to the best of their ability. For the first time we were able to award our Spirit of Aquinas Awards to students who had received the most commendations by their teachers for their contribution to the life of the College and the welfare of others. Thank you to those who prepared the Gym so that we could gather as a whole community after such a long hiatus due to Covid-19 and especially Ms Greenwood as coordinator.
Year 7 Camps
The last of our Year 7 Camps occurred this week and it was a real pleasure to visit the camp site in Yarra Junction and see the students having a great time trying activities that sometimes pushed them outside their comfort zones. While the skies were quite overcast, this did not seem to deter the students and it was impressive to see everyone so willing to participate and make the most of this experience. Of course, it was also a great opportunity to meet new people and start to build friendships. Thank you to the staff who so generously offer their time so that this sort of experience is available to our students.
Visit of CIS Accreditation Team
If you were to look closely at any 麻豆国产AV publications you would notice, usually in the bottom corner, a symbol saying CIS Accredited. What does this mean? CIS stands for the Council of International Schools and is a global non-profit organization committed to high-quality education. CIS includes more than 1360 schools and universities representing 123 countries. In Victoria, there are six CIS Accredited Secondary Schools - Aquinas, plus McKinnon Secondary College, Mentone Girls Grammar School, Werribee Secondary College, Whitefriars College and Xavier College.
So what is special about a CIS-accredited school?
The final award of CIS accreditation shows that the school has achieved high standards of professional performance in international education and has a commitment to continuous improvement. In particular, the award of accreditation shows that the school:
- is devoted to its mission and vision for students
- has thought deeply about the services it offers to students, family and community.
- invests the time and resources for validation from a globally-recognized accreditation authority
- focuses on the quality of teaching, student learning, as well as student safeguarding and well-being
- is committed to the development of the students鈥 global citizenship
- has a suitable philosophy of education suitable for its students
- promises only what it can deliver
- constantly seeks improvement in all areas of the school plans strategically for the future.
From Monday 15th March we will be hosting an Accreditation Team from CIS made up of expert educators from all over the world - most based in South East Asia. Because of Covid-19 they cannot travel to Australia so their visit will be virtual, but they are very keen to see our school and provide feedback on how we perform against the standards. Thank you to those who have already contributed to our Self Study and especially to Mrs Blackwell who is coordinating our re-accreditation process. I look forward to providing you with an update after the visit.
Open Day
Advance notice that on Sunday March 21 we will have our Open Day from 12pm to 3pm. Tours will be conducted regularly throughout the day with the last tour departing at 2.15pm. Bookings are not required. Parents with a child in Grade 5 are reminded that the enrolment period for the 2023 Year 7 class closes on Friday, August 20th, 2021. Please note that we do not presume that you are enrolling your child at the College and that an application is required. Should you have any questions please contact College Registrar, Ms Madeleine Kalla on 9259 3008
Darren Atkinson
Principal
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