Dean of Students | Mr Damien Fall

We are into the second half of term, and this is traditionally a time when the holidays are long forgotten, sound routines are critical and staff and students can start to become a little weary.  It is fair to say that this time of term can be a test of a young man’s character; this is when he needs to step up and get into the grind as we head towards the exam period.  It is also a time when relationships can be tested, but our expectations remain as usual during this time.  We ask students to treat each other as they would like to be treated and to refrain from engaging in any sort of negative verbal interactions.  In our community, we can’t be friends with everyone, but we need to at least be respectful.

In the spirit of partnership between school and home, we aim to assist parents with the formation of their sons.  This happens daily at school, but there are also times when we are pleased to present parents with opportunities that may enhance their important role in the home.  One regular offering is SchoolTV, which can be found on the College App under ‘Notices’.  This monthly resource covers topics relevant to parents across all year levels.  This month’s edition looks at diet and nutrition and how it impacts aspects of a young man’s education, including academic achievement.  I recommend having a look at this excellent resource that presents advice from a variety of experts.  

We have also arranged a parent evening on 28 March that looks at the topic of gaming addiction; information has been sent home about the evening that targets what is a regular source of frustration for parents.  We look forward to hosting Mr Cam Adair on the evening, who will share his journey from gaming addict to expert on breaking the cycle of gaming dependence.  Parents from all year levels are most welcome.

We wish our Swimming team all the very best for this Friday’s GPS Championships at Chandler.  We will be sending our students from Years 5 and 6 to support the Junior Championships and Years 10 and 12 to support the Senior Championships.  It has been very pleasing to see a great sense of school spirit throughout Term 1, most notably in the form of enthusiastic support at various events.  The swimmers deserve to have the school behind them and I look forward to  an enthusiastic group of spectators acknowledging the efforts of their mates.