Deputy Principal | Mr Damien Fall

Welcome to the new term. It is with a sense of expectation that we commence this term under relatively normal circumstances and with the hope that we can get back to our routines with minimal interruption. I trust everyone has had some opportunity for a break; I know that many students, staff and families found Term 2 to be long and challenging and were very keen for a chance to refresh.

This week, we welcomed back Mr Anthony Baruksopulo, who finished last term with a period of paternity leave following the birth of his son Lennox. Mr Craig Tonkies will also take leave for the first two weeks of this term after the arrival of his daughter Daniella late last term. Craig’s place will be taken by Mr John Langer, who we warmly welcome. We also welcome back Ms Suzanne Black and Mr Michael MacDermott, both of whom have taken leave in recent months.

Many families will know the much-loved Mr Paul Antenucci, one of our Personal Counsellors and former Campus Minister. His plans to marry fiancé Kay in his homeland America during the recent holidays were sadly foiled by the pandemic. Never to be deterred, Paul and Kay made the decision to elope and get married in our very own Chapel of the Holy Family. The Terrace Family is delighted for Paul and Kay on their wonderful news.

The start of a new semester often necessitates some timetable changes and a small number of classes have had unavoidable teacher changes for Semester 2 as a result. While consistency of teacher is our preference, the complexity of our timetable sometimes forces these changes. We do know that students will be quickly in routine and will be well taught, even if they have had a change of teacher.

Mrs Jan Lightbody has returned from a period of leave after sustaining an injury. Her return will be gradual, commencing with 3 days per week in the classroom and progressing to 5 days in the near future. Jan’s absences will be filled by subject-specialist teachers and she will closely monitor their progress for this period of time.

This week has again seen us in foreign territory with parent/teacher/student interviews conducted online via Teams for the first time. Round 1 was a great success on Wednesday evening and we look forward to the second evening next Wednesday being just as successful. Many thanks to our teaching staff who have responded so positively and embraced the challenges that recent months have presented. Parents will be aware that we opened interview bookings for both evenings only once. This change from our usual routine was designed to give IT staff time to ensure they could set interviews up. It has become obvious that a number of parents missed the opportunity to book interviews, so we have made the decision to re-open bookings for interviews for a brief time. Bookings are now open and will close at 11:59pm on Sunday if you would still like to make an online appointment with a teacher for Wednesday 22 July via the usual booking method. Thank you to parents for your flexibility with this new system.

Best wishes for the term ahead. It is nice to see the return of co-curricular activities for our young men – a key ingredient in their holistic education.