by Shane Kruger, Principal

AWARDS CEREMONY

We recently held our annual Awards Ceremony to celebrate and acknowledge some outstanding accomplishments by our students. Held in the Performing Arts Centre and online, our Awards Ceremony was an opportunity for us to recognise and celebrate the achievements of those students who have excelled in their studies, sport, music and leadership. These students demonstrated their commitment to the College Values of Excellence, Respect and Responsibility, constantly striving to achieve their personal best. I would like to congratulate all of our Award recipients on this great achievement.

ORIENTATION DAY

On Tuesday December 13 we welcomed our new Year 7 students for 2023. Orientation Day is an opportunity for our new students to ‘orientate’ themselves with the people, the places and the learning opportunities at Lilydale Heights College. As students arrived, we saw faces of excitement, nervousness and curiosity. The challenge was set early to make the most of the day, to ask lots of questions and to meet new people. Our new students quickly moved off into their new classes and participated in a range of activities designed to build connections with each other and with their teachers. They were able to experience some of the subjects that they will be learning in 2023 and concluded the day with a Home Group Challenge. As we gathered back in the PAC at the end of the day, we reflected on how the students had felt arriving that morning to what they were feeling now. When asked if they were feeling more comfortable about coming to high school in 2023, it was wonderful to see all of the student hands go up in the air. I would like to thank our Year 7 Learning Leader Michelle Gaudion for all her work in preparing a transition process and Orientation Day that supports all students as they join our learning community. Thank you to the Year 7 Liaisons Louise Martin and Chris Edwards for all their support of our students and to our staff who ensured that all students had a wonderful experience for their first day of high school.

VCE & VCAL RESULTS

Congratulations to all our VCE and VCAL graduates. The Year 12 cohort achieved fantastic results this year with the College seeing strong growth in our median study scores and ATAR’s. We are proud of our students and this fantastic achievement. Well done to Bailey Griffiths on being the 2022 Dux! Bailey has been a dedicated student whose motivation and constant focus on challenging himself to be his best has resulted in some fantastic academic results. Congratulations to all our students and staff on this achievement!

COLLEGE CAPTAINS 2022-2023

Thank you to our 2022 College Captains Aimee, Stoan and Isabella for their commitment and leadership within the College this year. They have represented the voice of our students and worked with students and staff to continually strive for ongoing improvement. On behalf of the College, I would like to thank them for their leadership this year and wish them all the best for the future.

I would also like welcome our 2023 College Student Leadership Team.

• College Captains: Laura, Erin, Ash and Fletcher
• College Vice Captains: Hayley, Zak, Amelia and Athena Rose
• Prefect Year 12: Madden
• Prefect Year 11: Charlotte

Congratulations to our new Student Leaders. We look forward to working with you next year to continue to make Lilydale Heights College a great school for our community.

SIRC

The SIRC have been an important leadership team within the College this year. They have worked alongside Rotary, raised significant funds for a range of charities and represented the voice of the students in many forums. It is important for all students to know that their SIRC is there for all students, representing their voice. The SIRC is a leadership group that has real opportunities to influence the decision making within the school to ensure that our school is a positive place for us all. I would like to thank all of our SIRC members for their commitment to the College this year.

START OF TERM 1 2023

The College Office will reopen on Friday 27 January 2023 from 9am – 4pm. Students commence Tuesday 31 January 2023.

THANK YOU

I would like to thank all of our staff, students and families for their support this year. We have an amazing school and it is due to the incredible people that learn, teach, work and support our community that make it so amazing. It has been wonderful to be back onsite this year, our first full year at school in two years. To put this in perspective, this means that 2022 has been the first full year of high school onsite for our Year 9 students. For our Year 7 students, this has been their first full year since Grade 4. It has been a big year and I would like to congratulate all of our students for their resilience and commitment to school for the past 12 months.

Thank you to our families, friends and wider community for your ongoing support of our students and our school. Schools are successful when there is a positive relationship between the school, the student and their family. We have valued these relationships and support this year and look forward to continuing to work with our community in 2023.

Thank you to all of our staff for their ongoing commitment to ensuring that our students have the best learning opportunities possible and for constantly supporting them in their learning, social and emotional growth. It takes a whole community to build a positive culture and learning environment, and we have an incredible team, both within and outside the classroom, that make this happen every day.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our College Council members for their contribution to the College this year. It has been a big year of change with a new Principal, a school review and a new Strategic Plan. It is wonderful to have a committed group of people who volunteer their time to ensure that our students have a positive educational environment and the best learning opportunities. Thank you all for your commitment to our school and, most importantly, to our students. We look forward to continuing to work with you in 2023.

I would like to wish our whole community a safe and happy holiday break. Spend some time relaxing, connecting with family and friends and doing those activities that you love. Enjoy this break and we look forward to seeing you all in 2023.